Additives: Americhem continues consolidation, closes Illinois plant

Color and additive masterbatch supplier Americhem Inc. (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) announced it will close its Elgin, IL manufacturing facility in early 2009, saying that capacity additions at its remaining four North American manufacturing sites is sufficient to absorb Elgin’s output. The company has restructured its manufacturing in North America, focusing on four larger facilities that it says offer service, technical support, and strong cost position due to scale. Americhem now operates plants in Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Mansfield, TX; Concord, NC; and Dalton, GA, with overseas production in Manchester, U.K. and Suzhou China, as well as representative sales offices in Shanghai, Mexico City, and Luxembourg.