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BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) has sold its hydrophilic melt additives business to Techmer PM LLC (Clinton, TN) after a strategic portfolio review completed following its acquisition of Ciba Plastic Additives. Techmer, which manufactures colors and additives for the plastics and fiber industries, said in a release that the Irgasurf HL products complement its existing product line and strong presence in the fibers and nonwoven markets.

PlasticsToday Staff

June 23, 2010

2 Min Read
Techmer buys melt additive line from BASF; subsidiary recognized by customer

BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) has sold its hydrophilic melt additives business to Techmer PM LLC (Clinton, TN) after a strategic portfolio review completed following its acquisition of Ciba Plastic Additives. Techmer, which manufactures colors and additives for the plastics and fiber industries, said in a release that the Irgasurf HL products complement its existing product line and strong presence in the fibers and nonwoven markets. The transaction, for which terms were not disclosed, included intellectual property and technical information but no transfer of the trademark Irgasurf, tangible assets, or personnel. The companies also noted that it will have no impact on BASF's organizational structure.

The heritage Ciba product is a hydrophilic internal additive for polyolefin fibers and nonwovens that acts as a melt-processable alternative to topical finishes and allows PP fabrics to absorb many times their weight in water. According to Ciba, a PP nonwoven fabric with 2.5% Irgasurf HL 560 can repeatedly absorb more than eight times its weight in water.

On April 9, 2009, BASF purchased Ciba Holding AG, integrating most of its businesses into its Performance Products segment. To accommodate the new businesses, it reorganized Performance Products into three divisions, including a new Paper Chemicals division. In addition to that, the Acrylics & Dispersions division was reorganized and renamed Dispersions & Pigments. Ciba's plastic additives and water treatment chemicals, as well as other technologies, were assigned to the Performance Chemicals division.

In additional Techmer PM news, group company Accel Color was recognized with a Gold Supplier Award from its client, International Plastics & Equipment Corp. (IPEC). IPEC, which manufactures tamper-revealing caps and closures for bottled beverages, presented the Gold Supplier Award to Accel Operations Manager David Phillips at a special ceremony at Accel's Avon, OH, operation, citing the company's "outstanding product quality, reliability, cooperation, and support."

In September 2009, Accel launched an ISO 9001:2008 compliance push aimed at guaranteeing consistent quality in the design and manufacture of its color concentrates, and five months later, it was granted full ISO 9001:2008 certification. Founded in 1998, Accel Color supplies color and additive concentrates, dry color blends, chemical foaming agents, and toll and custom compounding from sites in Avon, OH, and Naperville, IL. 

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