Cognis acquires UK-based Laporte performance chemicals from Degussa

Cognis acquires UK-based Laporte performance chemicals from Degussa

Keywords: Cognis, Degussa, Laporte performance chemicals

Cognis announced an agreement to acquire Degussa AG's Laporte performance chemicals business, a supplier of hydroxy and multifunctional monomers for coatings, synthetic lubricants, and ester-based rubber chemicals and plastics additives. The acquisition includes two production and development sites in the UK. The business generated sales of approximately £64 million ($103 million) in 2001.

Degussa acquired the Laporte business in 2001 as part of the purchase of Laporte's fine chemicals business, but was required by antitrust regulators to divest the business.

The Ohio chemistry technology council has selected BASF's coatings technical support center in Whitehouse, OH, to receive the 2002 award for excellence in responsible care, marking the 10th consecutive year the site has received the award. The award recognizes environmental performance and ongoing efforts to demonstrate a commitment to the community, the chemistry technology council said. The technical support center provides a wide range of research and development, technical information and customer support services related to BASF's automotive refinish, automotive OEM and industrial coatings businesses. The site also houses BASF's automotive refinish application and training center,which develops training programs and offers classes for BASF's collision-repair customers.

The Dow Chemical Co.'s UCAR emulsion systems business unit announced the launch of a Web site offering information on raw materials used in the paint,coatings, adhesives, and sealants markets. The site, located at www.ucarlatex.com, offers detailed information about the UCAR business's services and products, including 100 per cent acrylic, vinyl acrylic and styrene acrylic latexes; modified vinyl versatate latexes; rheology modifiers; and hydroxyethyl cellulose. The site provides basic product descriptions, technical data sheets, material safety data sheets (MSDSs), and starting-point formulations. Also offered are formulation guides and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section. A resource center provides documents and other literature.

RPM International Inc.'s board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 10 million shares of common stock over the next 12 months in open-market or private transactions.