Michelman Acquires European-Based Licomer® Floor Polish Additive Business from Clariant
CINCINNATI, OH (November 11, 2011) - Michelman has acquired Clariant's European based Licomer® business. The purchase includes the Licomer line of floor polish additives, associated intellectual property, equipment and assets. Michelman will integrate all related customer support and technical service into its offices and labs in Luxembourg and Belgium. The company has named Mr. Vladimir Nuñez as Business Manager - Licomer. Clariant will continue to sell and service the Licomer line in Central and South America and the Caribbean under a trademark license from Michelman.
Nuñez, who was previously Michelman's Sales Manager in Europe, will be responsible for ensuring a seamless transition for existing Licomer customers in the short term, as well as on-going business concerns over time. He will report directly to Mr. Peter Roggeman, Managing Director, Europe. Clariant will also be providing support through the transition to help bring uninterrupted technical service to all customers.
Licomer is a family of water-based polymer dispersions and wax emulsions for the manufacture of dry-bright emulsions intended specifically for the care of floors. The range of solutions numbers more than thirty grades including acrylic and styrene-acrylic dispersions, both free of metal salts and containing metal salts, and emulsions of polyethylene and montan waxes. The various grades are designed for household, industrial, and institutional use on surfaces including terrazzo, marble, PVC, linoleum and parquet. There are also solutions for use in high speed wash and wax machines. There will be no change in product names, packaging - other than adding a Michelman logo - or formulations.
According to Mr. Roggeman, "The Licomer acquisition dovetails perfectly with our existing floor polish additives business. We have long offered a broad selection of wax emulsions to the industry. The addition of Licomer polymer dispersions complements our existing product offering and will allow us to bring additional value and resources to our customers, as well as existing Licomer customers." He went on to add, "There are many long-standing Licomer customers in Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal. Mr. Nuñez has been serving customers in all of Europe, with a focus on Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France, so all regions of the continent will be well served through this transition."
The acquisition was handled through Michelman's Ventures group formed in June, 2011.
About Michelman
Michelman is a global developer of water-based barrier and functional coatings for flexible film packaging, paperboard, and corrugated cartons; and water-based surface modifiers, additives and polymers for numerous industries including floor and wood care, industrial coatings, inks, fibers, composites, and construction products. Michelman serves its multinational and regional customers with production facilities in the U.S., Europe and Singapore, and a worldwide network of highly trained field technical support personnel.
