Whitford and Alpha Join Forces to Offer Unmatched Portfolio of Coatings for the Automotive Industry
1 July 2006, Frazer, PA. Whitford Corporation has purchased a majority share of
Alpha Coatings and its affiliated company, Low Friction Coatings (LFC), both of
Fostoria, Ohio.
Alpha applies low-friction coatings to rubber surfaces and applies adhesives to
metals for later bonding to rubber. Virtually all of Alpha's business is related to
the automotive industry.
Alpha was founded 35 years ago by Terry White, who continues as President and
manager of day-to-day operations. He is joined by Daniel Sydes, who is moving
from Whitford Plastics in England, where he led the worldwide Flexible Finishes
team. He comes as Vice-President and General Manager to integrate the Alpha
and Whitford automotive coatings. In conjunction with Michael Coates,
Worldwide Marketing Director, Daniel will continue to coordinate the Flexible
Finishes program.
The joint product portfolio includes the Resilon® line of waterborne coatings and
the Xylan® line of solvent-borne coatings. Together, these products offer the
automotive industry a wide range of benefits that no competitor can provide. (For
details of the product line, contact Whitford.)
Alpha has 3 facilities in Fostoria and 1 in Port Clinton, Ohio, about 45 minutes
from Fostoria. Alpha's sister company, LFC, produces some proprietary coatings,
having developed low-friction, low-noise materials. Some years ago, Whitford's research and development teams created a range of flexible finishes to reduce friction, suppress noise, avoid sticking and protect against weathering for automotive sealing systems.
The products manufactured by Alpha add an important dimension to those
offered by Whitford, and will help increase Whitford's participation in the automotive
market. Alpha, on the other hand, will benefit greatly from Whitford's worldwide
network, with manufacturing facilities in seven countries, sales offices in an
additional eight and agents in 25 more.
Said David Willis, president of Whitford, "This is an ideal marriage, with significant
benefits for both parties".
Said Terry White, "Whitford and Alpha make perfect partners!"
Whitford, a privately held company, manufactures the largest, most complete line
of fluoropolymer coatings in the world.
For more information, contact
Whitford Corporation
Box 2347
West Chester, PA 19380-0110
Tel: (610) 296-3200
Fax: (610) 647-4849
Email: sales@whitfordww.com.
visit Whitford on the web: www.whitfordww.com. For more information
on Alpha, go to www.alpha-coatings.com
