Huntsman acquires Italian PU elastomer manufacturer

The Woodlands, Texas – Huntsman Corp. has acquired Tecnoelastomeri, a manufacturer and marketer of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) based hot-cast elastomer systems and processing machines, Huntsman announced 23 June.

Tecnoelastomeri, based in Modena, Italy achieved 2014 sales of around $12 million, noted Huntsman’s statement, though it did not disclose details of the purchase price.

Hot-cast polyurethanes are used in applications such as bumper pads, coated conveyor belts, gears, rollers and wheels for the automotive, rail, oil and gas, mining and steel industries among others.  Huntsman is an established supplier of MDI for these applications.

Tecnoelastomeri markets its products globally under trademarks, including Tecnoelastomeri engineering urethane elastomers, Tecnothane polyurethane systems, Rithane speciality polyurethane systems, Castech polyurethane machines and Linthane specialty thermoplastic urethanes (TPUs).

"The addition of [Tecnoelastomeri’s] highly experienced team to our Polyurethanes business will significantly strengthen our offer to the growing, downstream hot-cast elastomer markets globally," said Tony Hankins, president of Huntsman's Polyurethanes division.

"In the past few years we have strengthened our downstream capabilities and now have more than 25 facilities worldwide. These investments reflect our confidence in the long-term growth prospects for MDI-based urethanes."