Solvay buying Chevron Phillips plastic unit for $220M

Chemical maker Solvay SA is buying a performance polymers business from Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. for US$220 million to expand its offering of lightweight plastics for replacing heavier metal parts in cars.

According to a statement from Brussels-based Solvay, the purchase of Ryton polyphenylene sulphide plants will also increase Solvay’s exposure to the electronic-materials industry, where polymers are used to enhance the fire-resistance of components.

Solvay said it’s looking to exploit the full potential of Chevron Phillips technology as car manufacturers increasingly use lightweight components to boost fuel efficiency.

“Ryton PPS fits neatly with our unique specialty polymers portfolio and reinforces our unrivalled capabilities to provide solutions to our customers in dynamic innovative end-markets,” Augusto Di Donfrancesco, president of Solvay Specialty Polymers, said in the statement.

Solvay will acquire Ryton PPS sites in Texas and Oklahoma, and a plant in Belgium. Solvay plans to invest in a PPS production technology developed by Chevron Phillips that hasn’t “achieved its full potential,” the company said.

Completion of the deal is expected in the fourth quarter of 2014.