Mallard Creek Polymers Acquires the Intellectual Property of Ecronova Polymer GmbH

CHARLOTTE, NC - Mallard Creek Polymers Inc. has reached an agreement with Michelman Corp. to acquire the intellectual property of the Michelman subsidiary Ecronova Polymer GmbH.

Short-term, Mallard Creek Polymers will offer a limited number of products based on Ecronova recipes and knowhow from several manufacturing partners in Europe. Long-term, Mallard Creek Polymers plans to reestablish the broad product line for customers across Europe, add its North American products to the European portfolio, and introduce Ecronova grades for customers in North America.

“We are pleased to add Ecronova’s product and process technology to our portfolio,” said Thayne Hansen, Vice President and General Manager of Mallard Creek Polymers. “Our technology heritage stems from Unocal, Rohm and Haas, and Dow Reichhold Specialty Latex, as well as Mallard Creek’s collaboration with customers.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mallard Creek Polymers has nearly 60 years of experience in emulsion polymers across many product types – styrene-butadiene, styrene-acrylic, pure acrylic, vinyl acetate and nitrile elastomers.

With the increasing regulatory & environmental requirements and the growing expectations of end users, the development of a high-performance water-borne coating system has become a challenge. Silicones have long been used to improve weatherability, water resistance and mar resistance, but the incorporation of silicone materials into waterborne organic resin compositions is often difficult due to fundamental incompatibility and immiscibility.

VOC regulations continue to provide major challenges to existing coatings for many market applications, including architectural, wood finish, and industrial coatings.

How can you find the right balance between lowering VOCs and providing workable paint properties such as dry time and wrinkling prevention from over-application?