AMSTERDAM — AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has completed its acquisition of Brazil's Polinox, South America's leading producer of ketone peroxides, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of polymers. The purchase expands the company's footprint in South America, establishing it as one of the region's leading producers of curing systems for polyester thermoset resins.

AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has acquired Polinox's brands and trademarks, including Brasnox^®, Perbenzox^® and TecnoxSuper^®, as well as its customer list and production knowhow. Manufacture of these products will move to the company's plant at Itupeva, Brazil, which is currently being expanded, by the third quarter of 2019.

"We signed an agreement to acquire Polinox in July and are fully prepared for a swift integration," said Johan Landfors, Executive Committee Member responsible for Polymer Chemistry. "We now look forward to serving Polinox's impressive portfolio of customers and further accelerating our growth in this important region."

Roberto Pontifex, Managing Director of Polinox, will join AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals as Commercial Manager. "I'm looking forward to continuing to serve my customers, and I am confident that we can strengthen our relationships with the knowhow AkzoNobel has to offer," said Pontifex.