Need to Know

• William Blythe has agreed to combine with U.S.-based Metals and Additives LLC, expanding an international specialty chemicals and additives platform.
• The combined portfolio includes flame retardants, smoke suppressants, catalysts, polymer additives and other performance chemicals used in regulated and technically demanding applications.
• William Blythe serves the performance coatings market, giving the transaction relevance to coatings formulators using specialty inorganic and flame-retardant additives.

The combined business will generate approximately 50% of its revenue in North America, 30% in Europe and 20% in the Asia-Pacific region, according to H2. The investment firm said the transaction builds on its carve-out of William Blythe in 2025.

William Blythe develops and manufactures specialty inorganic chemicals for performance applications. Its coatings-facing portfolio includes Flamtard flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant additives. The company's application information identifies PVC-based industrial coatings among the uses for Flamtard, where the products can replace traditional flame-retardant additives.

William Blythe also serves markets including polymers, electronics, catalysts and energy storage. The company says its Flamtard chemistry is based on zinc, tin and mixed-metal-oxide technologies and is used across multiple polymer systems.

H2 described the transaction as an agreement to combine the companies. The announcement did not disclose financial terms or provide a closing date, so the transaction should not yet be described as completed.

PCI covers additional developments involving additives used in paint and coatings formulations.