CINCINNATI – Michelman has acquired Ecronova Polymer GmbH, Recklinghausen, Germany, a manufacturer of water-based polymers used in the production of paints and lacquers. The purchase includes all assets, technology and manufacturing facilities. The name Ecronova Polymer will continue to be used for business operations, and all current Ecronova Polymer products will remain unchanged in name and formulation.

Ecronova Polymer was owned by the company’s Managing Directors, Peter Montag and Anton Solich, and funds managed by Aheim Capital, a private equity investment firm. Montag and Solich will continue in their roles as Managing Directors and will be joined by Jean-Marc Verhaeghe, currently Michelman’s Managing Director, EMEA. Verhaeghe will assume overall operational responsibilities.  Ecronova Polymer’s customers will see no interruption in their service and will continue to work with their current Ecronova contacts.

Ecronova Polymer’s lines of water-based polymers include styrene acrylics, pure acrylic emulsions, vinyl acetate copolymers and polyurethane dispersions.

With the acquisition, Michelman gains a physical presence in Germany and increases its European footprint. The company now has product development and manufacturing facilities in the Belgium/Luxembourg region, Germany, the United States and Singapore, plus a new technical service center in Shanghai serving the China and greater Asia-Pacific market.