Chromaflo acquires SA colour firm Liquid Colours
GLOBAL colorant provider Chromaflo Technologies, has made its second international acquisition in less than a year, this time buying Liquid Colours (Pty) Ltd of South Africa for an undisclosed price.
Liquid Colours’ colorant dispersion division includes pigment dispersions and colorant technologies for decorative paint point-of-sale, in-plant systems, industrial coatings and other applications. That business will be integrated into Chromaflo’s recently-built plant in Johannesburg. Chromaflo Technologies South Africa will be headed by former Liquid Colours general manager, Lyle Peters.
The transfer of product lines, technology and personnel from the Liquid Colours’ dispersions division to Chromaflo will take place over the next 12 months, officials said. Chromaflo’s South Africa operations are part of the firm’s Asia-Pacific regional business, which is headquartered in Melbourne.
“The combination of our existing business and that of Liquid Colours’ dispersion division is a significant and exciting development for our business in Southern Africa,” said John Dry, managing director and VP, APAC. “It provides us with a solid platform in both volume and technology, coupled with a diverse range of products to further increase our regional footprint.”
In November, Chromaflo acquired the colorants unit of Central de Colores Plásticos (Cecoplas) of Querétaro, Mexico. That deal included a pigment dispersion business and a manufacturing plant.
Chromaflo has been owned since late 2016 by private equity firm American Securities LLC of New York. Chromaflo operates plants North America, Europe, China and Australia, making chemical and pigment dispersions for thermoset plastics and composites and numerous other markets.
Arsenal Capital partners formed Chromaflo in mid-2012 by combining Ashtabula-based Plasticolors Inc and the Colortrend unit of German firm Evonik Industries AG. In late 2013 Arsenal merged Chromaflo with the colorants business of Scandinavian firm CPS Color BV to create a global business with annual sales of more than $400 million.
