Rhein Chemie, a manufacturer and supplier of additives, specialty chemicals and service products for the plastics, lubricant and rubber industries, has acquired Wacker Chemie’s tire release agents business.
This acquisition will allow Rhein Chemie to expand its product portfolio for the tire industry. Wacker Chemie will also deliver silicon-based raw materials to Rhein Chemie as a part of the transaction. The purchase includes the rights to the related product formulations, business inventories and existing customer contracts.
Rhein Chemie’S CEO, Dr. Anno Borkowsky stated that the acquisition of Wacker Chemie’s business reinforces Rhein Chemie’s status in the tire industry and also contributes to the company’s growth as the world’s largest distributor of tire release agents. It also provides new business opportunities in the U.S.
The products that have been purchased by Rhein Chemie are solvent-free, aqueous and silicone-based dispersions and they will be distributed under the trade name, Rhenodiv. The tire release agents enhance the cost-efficiency of tire manufacturing process, as only one coating is sufficient for numerous de-molding operations. They also support uniform tire vulcanization and help in easy release of the finished tire from the mold and bladder.
Recently, Rhein Chemie has acquired Darmex, a manufacturer of tire release agents and bladder, as well as two product lines from Flexsys such as Santoweb and Vocol.