In a deal whose financial details were not disclosed, Evonik Industries (Essen / Germany; www.evonik.com) has sold its acrylate-based plastic additives and plastisol businesses and two production lines in Wesseling, near Cologne / Germany to Japan’s Kaneka Corporation (Osaka; www.kaneka.co.jp). The acquisition directly affects 30 of the employees at Wesseling, who have been offered options of staying on. The agreement still has to meet the approval of the necessary authorities.

The additives produced in Wesseling are mostly used as processing aids or to increase the impact resistance of PVC and other engineering thermoplastics. Plastisols are primarily used in the automotive industry as PVC substitutes for the protective undercoating and as sealing material.