US speciality chemicals company Gabriel Performance Products (Ashtabula, Ohio; www.gabrielchem.com) has bought the phenoxy resin business of Inchem Corporation (Rock Hill, South Carolina / USA; www.inchemcorp.com) for an undisclosed sum. The portfolio consists of solid resins in pellet and powder form, and waterborne and solvent solutions, which are sold both directly and through distributors to customers in Europe, the USA and Asia. InChem’s Rock Hill facility will be Gabriel’s second production plant, adding to its existing facility in Ashtabula, Ohio.

"The acquisition of InChem’s phenoxy resin business is a significant milestone in Gabriel’s strategy to expand our specialty, proprietary product offering within the coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers (CASE) markets," commented Seth Tomasch, CEO of Gabriel Performance Products.

Following the transaction, the product line will be rebranded as “Gabriel Phenoxies”. The acquisition follows Gabriel’s purchase in December 2015 of BASF’s “Versamid” polyamide curing agents, which are designed for use with solid or liquid epoxy resins.

Speciality chemicals distributor Azelis (Antwerp / Belgium; www.azelis.com) signed a pan-European distribution agreement, which came into effect in 2016, with Gabriel Performance Products to offer their range of phenoxy resins. As of February 2017, the agreement also includes the mercaptans range of epoxy curing agents.