In a deal the financial details of which were not disclosed, Ineos Olefins and Polymers USA (League City, Texas / USA), part of Ineos (London / UK; www.ineos.com), has acquired 100% of the shares of WLP Holding Corporation, owner of WL Plastics (Fort Worth, Texas / USA; www.wlplastics.com). The latter is said to be one of North America’s largest HDPE pipe producers, with production facilities in Snyder and Bowie, Texas; Casper, Wyoming; Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Cedar City, Utah; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Calgary, Alberta / Canada. The group is also currently building another facility in Georgia.

WL Plastics produces more than 226,000 t/y of HDPE pipe, used mostly in the oil, gas, industrial, mining, conduit and municipal water and sewer segments. Founded in 2000, the company has a pipe portfolio that ranges in size from 1 cm to up to 137 cm.

Commenting on the purchase, WL Plastics CEO Mark Wason said the upstream integration under Ineos will strengthen the company’s position in the market place, “enabling the next phase of WL Plastics growth.” Ineos O&P USA chief executive Dennis Seith added, “The business is well-positioned to serve the growing North American pipe market and will complement Ineos’ existing portfolio of olefins and polymer products.”

According to Plasteurope.com's Polyglobe capacity database (www.polyglobe.net), Ineos O&P USA has almost 4m t/y in feedstock capacities in the US, consisting mostly of ethylene and propylene, but also comprising benzene and butadiene. In addition, the company produces more than 1m t/y of HDPE at plants in Cedar Bayou and Deer Park, Texas, and is also due to start up another 470,000 t/y HDPE plant together with partner Sasol North America soon. In addition to HDPE, Ineos O&P Americas’ downstream portfolio also includes PP.

News of the acquisition follows just a day after another Ineos company – Ineos Styrolution (Frankfurt / Germany; www.ineos-styrolution.com) – signed an agreement to acquire the global “K-Resin” styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC) business of ChevronPhillips Chemical (The Woodlands, Texas / USA; www.cpchem.com) and Daelim Industrial (Seoul / South Korea; www.daelim.co.kr) – see Plasteurope.com of 02.11.2016.