Masterbatch producer MB Solutions (B-2340 Beerse; www.mb-solutions.net), founded in 2002 as a joint venture between the Megides family, which owns the majority, and leading European compounder Ravago (B-2370 Arendonk; www.ravago.com), expects to start up a new EUR 10.5m flame retardants plant shortly at Beer Sheva, Israel, according to reports in the Israeli press.

The Megides family also owns Tosaf (Kfar Yona 40300 / Israel; www.tosaf.com), a manufacturer of additives and colour masterbatches and – on a smaller scale – polyolefin compounds, with sales of nearly EUR 100m. MB Solutions acts at the same time as Tosaf´s European masterbatch arm and as the Israeli group´s new holding. Alongside two plants in Israel and Turkey, MB Solutions, headed by Amos Megides as CEO, operates a new masterbatch unit at Beerse, which came on stream in January 2003. According to unconfirmed reports, the Megides family also has acquired the majority of a German colour masterbatch producer.

Founded as a trader in 1961, the Ravago group under CEO Theo Roussis now ranks among the top names in European plastics distribution. It owns Resin Express (www.resinex.net) and has a stake in Ultrapolymers (www.ultrapolymers.com) founded last year – see PIE 20, 2002. With branches and subsidiaries in 12 European countries, the compounding group markets ready-to-use plastic products for the construction industry and has been involved continuously in recycling of production scrap since the 1960s. After sales of EUR 892m in 2001 – the last year for which figures are available – group turnover is now estimated to be close to EUR 2 bn.