In line with the strategy to enhance its custom colour capabilities in the US and complete its transition from a commodities player to a company focused on niche products and services, plastics compounder and distributor A. Schulman (Akron, Ohio / USA; www.aschulman.com) has acquired Prime Colorants (Franklin, Tennessee / USA; www.primecolorants.com), a manufacturer of custom colours and additive concentrates.

The USD 15.1m deal, which adds 50 employees and sales of around USD 12m, will give Schulman a point of entry for the liquid colour market, the Ohio company said. Prime Colorants supplies pelletised colour concentrates and dry powder colour expertise to customers in the automotive and building industries. The two companies have worked together in the past.

“Colour remains an area of opportunity for us in the United States, and the acquisition of Prime will enable us to serve customers better by offering colour expertise in an area of the country where we were not previously located,” said CEO Joseph M. Gingo. He added that the newly acquired capability builds on Schulman’s recent acquisitions of Perrite (Warrington, Cheshire / UK; www.perrite.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 06.09.2013 – and Network Polymers (Akron / Ohio; www.networkpolymers.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 05.12.2013.