As a boost for German colour and pigment specialist Eckart (Hartenstein; www.eckart.net), parent company Altana (Wesel, Germany; www.altana.com) is acquiring Eckart’s US competitor Silberline (Tamaqua, Pennsylvania; www.silberline.com). The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. No information was available as to when the transaction will be completed, as it still requires the approval of anti-trust authorities. 

Eckart is regarded as the world market leader in effect pigments in industry circles, with Silberline in third place. While Silberline produces mainly aluminium-based effect pigments, Eckart also offers products based on other metals. Synergies will undoubtedly be achieved primarily in the international production network, as well as in application technology and distribution, according to Altana. The two application areas are more or less identical – automotive coatings as well as pigments and printing inks for plastics, coatings, and packaging. When contacted by Plasteurope.com, no information was provided on the shares generated with the plastics industry.

Related: Eckart’s pigments use recycled and bio-based aluminium

As one of Altana’s four divisions, Eckart is strongly focused on the European market, while Silberline will be contributing its plants and subsidiaries in the Americas and Asia. The US firm only has a sales company in Europe, located in the Scottish town of Leven at the mouth of the River Forth, directly opposite Edinburgh.

With recent sales of approximately USD 80 mn, Silberline is significantly smaller than Eckart, which reported a figure of just under EUR 400 mn in 2022. The number of employees also differs considerably – while the US company employs 450 under the leadership of CEO Gary Karnish, Eckart has around 1,750 employees.