AOC finalizes acquisition for Czech Republic UPR manufacturing operation

AOC (Schaffhausen, Netherlands) reported on Dec. 10 it has finalized the acquisition of the unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) manufacturing operations located at the Spolchemie site in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic. This footprint extension will allow AOC to further improve service and logistics to its customers in Central/Eastern Europe as well as in Germany, and will make new products (e.g. based on recycled PET) available for customers around Europe.

“AOC is strongly committed to growing the composites industry and to supporting the customers in this region,” says Stefan Osterwind, AOC managing director EMEA. “We are very glad the Usti team will join our organization, and will support us in growing a sustainable business across the continent.”

The UPR plant in Ústí nad Labem is located 70 kilometers southeast of Dresden, Germany. Besides state-of-the-art UPR production equipment, the plant is said to have unique capabilities for manufacturing green resins based on recycled PET.

AOC, Kaprain (Prague, Czech Republic) and Spolchemie had already signed an agreement on Oct. 15, 2020 to transfer the operations to AOC. The transfer, now completed, will become fully effective as of Dec. 10, 2020.

“This acquisition enables AOC to significantly extend its manufacturing footprint, and further adds to our company’s global presence,” adds Joe Salley, CEO of AOC. “We are convinced this enables us to further align manufacturing processes, quality systems and best practices. Ultimately this should be highly beneficial for our customers.”