Arkema to Acquire UK’s Lambson

Arkema is to acquire UK specialty chemicals company Lambson for an undisclosed sum.

The privately owned company, headquartered in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, specializes in photoinitiators for curing, complementing the business line of Arkema subsidiary Sartomer. Lambson has production plants in Europe, China and India, generating sales of around €45 million.

Photoinitiators are used to trigger polymerization reactions during UV-curing, a market that is estimated to grow at about 5% per year. Arkema said an integrated offering will enable Sartomer to better meet customers’ challenges, especially in the electronics, 3D printing, digital ink, composites and high-performance coatings markets.

The transaction is expected to close in this year’s fourth quarter, subject to approval by antitrust regulators.

Bostik will acquire Prochimir

In a separate move, Arkema’s specialty adhesives business Bostik is to acquire Prochimir, a French company specializing in high-performance thermobonding adhesive films used in a growing number of applications in the automotive, construction, textile and healthcare sectors.

Headquartered in Pouzauges, Prochimir operates two production plants in Vendée, France, and in the US state of Virginia, employing 85 people. The company has sales of €30 million, with exports accounting for 75%.

Arkema said the move will position Bostik among world-leading thermobonding film companies and speed up its development in the fast-growing markets of adhesive bonding. The Paris-based group added that it also fits with the company’s strategy to expand through acquisitions that target leading technologies in a market that remains fragmented.

The acquisition remains subject to consultation with trade unions and approval by regulators but is also anticipated to close in the final quarter of the year.