Huntsman Corp. has added machine manufacturing to its business with the June 23 acquisition of Italy-based Tecnoelastomeri, a maker and marketer of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) based hot-cast elastomer systems and processing machines for $12 million.
Tecnoelastomeri of Modena, Italy, will remain intact to enable Huntsman to leverage the great work they've been doing in Europe and build it into a global business, Huntsman officials said.
A spokesman for The Woodlands, Texas-based Huntsman said Alessandro Gramellni will remain in the business and report to Steen Hansen, vice president Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East.
Tecnoelastomeri has been producing polyurethane machinery for over 25 years. Tony Hankins, president of Huntsman's polyurethanes division, said in a news release that the acquisition will allow it to strengthen its offerings to the “growing, downstream hot-cast elastomer markets globally.”
Ermes Gramenelli, the company founder told UTECH-polyurethane.com at K 2013: “Machines must do what the chemist wants. Chemists must not be forced to do what the machine will permit them to do. We design machines from the point of view of a chemical engineer not a mechanical engineer.”