A new deal will allow compounder RTP Co. to make and market compounds based on Solvay Specialty Polymers' polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) resins for the commercial aircraft industry.
The agreement covers Radel-brand R-7000 PPSU resins, which are specially formulated for aircraft cabin interior applications, such as seating, stow bins and air grilles. The materials offer excellent aesthetics, impact strength and chemical resistance, officials with Alpharetta, Ga.-based Solvay SP said in an Aug. 24 news release.
The deal “now enables [RTP] to offer customers an even broader range of high-performance polymers that comply with the aircraft industry's stringent regulations,” RTP executive Ben Wiltsie said in the release. Wiltsie is general manager of flame retardants for Winona, Minn.-based RTP.
The Solvay agreement continues a busy streak for RTP, which has made two acquisitions since December. The firm that month bought most of the assets of toll compounder Alloy Polymers of Richmond, Va. Officials then announced Aug. 6 that RTP had acquired Polymer Partners LLC, a maker of black compounds and masterbatches in Henderson, Ky.
RTP ranks as one of North America's 30 largest compounders and concentrates makers. The firm operates 17 plants worldwide, making compounds based on 60 different engineering resins.
Solvay SP is a unit of Brussels-based specialty chemicals firm Solvay SA. In 2014, Solvay SA posted sales of 10.2 billion euros ($11.6 billion). The firm employs 26,000 worldwide.