Acrylic sheet maker Plaskolite LLC, is expanding its product line with the acquisition of the extruded lighting sheet business of Rotuba Extruders Inc.
Columbus, Ohio-based Plaskolite will incorporate Rotuba's products into its product mix and will move their manufacture to its own facilities in Columbus and Zanesville, Ohio; and Olive Branch, Miss.
“This will broaden our lines. We call on a majority of the same customers and we will continue to sell to them,” said Mitchell Grindley, president and CEO of Plaskolite.
He said the deal was completed Feb. 22 and that production of the products will continue at Rotuba until the machines are ready at the Plaskolite facilities.
Grindley said that its sales team will help make the transition seamless for customers.
Plaskolite was founded in 1950 in Columbus and calls itself the largest U.S. manufacturer of continuously processed acrylic sheet products. It has more than 630 employees and also has facilities in Grand Saline, Texas; Compton, Calif.; Monterrey, Mexico; and Malatya, Turkey.
Plaskolite ranked 24th with sales of $341 million in the 2015 Plastics News ranking of North American film and sheet manufacturers.
Rotuba, based in Linden, N.J., is a custom compounder of cellulosics, a wood-based polymer, and one of the largest custom profile extruders for the lighting industry.
“With the growth of light-emitting diode fixtures in the lighting industry, this deal allows Rotuba to focus on growing the custom extruded profile segment of our business,” said Adam Bell, president and CEO of Rotuba, in a statement.
