Northbrook, Ill.-based M. Holland Co. has distributed material for Turkish plastics compounder Elastron Kimya A.S. since 2017. The two firms now are working more closely together by qualifying materials in preparation for Elastron opening a compounding plant in Gainesville, Ga., later this year.
The expanded partnership will provide an alternative source of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) and other compounded TPEs to the domestic wire and cable market, officials with both firms said in a Feb. 22 news release.
M. Holland's recent acquisition of T&T Marketing, a leading distributor to the wire and cable industry, also played a role in accelerating work with Elastron. The new Elastron plant will produce TPVs as well as styrenic block copolymers and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) compounds, all of which are materials widely used in wire and cable and automotive markets, according to Elastron USA General Manager Zev Gurion.
T&T co-founder Tom Jordan added in the release that Elastron “has an excellent portfolio of existing wire and cable grades and a desire to partner with us in developing innovative new products for the market.”
Elastron is spending $10 million on the Georgia plant, which will employ 30 and operate two extrusion lines with annual production capacity of almost 8 million pounds. The firm has been compounding TPEs in Turkey since the late 1990s and has had a U.S. sales office in Detroit since 2009.
M. Holland acquired Andover, Mass.-based T&T in October. The firm employs 26 and has annual sales of about $40 million, distributing material throughout the United States and Canada from seven regional warehouses.
The T&T deal was M. Holland's fifth acquisition or joint venture since mid-2015. The firm ranks as one of North America's largest resin distributors, selling more than 1.4 billion pounds of resin per year from more than 20 material suppliers.
