Asahi Kasei Corp. is merging its Asahi Kasei Plastics North America and Asahi Kasei Asaclean Americas units on April 1.
AKPNA is a major polypropylene and engineering resins compounder. AKAC is a leading supplier of purging compounds and concentrates.
The combined business will operate as APNA and be headquartered in Fowlerville, Mich. AKAC had been based in Parsippany, N.J. In a news release, officials said that the merger "creates a plastics-focused powerhouse with customers spanning the automotive, industrial, and consumer industries."
Following the merger, the company will have more than 350 employees at four locations in North America. The merger "will provide significant internal and external benefits for our employees, customers, and communities," APNA President and COO Todd Glogovsky said.
Officials said that several opportunities presented by the merger have already been seen, such as the production of Asaclean products, new product commercialization, and warehousing of raw materials and finished goods. They added that by consolidating relevant resources, customers can streamline items such as invoicing and product support through one partnership.
"This partnership benefits our mutual customers through areas such as connected customer service and technical support while maintaining the relationships that have been cultivated for years," Phani Nagaraj, APNA commercial vice president, said.
"From a product and customer experience standpoint, nothing changes," he added. "The Asaclean products will deliver the same quality and consistency that has been trusted for nearly 30 years."
Asahi Kasei Asaclean recently was named to Plastics News Best Places to Work list for 2022. The business has made that list for eight consecutive years.
Tokyo-based Asahi Kasei is an industrial conglomerate that employs almost 47,000 worldwide.