Newly formed resin distributor Bamberger Amco Polymers has gained one supplier, but lost another.
Starting March 1, select grades of virgin and recycled resins made by BASF Engineering Plastics will be available from Bamberger Amco in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, officials with BASF in Wyandotte, Mich., said in a news release.
Distributors M. Holland Co. and Nexeo Plastics also will serve those regions for BASF, with Polimeros Nacionales distributing for the firm in Mexico. Select grades of Ultramid-brand nylon, Ultradur-brand PBT, Ultraform-brand acetal and recycled grades of Nypel-brand nylon 6 and 6/6 and Petra-brand PET made by BASF are available from these distributors.
"BASF looks forward to continuing our service of the engineering plastics market alongside our distribution partners… [who] are paramount to providing best-in-class service to our customers," Andrew Bayley, engineering plastics vice president, said.
One day after the BASF release, materials firm Covestro LLC said in a news release that effective April 1, Amco Polymers will no longer be a distributor of Covestro's polycarbonate products. Covestro will accept PC orders from Amco through March 1. Amco will continue to distribute Texin-brand and Desmopan-brand TPUs for Pittsburgh-based Covestro.
In the release, Covestro officials said the split with Amco on PC materials was mutual, according to both companies.
"As a leading global supplier of [PC], Covestro offers many channels to market, assuring our customers have access to our broad portfolio of polycarbonate resins and blends," Covestro's George Paleos said. Paleos is the firm's vice president of sales and market development for engineering plastics.
Paleos added Covestro's PC products are available through authorized national distributors Formerra LLC of Romeoville, Ill., and M. Holland Co. of Northbrook, Ill., as well as through direct sales. M. Holland and Amco both are owned by global materials firm Ravago Group.
Covestro's PC product families include Makrolon-brand and Apec-brand resins, as well as Makrolon-brand PC/polyester blends and Bayblend-brand PC/ABS blends.
The merger of well-known distributors Amco and Bamberger Polymers to create Bamberger Amco was announced earlier in January. In a post on the firm's new website, officials said that the merger "is a significant step towards combining the strengths and expertise of two well-established polymer distribution businesses to provide [customers] with an even more comprehensive range of products, services, and expertise."
Business operations will be unaffected by the merger. Officials said full integration into Bamberger Amco Polymers will take place in March.
Bamberger and Amco already have some shared ownership. Amco has been owned since 2012 by Ravago, a global distribution, recycling and compounding giant based in Luxembourg. Bamberger was sold to Plastiche SA in 2018. The Roussis family has controlling stakes in both Ravago and Plastiche, a private investment company based in Luxembourg.
Bamberger distributes resins and compounds for 10 major suppliers. The firm was founded in 1967 and is based in Jericho, N.Y. Amco distributes resins and compounds for almost 20 major suppliers. The firm began in 1955 and is based in Orlando, Fla.
In addition to Amco, Ravago's operating units include Muehlstein, Channel Prime Alliance and Entec Polymers. In August, Ravago acquired a majority stake in M. Holland.