Düsseldorf, Germany — A year after its big merger with Addivant, SI Group was at K 2019 with new grades of additives.
"The strategic rationale for the merger was to create a global footprint by combining services," Senior Vice President Joey Gullion said at an Oct. 18 press event. "Based on customer meetings, we've been successful at that."
Schenectady, N.Y.-based SI had worked with Addivant of Danbury, Conn., for many years as a supplier. New York private equity firm SK Capital Partners bought SI in June 2018 and combined it with Addivant, an additives supplier that it had acquired in 2013.
"Our vision is to be a global performance additives powerhouse," Gullion said. "Instead of cost-cutting, we're filing more patents than ever."
At K 2019, SI introduced a new antioxidant for polyolefins. Officials said the material can improve performance and color retention at lower loadings than previous materials. The new grade is aimed at food packaging uses and is expected to be commercially available in 2021.
SI also has launched new stabilizers for use in styrene-butadiene rubber and nitrile rubber. The material has increased thermal resistance and color stability, officials said.
After merging with Addivant, SI now employs more than 3,000 at more than 30 manufacturing sites. The firm has annual sales of around $2 billion.
In March, David Bradley was named president and CEO of SI. Bradley previously had been president of resin and chemicals distributor Nexeo Solutions.
Parent firm SK in June paid $775 million in cash for the Performance Products and Solutions unit of PolyOne Corp. of Avon Lake, Ohio. That business ranks as one of North America's largest PVC compounders. SK also owns nylon 6/6 resin leader Ascend Performance Materials of Houston.