McClarin Plastics LLC has acquired some polyolefin thermoset molding facilities from Materia Inc., a structural polymers company with Nobel Prize-winning technology that is a wholly owned affiliate of Irving, Texas-based ExxonMobil Chemical Co.
The deal also included a supply agreement for Proxxima-brand resin systems for high-performance composites and molded thermosets.
"This transaction launches a broader strategic growth relationship between McClarin and the Proxxima business, leveraging innovation and scale to decarbonize high-performance composites, enable cleaner and faster machine-driven closed molding, and open potential channels for advanced recycling and circularity for high-growth segments in mobility and the built environment," McClarin CEO Michael Gromacki said in a news release.
McClarin Plastics does business as McClarin Composites. The release describes the deal as a strategic acquisition for McClarin and mentions the relocation of select Materia polyolefin thermoset molding facilities but provided no details.
Founded in 1953 and based in Hanover, Pa., McClarin Composites manufactures large thermoplastic and fiberglass-reinforced plastic components for the energy, infrastructure, construction, heavy truck, rail, mobility and military markets. The company has facilities in Hanover; Oklahoma City; and Wapato, Wash.
With corporate sales of $83 million and related composite sales of $20 million, McClarin ranks 68th among North American thermoformers, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.
ExxonMobil acquired Materia in 2021, which at the time included its headquarters and technology center in Pasadena, Calif., and a manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Texas, to bring a new class of structural materials to commercial scale.
Founded in 1999, Materia was launched to commercialize ruthenium catalyst technologies developed by Robert Grubbs and his research group at the California Institute of Technology. Grubbs won a Nobel Prize in 2005 related to his work with ruthenium, a metal in the platinum category.
ExxonMobil and Materia had been collaborating since 2017, trying to develop new hydrocarbon-based materials that are stronger, lighter and more durable than existing thermoset products, such as epoxy, for wind turbine blades and other applications.
In recent years, Materia focused on developing Proxxima-brand polymers and has found commercial success in subsea pipeline insulation, molding industrial parts and composite rebar for concrete reinforcement.