A. Schulman: Strategic Alliance with Initz for the Commercialization of PPS Compounds in EMEA and the Americas

A. Schulman, Inc. (Nasdaq-GS: SHLM), a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds, powders and resins, recently announced that it has signed an agreement and a strategic partnership with the South Korean polymer producer Initz for the compounding and marketing of Initz Co., Ltd.’s “Ecotran” Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) compounds. A. Schulman will be producing, selling and distributing the “Ecotran” compounds in Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Initz Co., Ltd. is a Joint Venture of SK Chemicals Co., Ltd., Korea (66% of the shares) and Teijin Limited, Japan, (remaining 34% of the shares).

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“The combination of Initz’ know-how and A. Schulman’s state of the art global manufacturing capabilities and application development will support our customers in markets such as automotive, electronics, industrial, filtration and coatings to meet and exceed their halogen-free industry standards. Unlike other conventional PPS, “Ecotran” will enable them to differentiate their product offering and further strengthen their market position”, said Bernard Rzepka, COO and Executive Vice-President A. Schulman.

“Through almost 100 patents, SK Chemicals constructed its own technology systems and succeeded in developing world’s first environmental friendly PPS production process without using chlorine and solvent”, said Cheol Kim, CEO, SK Chemicals. “According to our partnership, Initz will focus on customers in the rapidly growing Asian markets. In the Americas and in Europe, we are counting on A. Schulman’s extensive compounding know-how and excellent market coverage”, said Hyokyung Kim, President of Initz.

PPS is a semi-crystalline high performance polymer and is typically used as 40% - 60% filled compound and is well known for its excellent thermal and chemical resistance, its mechanical strength and dimensional stability.

Through this strategic partnership, Initz and A Schulman are committed to become a global leader in PPS with the “Ecotran” brand, serving customers’ needs across a diverse range of markets.

More information: www.aschulman.com, www.skchemicals.com

A. Schulman, Inc., Akron, Ohio, USA

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