SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Royal Holdings Inc.'s Kommerling UK Ltd. subsidiary has acquired Chemical Innovations Ltd. from the Vita Group to expand Royal's capabilities and product portfolio.
CIL is a developer and producer of high performance rubber to metal, rubber to plastic, rubber to fabric and rubber to glass bonding adhesives for automotive and industrial applications, including anti-vibration, belts, hose and friction products, a Royal spokesman said.
Based in Preston, England, CIL sells its products in more than 50 countries through a network of about 40 distributors, he said. It primarily serves the European, Asian and U.S. markets.
Royal plans to retain CIL's work force of 40, management team and plant in Preston, the spokesman said.
“We will operate the site for the long term as it has proprietary processes not available in our other plants.”
CIL will keep its name for the time being, he said, and it will become part of Royal Adhesives & Sealants Group.
Founded more than 50 years ago, the company is a leader in high performance rubber to metal adhesive technology that complements the company's already broad line of adhesives and sealants, said Royal CEO Ted Clark.
Royal offers a broad range of specialty formulated products for complex bonding, laminating and sealing applications.
It serves the aerospace and defense, construction, specialty packaging, automotive and industrial markets.
The companies are a good fit for each other, Clark said. Like South Bend-headquartered Royal, he said, the acquired business works closely with its customers “to provide adhesives solutions that enhance and add value to our customers' products. We can help develop the global market through out global team of adhesives and sealants professionals.”
Kommerling Managing Director Dick Spalton added that CIL has an experienced and talented management team, “and we look forward to working with them to continue to develop the market for CIL's product for our existing customer base and in developing and supporting their existing global distributor network.”