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Lion Copolymer

　

Lion Copolymer is a leader in the manufacture of synthetic rubber with a solid reputation for quality products and services.
Established in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1943, the company and its employees have successfully met the changing needs of its customers for over fifty-seven years.

Originally known as the Copolymer Corporation, a group of seven medium-sized rubber and tire companies joined forces to operate one of the U.S. government's Rubber Reserve plants. With the onset of World War II, America was in imminent danger of losing its supply of natural rubber. These government plants were established to reach and develop a process for manufacturing synthetic rubber. The program was so successful that in 1955, when the U.S. government decided to sell these operations to private industry, the Copolymer Corporation purchased the Baton Rouge plant and began private operation. The name was changed at the time to Copolymer Rubber and Chemical Corporation and by 1983 Armstrong Rubber Company had become the sole owner.

In March 1989 Copolymer became a subsidiary of DSM, an international group of industrial companies headquartered at Heerlen, The Netherlands. On November 1, 2005 DSM Copolymer became Lion Copolymer LLC and will continue to be headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Baton Rouge facility manufactures synthetic rubber: Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR).

PolyOne Completes Sale of Elastomers & Performance Additives Business 　→　Excel Polymers　

　　　Excel Polymers and Mitsui Announce Joint Venture in China

Lion Closes on DSM Rubber Business

Lion Chemical to buy Chemtura's rubber chemical, EPDM businesses

Lion Copolymer introduces acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene terpolymer

2005/11/2 Lion　　　　DSM sells styrene-butadiene rubber business to Lion Chemical Capital LLC

Lion Closes on DSM Rubber Business

The closing on the DSM Copolymer SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber) business sale to Lion Chemical Capital, LLC took place on October 31, 2005. The new company will be called Lion Copolymer, LLC and continues to be headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. SBR is used primarily in the tire industry as well as applications for industrial uses such as belts, hoses and gaskets.

Lion Copolymer will be one of the largest SBR producers in the US with revenues over $200 million. Lion Chemical Capital Managing Director, Peter De Leeuw, said: "our intention is to be the premier supplier to our customers by emphasizing quality, reliability and focusing on meeting customer needs. We have an outstanding employee base from which to build a high performing company."

Paul Saunders, the incoming President of Lion Copolymer said: "we look forward to building a strong and growing company.. An early top priority will be to promote a safe and environmentally responsible workplace".

In 2004, Lion acquired the largest independent rubber compounding business in North America from PolyOne Corporation. The business, Excel Polymers, has over $400 million in revenues and includes eight plants located in the US, Mexico, U.K. and China. Excel Polymers provides effective solutions to both high volume and the most challenging technical rubber applications. The businesses will be operated as independent operations.

Lion Chemical Capital is a private equity firm focused on investing in undervalued businesses operating in the chemical and related industries. Lion leverages its founders' extensive experience in the chemical industry, executive management, private equity and investment banking. Target investments are highly selective and possess key attributes such as market and technological leadership and strong management.

　

November 11, 2006 Chemtura

Chemtura Announces Lion Chemical Capital as Buyer in Expected Sale of EPDM and Certain Rubber Chemicals Businesses

Chemtura Corporation announced that Lion Chemical Capital, LLC is the potential buyer of the company’s EPDM business and the Rubber Chemicals businesses associated with Geismar, Louisiana as well as FlexzoneR antiozonants worldwide. The letter of intent was signed and announced Nov. 2. The companies expect that a definitive agreement will be completed by year-end.

Lion plans to merge the two businesses into its existing Lion Copolymer sector, located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Lion Chemical Capital
Lion Chemical Capital is a private equity firm focused on investing in premier businesses operating in the chemical and related industries. Lion leverages its founders' extensive experience in the chemical industry, executive management, private equity and investment banking. Target investments are highly selective and possess key attributes such as market and technological leadership and strong management.

2006/12/5　

Excel Polymers and Mitsui Announce Joint Venture

Excel Polymers LLC of the United States and Mitsui and Co., Ltd., of Japan have agreed to form a joint venture for the production of rubber compounds in southern China. The joint venture will be owned 61 percent by Excel Polymers and 39 percent by Mitsui. The company will operate under the Excel name as EXLP Global (Foshan) Co., Ltd., and will be located in the Shunde Science and Technology Industrial Park in Guangdong Province of the People’s Republic of China. 広東省順徳
The operation will be about 40 kilometers south of Guangzhou and about 100 kilometers northwest of Hong Kong.
This new, green field facility is expected to be completed and begin production by the beginning of 2008. It will utilize the proprietary state-of-the-art Spectrum/Prism(R) production and process control technologies developed by Excel Polymers. There will be two lines operating initially, with capacity for more than 50 million pounds per year for production of a wide variety of natural and synthetic rubber compounds. These compounds are converted by customers to produce products for the automotive, printing, industrial and consumer markets in China and the Asian region. Excel also has a wholly owned operation in Shanghai, which was recently expanded.
John Quinn, president and CEO of Excel, stated, “This new venture will allow us to continue to support the needs of our customers globally by providing a world-class facility in this rapidly growing region. We are delighted to have Mitsui as a partner in this new company. Mitsui brings a wealth of experience in serving the regional supply chain with a broad basket of polymers and chemicals. We are very excited about our potential growth in Asia.”
Quinn also pointed out the extraordinary cooperation and support provided by the team at the Shunde Science and Technology Industrial Park in Guangdong Province.
Excel Polymers is the world’s leading provider of customized, high-performance compounded elastomer materials, roll compounds and efficiency-improving additives.
End-use markets include transportation, consumer goods, industrial, construction, oil and gas, and roller markets.

October 15, 2010

Lion Copolymer introduces acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene terpolymer

Lion Copolymer announced the global introduction of Sabor acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene terpolymer (NSBR), an important addition to its established portfolio of performance elastomers and chemical foaming agents including the Royalene, Trilene, Copo, Carbomix and Celogen.As the first NSBR, innovative Sabor enables replacement of NBR-type products, NBR/SBR blends, and NBR in NBR/PVC compounds while offering several unique improvements in performance. Sabor facilitates enhanced processing and end-use performance in many automotive, industrial and consumer goods applications, particularly where improved mechanical properties and aggressive fluids resistance are required, the company said.

April 24, 2014

Lion Copolymer Holdings Announces Strategic Changes

Sale of SBR and NBR Business
Lion Copolymer Holdings, LLC has completed the sale of Lion Copolymer LLC, the SBR and NBR businesses, to East West Copolymer, LLC (“East West”).  East West has been operating the SBR and NBR businesses since February under a temporary operating agreement.  

Lion Completes EPDM Expansion Study
Lion Copolymer, Geismar, LLC (“Lion”) has recently completed a detailed engineering study for an additional 60,000-80,000 metric tons per year EPDM manufacturing line, to be located at the current Geismar Louisiana site and complementing Lion's existing four EPDM polymerization units.  The new EPDM line will bring the site's nameplate capacity to more than 200,000 metric tons per year and will utilize existing infrastructure.  Lion already expanded its EPDM capacity by 35,000 metric tons per year since acquiring the site in 2007. 
In addition to expanding production capacities and capabilities, Lion is exploring options to strengthen its position in key raw materials, including co-investing in new ethane cracker capacities.  Jesse Zeringue, President of Lion Copolymer said “U.S. Gulf Coast raw material cost advantages and the proven performance of Royalene® EPDM in the global marketplace are key drivers in the decision to review expansion options.  Our decision to divest the SBR business will allow us to focus our efforts on growing the EPDM business and explore new strategic opportunities.”

The former Lion Copolymer’s 115,000 metric tons emulsion plant, which shut down late 2013, restarted as East West Copolymer in March.

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The Huntsman Family, pioneers in the chemical industry, and Peter and David De Leeuw, successful investors and veteran executives in the chemical industry, have combined their resources to establish the premier chemical investment firm named “Huntsman-Lion Capital” (“HLC”). HLC targets middle market chemical and related material companies which have the potential to generate attractive risk-adjusted investment returns.

December 1, 2014　

Lion Copolymer Completes Acquisition

Lion Copolymer Holdings, LLC (Lion) announced Monday that it has completed its acquisition of Ashland Elastomers, LLC in Port Neches, Texas from Ashland Inc. The company will be renamed Lion Elastomers. With the acquisition, Lion will be a leading merchant provider of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) in the United States.

"We are excited to be back in the SBR business,” Jesse Zeringue, president of Lion stated. “We believe that the facility in Port Neches is a tremendous upgrade from our former SBR plant and will allow us the ability to enhance our product portfolio with high quality products that meet customer needs both now and in the future."

"The addition of the hot Emulsion SBR (ESBR) product line dovetails nicely with Lion's specialty low molecular weight EPDM products sold in similar market segments. The combined businesses serve to further strengthen Lion as a world class elastomer company,” Zeringue said.

Vijay Goradia, chairman of Goradia Capital added, “We are now focused on growing Lion, while at the same time acquiring companies that no longer fit the plans of larger chemical companies. This acquisition fits our strategy for both Lion Copolymer Holdings and Goradia Capital.”

Goradia Capital is the investment and management arm of the Goradia family based in Houston, Texas.

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October 9, 2014

Ashland to sell elastomers business to Lion Copolymer Holdings, LLC

Ashland Inc. and Lion Copolymer Holdings, LLC, today announced they have reached a definitive agreement under which Lion Copolymer will purchase Ashland's elastomers business based in Port Neches, Texas. The transaction is expected to close by December 31, 2014, contingent on certain customary regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The elastomers business accounted for approximately 17 percent of Ashland Performance Materials' $1.6 billion in sales for the trailing 12 months ended June 30, 2014. This business, which primarily serves the North American replacement tire market, was acquired by Ashland as part of the International Specialty Products transaction in August 2011. Ashland operates a 250-person manufacturing facility in Port Neches that serves elastomers customers.

"This decision fits Ashland's well-established strategy of divesting non-core assets and reinvesting in higher-margin, specialty chemical businesses where we see attractive growth opportunities," said James J. O'Brien, Ashland chairman and chief executive officer. "We are pleased with the value we received for the business and believe this transaction represents a good strategic fit for Lion."

"With the acquisition of the Ashland elastomers business, we are pleased once again to be in this segment of the synthetic rubber business," said Jesse Zeringue, executive vice-president of Lion Copolymer Holdings. "We think the size of the facility in Port Neches, access to feedstock and excellent storage capacity, combined with specialty products such as hot styrene-butadiene rubber polymers and high styrene polymers, provide us with an excellent growth opportunity. We were also impressed by the quality of the operations and the plant, which has benefited from significant investment over the years."

May 31, 2011

Ashland to acquire International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP); broadens global leadership in specialty chemicals

Ashland Inc. and International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP) today announced that Ashland has agreed to acquire privately owned ISP, a global specialty chemical manufacturer of innovative functional ingredients and technologies. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, Ashland will pay approximately $3.2 billion for the business in an all-cash transaction. At closing, ISP’s advanced product portfolio will expand Ashland’s position in high-growth markets such as personal care, pharmaceutical and energy. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2011, ISP generated sales of approximately $1.6 billion and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of approximately $360 million. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Ashland’s earnings per share.

ISP is a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and performance enhancing products for consumer and industrial markets. Through its unique offerings, ISP will bring high-value water soluble polymers and other advanced technologies into Ashland’s functional ingredients business, as well as complementary additives for Ashland’s food and beverage, energy, coatings, adhesives and water treatment markets. The acquisition is expected to significantly strengthen Ashland’s functional ingredients active patent portfolio and its team of research and development scientists. The result will be a stronger, global functional ingredients business with proven technological and application capabilities to solve customers’ unique formulation challenges.

2011/6/7　Ashland、特殊化学品メーカーのInternational Specialty Products を買収

The ISP Elastomers business was formed following the acquisition of Ameripol-Synpol's manufacturing facility located in Port Neches, Texas, USA in 2003. The Port Neches facility had a rich and extensive heritage in elastomer production and application development stretching over 60 years. Its products serve as key polymeric ingredients in a wide variety of rubber applications including tires, hoses, belts, adhesives and sealants, caulking, industrial tapes, flooring, friction products, sponge products, shoe soles, automotive, mechanical goods, gaskets and industrial rubber products.

12 July 2002

US Ameripol Synpol closes, dismantles Texas SBR plant

Ameripol Synpol Corp said Friday it has completed shutdown and dismantling of its SBR plant at Odessa, Texas.

Efforts to find a buyer for the facility were unsuccessful, according to James Hawkins, chief environmental engineer at the company's Port Neches, Texas headquarters. Parts from the dismantled Odessa SBR plant are being used at the company's larger SBR unit at Port Neches.

Production from the Odessa plant was transferred to Port Neches in March.

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Ameripol Synpol filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2002, and sold its Port Neches facility in July 2003.

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Lion CopolymerはLion Chemical Capitalが2005年に設立した。

2005年にDSM CopolymerのSBR事業を買収

2006年にChemtura (CromptonとGreat Lakes Chemical が統合）から、EPDM、ゴム薬（中国江蘇省丹陽市の事業 を含む）、オゾン劣化防止剤を買収

但し、2007年に契約を変更し、中国のゴム薬JVとオゾン劣化防止剤は返却した。
EPDMはLion Copolymerの事業とし、ゴム薬は
         EPDM(Royalene®)  Liquid EPDM (Trilene®)

2010年にNSBRに進出

2014年2月　SBRプラントを停止 (Economic conditions による）
　　　　　 元CEOが設立したEast West Copolymer LLC に売却

2006/11/14　合成ゴム会社 Lion Copolymer, LLC

今回、AshlandからSBR事業を行う Ashland Elastomersを買収、Lion Elastomersと改称　再度SBR事業に復帰　

同社のSBRは元々はAmeripol Synpolの事業
　　Odessa, Texasは廃棄、Port Neches, Texasを2003年7月に International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP)に売却

ISPは2011年にAshlandに買収され、SBR事業はAshland Elastomersとなった。


　

2019/6/4     　　

Lion to purchase Firestone Polymers' Orange, TX, facility

Lion Elastomers, LLC announced the execution of a purchase agreement for an Orange, TX, production site owned and operated by Firestone Polymers, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation.

The plant manufactures polybutadiene and styrene-butadiene copolymers, produced under the Stereon, Diene and Duradene trade names.

These products are complementary to Lion’s current portfolio, and will further strengthen Lion’s ability to support the synthetic rubber industry once the deal has closed.

“We have had a strong professional relationship with Bridgestone for decades and we are looking forward to maintaining this relationship while we continue to support the customers of the Orange, TX, facility,” said Jesse Zeringue, CEO and president of Lion Elastomers. “This asset purchase will provide our company with the opportunity to further diversify our business and add additional product offerings to current and new customers.” This purchase marks Lion’s second strategic acquisition in less than five years and is in line with Lion’s initiative to expand its business and provide greater value enhancement to its customers.

　

2014/12/16　Lion Copolymer、再びSBR事業を取得　

　

Firestone Polymers has been the premiere provider of solution polybutadiene, styrene butadiene, block copolymers and thermoplastic elastomers for over 60 years.

DURADENETM - solution styrene-butadiene rubber

DIENETM - polybutadiene for rubber and plastic applications

STEREONTM - styrene-butadiene block copolymers

同社の立地：

 8/13/2019

Lion Elastomers completes acquisition of the Firestone Orange, TX, production site                    Firestone: subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation

Lion Elastomers has completed its acquisition of the Firestone Orange, TX, production site.

The plant manufactures polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene block copolymers and solution styrene-butadiene rubber, produced under the Diene, Stereon and Duradene trade names.

This purchase, combined with its current businesses, will serve to reinforce Lion’s commitment as a world-class elastomer company.

This purchase marks Lion Elastomers’ second strategic acquisition in less than five years and is in line with its initiative to expand its business and provide greater value enhancement to its customers.

Their newly acquired business will begin doing business under the same corporate brand name, “Lion Elastomers,” along with the other Lion facilities located in Geismar, LA, and Port Neches, TX.