Swan Chemical acquires US rubber products distributor

Consett, UK – Swan Chemical Inc., part of Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd, has acquired Production Systems Inc., a North American distributor of products to the rubber industry.

Thomas Swan's existing products for the rubber industry include peptisers, adhesion promoters and synthetic rubber additives, while PSI's offerings include black masterbatch, accelerators, antioxidants, blowing agents and silane coupling agents.

Swan Chemical Inc. is responsible for all Thomas Swan group sales and distribution activity in the Americas.

“This acquisition meets three of our key corporate goals: growth in North America, growth in the rubber market and growth in distribution,” said Harry Swan, managing director of Thomas Swan & Co.

“We are also looking forward to increasing our offerings to the rubber industry, a key market segment in our growth plans,” added Chuck Van Fleet, president of Swan Chemical (pictured).

Production Systems’ president Fred Pedersen, who is retiring after a few months consulting for Swan Chemical, said: “I would not sell Production Systems to anyone unless I was confident they would provide the same level of service and integrity as I have.

“I have worked with Swan Chemical … for 15 years and am very confident that my supplier and customer friends are in good hands”.

Thomas Swan, based in Consett, in north east England, is a speciality chemicals manufacturer and supplier. Over 70 percent of its sales go to 80 countries outside the UK.

With 150 employees, the company has offices and warehousing in the UK, US and China, and operates a global distribution system. It produces over 100 products, in kilogramme to multi-tonne quantities.