US compounder Citadel Plastics Holdings (West Chicago, Illinois; www.citadelplastics.com) has acquired fellow Midwestern compounder Lucent Polymers (Evansville / Indiana; www.lucentpolymers.com) from US private equity group River Associates Investments (Chattanooga, Tennessee). No financial details of the deal have been disclosed. The transaction marks Citadel’s seventh acquisition since 2007 – for earlier coverage, see Plasteurope.com of 20.03.2012. Its most recent purchases include resins and duroplast producer Bulk Molding Compounds (BMCI, West Chicago, Illinois; www.bulkmolding.com) as well as compounder Matrixx Group (Evansville, Indiana; www.matrixxgroup.com).

Lucent Polymers posted sales of USD 80m in 2012, slightly more than its 2011 turnover. Capacity at its three US plants, located in the Indiana cities of Evansville and Poseyville, where it runs a total of 16 extrusion lines, stands at about 56,000 t/y. Its portfolio includes polyolefin compounds as well as flame-retardant, reinforced and filled types of all common engineering plastics. The latter account for about two-thirds of company sales. Key end markets include the consumer goods sector, which accounts for about one-third of sales, followed by the automotive industry and house construction, each standing for about one-fifth of sales.