Plans by Spolchemie (Ústí nad Labem / Czech Republic; www.spolchemie.cz) to acquire the epoxy resins business of US chemical group Hexion (Columbus, Ohio; www.hexion.com) have been laid to rest following the collapse of Hexion’s merger with Huntsman (Salt Lake City, Utah / USA) – see Plasteurope.com of 16.12.2008. The takeover was contingent on that deal going ahead. The Czech chemical producer says it is “on the lookout for other strategic acquisitions or alliances.”

Resins director Paul Yianni said Spolchemie, a manufacturer of chemicals such as liquid epoxy resins and bisphenol A, now plans to focus on its projects in Asia and the US. Thanks especially to its cost structure, its backward integration and its technology position, he said the company is “well placed to weather the current financial crisis.” In contrast to others, it operated without interruption throughout the Christmas holiday period, Yianni noted.