Investment firm Aterian Investment Partners, New York City, said on June 1 that it has combined U.S. Zinc, Houston, and EverZinc, Loncin, Belgium, two of the largest producers of zinc chemical products, into what Aterian said will be the pre-eminent global zinc chemistry business.
The combined company will operate under the EverZinc name, and will be headquartered in Houston. The company will serve several markets, including agriculture, feed, personal care, alkaline, storage and rechargeable batteries, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, paints and coatings, and rubber, from 14 facilities located throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Vincent Dujardin, CEO of EverZinc, will lead the combined company as President and CEO. Joel Hawthorne, President and CEO of U.S. Zinc, will serve as Vice Chairman of the new EverZinc enterprise and member on the combined Board of Directors.
The 70-year old, U.S. Zinc produces zinc oxide, fine zinc powder, and zinc metal at four facilities in Tennessee and Texas. Aterian acquired U.S. Zinc in 2018.
The 185-year old EverZinc produces specialty zinc materials, including fine zinc powders, zinc oxides, battery zinc powders, and Zano®, an ultra-fine zinc oxide, at some 10 production site located in Belgium, Canada, China, the Netherlands, Norway, and Malaysia.
The new company intends to source a majority of its critical raw materials from third-party byproduct streams by converting used zinc material already available in the marketplace, thus encouraging greater industry-wide sustainability.
“Aterian will continue to support EverZinc through investment in capacity, technology, and innovation,” said Joshua Ciampa, Aterian Managing Director. “Global applications for zinc are reaching a critical inflection point, and we are pleased to be in a position to leverage our European or Asian technology for capacity in North America, and vice-versa.”