Accel Acquiring and Expanding West Coast Compounder Polytech
Formed in 2000 by industry veteran Brian Cochran, Polytech produces color and additive concentrates, liquid color dispersions, and precolor compounds for the plastics industry. Cochran will serve as general manager for Accel's new operation, which will operate under the Accel Color name.
With the acquisition, Accel continues its expansion in an economically challenged market. In September, Accel announced the addition of its Knoxville, Tenn., facility. The acquisition of Polytech furthers Accel Color's stated objective to provide comprehensive, nationwide services from sites close to each customer.
"A Western manufacturing capability is an important step in solidifying our growing national presence," said Dwight Morgan, chief executive of Accel Corporation. "Polytech gives us a good foothold from Washington state to Mexico, a foothold we intend to expand upon. This investment in the acquisition and new facility is part of Accel's long-term commitment to support Polytech's and Accel's West Coast customers."
"We're delighted to become part of Accel Color," said Cochran, "as our historical focus on small lots and quick service makes a perfect match with Accel's business model that focuses resources on serving small, as well as larger customers. This acquisition gives Polytech access to resources and a national network of facilities that we would have spent years developing on our own."
Cochran added that under Accel ownership, Polytech will relocate and expand the operation from its current 7,000 square-foot site into a 25,000 square-foot site in the Ontario, Calif., area. "We're in the final stages of site selection," he said.
Prior to the acquisition, completed earlier this year, Polytech had a full product development lab, two extrusion lines, and a liquid color manufacturing capability. "Since the Accel affiliation began earlier this year, investment has moved forward to add laboratory equipment, upgrade our formulation software, increase blending capacity and add extrusion capacity with two new twin-screw extruders," said Cochran. "We're also expanding our sales, customer service, and technical departments."
All Accel Color sites-Avon, Ohio; Naperville, Ill. (Chicago); Knoxville, Tenn.; and now Ontario, Calif.-provide infrastructure to meet customer requirements and deadlines. Each has its own fully functional laboratory and development resources; each runs under proprietary enterprise software that tracks orders closely; and each benefits from qualified production equipment, proactively maintained for consistent, on-spec manufacturing.
Polytech's specialized product offerings include liquid color concentrates with pigment loadings as high as over 80 percent and innovative precolor compounded alloys used in applications such as dairy handling products and business machines.
Accel Color offers a full line of custom and proprietary products and services including color and additive concentrates, dry color blends, liquid color concentrates, and toll and custom compounding. Accel Corporation was founded in 1998 in Naperville, Illinois, with the mission to bring products and services with speed, quality and economy to the plastics processing industry. The company operates specialty color and additive concentrates facilities in Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, and California under the Accel Color brand name and plans to expand its coverage and capabilities to market niches where service is highly valued. For more information visit the company's Web site at www.accelcolor.com.