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8 / May 2020 powderbulk.com PBE UPFRONT INDUSTRY NEWS Kymera International buys Ametek's Reading Alloys business Specialty materials company Kymera International, Raleigh, NC, has made an agreement with Ame- tek Inc., Berwyn, PA, to acquire its Reading Alloys business. Read- ing Alloys, acquired by Ametek in 2008, supplies materials for mission- critical applications in the aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. Founded in 1953, Reading Alloys specializes in the design, development, and production of master alloys, ther- mal barrier coatings, and titanium powders. Ametek decided to sell the business after a portfolio review found that the business's cyclical nature wasn't a good fit for Ametek. Reading Alloys was expanded after its 2008 acquisition by Ametek, and while sales had doubled, the work- force had decreased from 165 to 120 employees. This sale would be Ametek's first in 25 years. Kymera is owned by affiliates of Palladium Equity Partners LLC, New York, NY, a private equity firm. Kymera's CEO, Barton White, hopes that the acquisition will help to "give our combined company strong technical and commercial resources to help fuel our growth in the aerospace, defense, medi- cal, and industrial markets." The acquisition is part of a strategy to make Kymera a leading specialty materials producer. Ametek is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and elec- tromechanical devices with more than 150 operating locations and sales, service, and support locations in 30 countries around the world. with tight specifications and an optimized particle size distribution for more efficient processability. The powder is suitable for cre- ating craniomaxillofacial plates, spinal fusion cages, and scaffolds for soft tissue repair and dental mesh among other devices. The company says that the material can enhance patient healing and device performance. The mate- rial is customizable to adjust the device's strength, durability, and stress-shielding prevention. Milliken finalizes Borchers acquisition from The Jordan Company Milliken & Co. (Milliken), an indus- trial manufacturing company with expertise in research, design, and manufacturing headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, has acquired Borchers Group Ltd. (Borchers), a global specialty chemicals com- pany. Borchers' products include high-performance coating additives and specialty catalyst solutions from The Jordan Company (TJC). Borchers, Westlake, OH, has manufacturing facilities in the US and France along with technology and business development cen- ters in the US, Germany, China, and India. According to Milliken, Borchers' expertise in specialty coating additives will be a good addition to Milliken's comprehen- sive solutions portfolio. Cabot begins construction on carbon black expansion in Indonesia Cabot Corp., Boston, MA, has begun construction on an expansion to its Cilegon, Indonesia, plant. This phase of the planned expansion would add about 80,000 metric tons (88,185 tons) in carbon black capacity per year. The project is expected to be completed in 2021 and will provide Ardent Mills acquires Andean Naturals' quinoa operations Ardent Mills, Denver, CO, has agreed to buy Andean Naturals Inc.'s quinoa sourcing, clean- ing, and packaging operation in Yuba City, CA. Ardent Mills is a flour-milling and ingredient com- pany and is seeking to invest in specialty grain capabilities. The acquisition will be part of Ardent Mills' business unit, The Annex, which is to cultivate the future of specialty grains and plant-based ingredients. The company's addi- tion will allow Ardent Mills to offer gluten-free ingredients with the ability to expand the Yuba City location to process addi- tional grains. Andean Naturals' Sergio Nunez de Arco, company founder and president, will join Ardent Mills as part of the acquisi- tion. Andean Naturals is a B Corp company and an importer and wholesaler of organic, fair-trade quinoa with a quinoa refining facil- ity in La Paz, Bolivia. Evonik develops bioresorbable polymer for use in 3D printing equipment Evonik, a global specialty chem- ical company with headquarters in Essen, Germany, has developed Resomer PrintPowder, a powder that can be used to 3D print com- plex bioresorbable medical devices. The Resomer brand has been around for 30 years and has been used for the production of implants, controlled-release drugs, and regen- erative medicines, but PrintPowder is the first product that has been developed for 3D printing. In addi- tion to a powder form, the material is also available in a filament or granule form for use in various 3D printing applications. According to the company, the material is a free-flowing powder