Positioning Milliken for global growth, the initiative aligns two key industry players with complementary product portfolios and expertise to offer customers a broader array of advanced colorant solutions, technologies and services.
Supporting their complementary product offerings are cultural parallels, including both being privately-held and family-owned, further aligning the acquisition strategically.
"Milliken and Keystone Aniline Corporation share a long history of innovation, environmentally responsible manufacturing and relationship building – core values which connect us in practice, perspective and approach to values-based business," shared Milliken President, CEO and Chairman, J. Harold Chandler. "We look forward to welcoming Keystone to the Milliken family of companies and competing together as we leverage meaningful innovation and environmentally responsible manufacturing."
Founded in 1920, Keystone is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and has operations in Europe and North America, including the company's largest manufacturing facility in Inman, South Carolina.
"Milliken and Keystone each have individual expertise in chemical colorants; Milliken with unparalleled new molecule development, and Keystone with leading formulation capabilities," shared David Moody, President of the global Milliken Chemical division. "I look forward to combining our shared resources for ground-breaking chemical innovations that will continue to serve our customers in significant and meaningful ways."
"By combining our product portfolios and specialized colorant knowledge with Milliken's solutions and expertise, we create business and market synergies that will drive new global opportunities and better meet the evolving needs of our customers," said John Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Keystone. "The strengthened organization will possess greater breadth and depth across the board, from research and development to formulation capabilities, to quality control and product stewardship. This partnership will be a part of Milliken's future growth and success."
About Milliken Chemical
Milliken is an innovation company that has been exploring, discovering and creating ways to serve customer needs since 1865. Working from the laboratories, application and development centers around the world, scientists and engineers of the company create coatings, specialty chemicals, and advanced additive and colorant technologies. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines that also includes floor covering and performance materials, the people of Milliken work every day to add value, improve health and safety, and impact global sustainability.
About Milliken
For 150 years, Milliken has been innovating with the purpose to explore, discover and create ways to enhance people's lives. A community of innovators has developed one of the larger collections of United States patents held by a private U.S. company.
About Keystone
Keystone Aniline Corporation was founded in Chicago, Ill. in 1920 to produce pigments and dyes. The company steadily expanded, both in geography and markets, establishing the first of several international locations in Huddersfield, England, in 1950. In the 1960s, Keystone broadened its portfolio into aqueous and solvent-based pigment dispersions at its Inman, S.C. facility. With a 35,000-square-foot expansion in 2016, the Inman operation became the largest analytical, production, and warehousing facility within Keystone. Also that year, Keystone acquired Colour Synthesis Solutions, a UK provider of fine chemicals and custom chemistry services. Before being acquired by Milliken, the company offered specialized solutions including FDA-compliant dyes, biodegradable colorants, CleanGredients database listed products and sub-micron pigment dispersions, all of which are now part of the Milliken portfolio.
