Ashland announces push into the Russian composite resins market

Barcelona, Spain – Ashland Performance Materials, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), today announced the formation of a partnership with Composite Trade, a Russian distribution company, to tap into Russia’s growing demand for composite resins. The new alliance, Ashland Rus, combines Ashland’s world-class resin technology with Composite Trade’s established network and local market knowledge.

“This partnership will place both companies in an ideal position to better serve customers in the growing Russian composites market,” said Rafail Aminov, director general of Composite Trade.

Ashland’s vast product range, including leading technology in unsaturated polyester resins, fire retardant resins and gel coats, provides superior properties such as strength, corrosion resistance, fire retardancy and surface characteristics that are required in Russia’s growing building and construction, transportation and marine markets.

With Ashland Rus, Ashland is creating a local platform to make its proven and well established global technology more easily accessible to the market segment of direct and larger accounts. This will be in addition to the current distribution model for Composite Trade and their customers, which will remain unchanged.

“Working together, we can build on our collective strengths and deliver the marketleading innovation, technical expertise and service that our customers expect”, stated Stefan Osterwind, commercial vice president, Ashland Performance Materials EMEA and India.

Ashland wants to deliver high degree of customer orientation and specific knowledge of production processes in the Russian market place as well as superior technical service and product development capabilities. The intent is to create local resins and gelcoats manufacturing capability to further customize products for local markets.

Ashland Performance Materials is the global leader in unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins. In addition, it provides customers with leading technologies in gelcoats, pressure-sensitive and structural adhesives, coatings and elastomers.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our four commercial units – Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Ashland Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials and Ashland Consumer Markets.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Ashland Media Relations
Jennifer Knoblach
+31 (0)10 497 5529
jknoblach@ashland.com

Composite Trade
Contact:
Rafail Aminov
+7 (812) 322-91-70
+7 (812) 322-91-69
a.rafail@composite.ru