Schulman Sells One Unit, Buys Another

In an effort to focus on specialty plastic compounds, A. Schulman Inc. is selling a polyvinyl chloride compounding plant in Bellevue, Ohio, and is purchasing ECM Plastics of Worcester, Mass. The purchase, for $36.5 million, gives Schulman a specialist in color matching, specialty additive formulations, and plastic compounds for high-end markets such as cosmetics packaging. ECM has 140 employees and annual sales of about $40 million. At the same time, Schulman is selling the Bellevue plant to Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers for an undisclosed amount. The compounds made there are used in auto components and electrical wiring.