VINACHEM

The German-based chemical company that produces rubber and specialty chemicals announced Thursday that it purchased Verichem on Neville Island for an undisclosed price.

Randy Dearth, the president and CEO of Lanxess USA based in Findlay, said all 20 of the people who work at the Neville Island plant will be keeping their job and more people will be added as the manufacturing lines there expand.

Verichem produces biocides, which are chemicals that kill bacteria that damage or destroy products. Also known as preservatives, biocides are used in products as diverse as pressure-treated lumber, food and as material coatings.

Mr. Dearth said the company intends to add workers to the Neville island facility as some of the chemicals that Lanxess currently produces overseas will start being produced there.

Lanxess also recently announced it will add five laboratory workers at its North American headquarters to open a technology center for its subsidiary, Rhein Chemie, which makes lubricant oil additives. Mr. Dearth said the lab workers will be involved in testing and research and development.

Lanxess, a Bayer Corp. spin-off, had 812 U.S. employees last year, Mr. Dearth said, but by the time the acquisitions are finished, the company’s U.S. headcount will grow to 1,014. The total number of employees in North America also includes a manufacturing plant in Burgettstown and a Canadian rubber processing plant.

The announcement of the Verichem acquisition was part of the German company’s third quarter earnings report, in which it reported profit was up more than 30 percent from the same quarter last year. Net income in the quarter was $209 million vs. $148 million in the same quarter last year.