Rohm and Haas Company has finalized the sale of its European automotive coatings business, including its manufacturing site in Strullendorf, Germany, to the Mäder Group, an independent manufacturer of hi-tech industrial paints and coatings based in Lille, France, with operations throughout Europe.

This transaction completes Rohm and Haas Company's divestiture of its automotive coatings business, which started with the sale of its automotive coatings operations in North America (U.S., Canada and Mexico) and the Asia Pacific region to Nippon Paint Co., Ltd., in October 2006.

The coatings business acquired from Rohm and Haas Germany will be integrated into a new company named Mäder Plastilack GmbH with the intention of building a strong synergy between Mäder's French division, Soritec, located in Saint-Georges-sur-Loire in western France, that is currently dedicated to plastic coatings. The new Mäder Plastilack GmbH will be located in Strullendorf and will also focus on plastic coatings manufacture and contribute to making the company the European leader in interior automotive coatings.