Synthomer
A British-based specialty chemicals group focused on emulsion polymers, synthetic resins, adhesives, coatings materials, and other performance chemical products.
Last updated October 16, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Synthomer is a United Kingdom-based specialty chemicals company whose modern business is centered on polymer chemistry and related performance materials. Its products are used as ingredients or functional components in applications such as adhesives, coatings, construction materials, paper, textiles, synthetic latex products, healthcare products, and industrial manufacturing. Rather than primarily selling finished consumer goods, Synthomer generally supplies formulated polymers, resins, dispersions, and chemical intermediates to other businesses, making it part of the industrial and business-to-business chemicals value chain. The group traces its corporate ancestry to 1863, when Andrew Yule established a trading house in Calcutta. Around the same period, his brother George Yule established George Yule & Co. in London, which served as a British agency and purchasing arm. The businesses were sold in 1919 to J.P. Morgan & Co. and Morgan Grenfell, and were reorganized as private limited companies. In 1920, George Yule and Company was renamed Yule, Catto & Company Ltd. after Thomas Catto and David Yule changed the name of the British purchasing business. The historical group therefore began as a trading and agency enterprise rather than as a chemical manufacturer. The business changed direction during the second half of the twentieth century. In 1969, Yule Catto sold its shareholding in Andrew Yule & Co. to the Indian government after the original cross-border trading structure had become less attractive because of taxation, currency changes, and the end of India's managing-agency system. A major strategic turning point came in 1980 with the acquisition of Revertex Chemicals. Under Stephen Catto, the company developed into an international manufacturer with a stronger emphasis on specialty chemicals and building products. Over subsequent decades, the group continued to reshape its portfolio, and from 2007 onward it increasingly focused on specialty polymers rather than maintaining a broadly diversified industrial profile. The Synthomer name was adopted in 2012. The change reflected the fact that a substantial portion of the operating business already traded under the Synthomer name and that the name better represented the group's polymer-focused identity. The renamed company retained its public-company structure and international manufacturing and commercial operations. Synthomer's activities have been described in three broad areas: polymer chemicals, pharma chemicals, and impact chemicals. Polymer chemicals include materials such as emulsion polymers, latexes, dispersions, and resins used in coatings, adhesives, construction, paper, textiles, and related industries. Pharma chemicals cover products and materials connected with pharmaceutical and healthcare applications. Impact chemicals refer to specialty materials designed to alter or improve the performance, durability, flexibility, adhesion, or processing characteristics of finished products. The company expanded its position through acquisitions. In 2019 it announced an agreement to acquire OMNOVA Solutions for an enterprise value of $824 million, and the transaction was completed on 2 April 2020. The deal broadened Synthomer's specialty polymer activities and added businesses serving coatings, adhesives, and related markets. In October 2021, Synthomer announced the acquisition of Eastman Chemical's adhesive-resins activities for $1 billion. The assets included a former Hercules manufacturing site in Middelburg, the Netherlands, employing approximately 230 people and producing around 80 types of synthetic resin. These products were supplied internationally, including in bulk shipments, to customers in more than 70 countries. Today, Synthomer is best understood as an international specialty-materials supplier serving industrial customers. Its competitive position depends on polymer science, application development, manufacturing reliability, regulatory compliance, and th…
History
Synthomer's history reaches back to the nineteenth-century trading businesses established by the Yule family. Andrew Yule founded Andrew Yule & Co. in Calcutta in 1863, while his brother George Yule established George Yule & Co. in London. The London company acted as a British agency and purchasing arm connected with the Indian business. This original structure reflected the commercial links between Britain and India during the period, and it was not initially a chemical-manufacturing enterprise. In 1919, Andrew Yule & Co. and George Yule & Co. were sold to J.P. Morgan & Co. and its British merchant-banking affiliate Morgan Grenfell. The businesses were converted from partnerships into private limited companies. Thomas Catto was sent to India that year to take over management of the business from Sir David Yule, although David Yule retained the chairmanship. In 1920, Thomas Catto and David Yule renamed George Yule and Company as Yule, Catto & Company Ltd., creating the corporate name from which the later Yule Catto group developed. The original relationship with Andrew Yule & Co. eventually ended. In 1969, Yule Catto sold its shareholding in the Indian company to the government of India. The decision followed changes that had weakened the commercial rationale for the earlier structure, including taxation, the devaluation of the Indian rupee, and the abolition of India's managing-agency system. A decisive transformation began in 1980, when Yule Catto acquired Revertex Chemicals. Stephen Catto, the son of Thomas Catto, used the acquisition as part of a broader shift toward international specialty chemicals and building products. The move gave the group a stronger manufacturing and technology base in polymers and related materials. During the following decades, the company continued to develop its chemicals operations while reducing the relative importance of its former diversified activities. From 2007, the group pursued a more focused specialty-polymer strategy. This repositioning emphasized materials that could be differentiated through formulation, technical performance, customer support, and application knowledge rather than commodity-scale production alone. The Synthomer operating name became increasingly important as the business developed. In 2012, Yule Catto & Co. changed its name to Synthomer because most of the group's business already traded under that name and the name more clearly expressed its polymer-oriented identity. The modern group has been organized around polymer chemicals, pharma chemicals, and impact chemicals. Its polymer operations include emulsion polymers, latex products, dispersions, and synthetic resins used in adhesives, coatings, construction, paper, textiles, and industrial applications. Pharma chemicals address pharmaceutical and healthcare-related uses, while impact chemicals are intended to provide specific performance effects in formulated products and manufacturing processes. Acquisitions have been an important part of Synthomer's expansion. In July 2019, it announced the purchase of OMNOVA Solutions for an enterprise value of $824 million. The transaction was completed on 2 April 2020 and strengthened the company's specialty-polymer activities in areas including coatings, adhesives, and related applications. In October 2021, Synthomer announced a $1 billion acquisition of adhesive activities from Eastman Chemical. The transaction included a former Hercules factory in Middelburg in the Netherlands, with about 230 employees and production of approximately 80 synthetic resins. The materials were supplied to customers in more than 70 countries, including through bulk deliveries. The resulting company is an international business-to-business specialty chemicals supplier. Its historical development can therefore be divided into three broad phases: a trading and agency origin, a twentieth-century transition into industrial and specialty chemicals, and a modern concentration on polymer technologies and performance materials. Synthomer's customers use its products as ingredients or functional components in finished goods, so the company generally operates behind the brands of manufacturers in construction, coatings, adhesives, paper, textiles, healthcare, and other industrial sectors.
- 2021
Eastman adhesive activities acquisition is announced
[1]Synthomer announced a $1 billion acquisition of Eastman Chemical's adhesive activities, including the Middelburg synthetic-resin site.
- 2020
OMNOVA Solutions acquisition is completed
[1]Synthomer completed its acquisition of OMNOVA Solutions on 2 April 2020.
- 2012
Yule Catto changes its name to Synthomer
[1]The corporate name changed to Synthomer because the majority of the operating business already used the Synthomer name.
- 2007
The group begins a focused specialty-polymer strategy
[1]Yule Catto increasingly shifted from a diversified chemicals portfolio toward a more concentrated specialty-polymer business.
- 1980
Revertex Chemicals is acquired
[1]The acquisition of Revertex Chemicals began Yule Catto's substantial transition toward international specialty chemicals and building products.
- 1969
Shareholding in Andrew Yule & Co. is sold
[1]Yule Catto sold its interest in Andrew Yule & Co. to the Indian government as the former managing-agency and trading structure became less viable.
- 1920
Yule, Catto & Company is formed
[1]Thomas Catto and David Yule renamed George Yule and Company as Yule, Catto & Company Ltd.
- 1919
Yule businesses are reorganized under new ownership
[1]Andrew Yule & Co. and George Yule & Co. were sold to J.P. Morgan & Co. and Morgan Grenfell and converted from partnerships into private limited companies.
- 1863
Andrew Yule establishes the group's historical trading roots
[1]Andrew Yule founded Andrew Yule & Co. in Calcutta, establishing the earliest corporate roots later associated with Synthomer.
Products and positioning
International specialty chemicals supplier focused on polymer science, application-specific materials, and performance-enhancing chemical ingredients for industrial customers.
Polymer chemicals
Emulsion polymers and latexes
Synthomer's emulsion-polymer and latex materials are water-based or polymer-dispersion products used as functional ingredients in coatings, adhesives, paper, textiles, construction products, and synthetic-latex applications. Their performance can be tailored for properties such as adhesion, flexibility, barrier performance, film formation, durability, and resistance to environmental exposure. These products represent a central part of the company's specialty-polymer identity.
Performance materials
Synthetic resins
Synthetic resins supplied by Synthomer are used in adhesive, coating, industrial, and other formulated-material applications. The portfolio was expanded through the acquisition of Eastman's adhesive activities, which included a Middelburg facility producing approximately 80 types of synthetic resin. Customers may receive these materials in packaged or bulk formats depending on the application and supply arrangement.
Adhesives
Adhesive raw materials
Synthomer supplies polymer and resin ingredients used by adhesive manufacturers and industrial users. These materials are intended to contribute properties such as tack, bonding strength, flexibility, heat resistance, durability, and compatibility with substrates. The business serves professional and industrial customers rather than functioning primarily as a consumer adhesive brand.
Construction and coatings chemicals
Coatings and construction polymers
Polymer dispersions and related materials are supplied for architectural, industrial, protective, and construction coatings as well as building-material formulations. Depending on the formulation, these products can support film formation, adhesion, weathering resistance, flexibility, water management, and surface durability. They are typically incorporated by downstream manufacturers into finished coatings or construction products.
Pharmaceutical and healthcare chemicals
Pharma chemicals
Pharma chemicals comprise materials and chemical technologies serving pharmaceutical and healthcare-related applications. The supplied materials are part of a regulated business-to-business value chain, where consistency, technical specifications, quality systems, and regulatory requirements are important. The available reference material identifies pharma chemicals as one of Synthomer's principal activity areas but does not specify individual product names.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquisition of Eastman's adhesive activitiesM&ABackground
Synthomer pursued additional scale and capabilities in adhesive resins and related specialty materials.
Action taken
The company announced the acquisition of Eastman Chemical's adhesive activities for $1 billion, including the Middelburg, Netherlands, synthetic-resin operation.
Aftermath
The acquired operation added a manufacturing site with about 230 employees and a portfolio of approximately 80 synthetic resins supplied to customers in more than 70 countries.
Transaction value. $1 billion (Announced in October 2021)
2019
Agreement to acquire OMNOVA SolutionsM&ABackground
Synthomer sought to expand its specialty-polymer and performance-materials activities through a large international acquisition.
Action taken
The company announced an agreement to acquire OMNOVA Solutions for an enterprise value of $824 million.
Aftermath
The transaction was completed on 2 April 2020 and broadened Synthomer's portfolio and market presence.
Enterprise value. $824 million (Announced in July 2019)
2012
Corporate rebranding from Yule Catto to SynthomerStrategyBackground
By 2012, most of the group's business was already operating under the Synthomer name, while the company had shifted toward specialty polymers.
Action taken
The group changed its corporate name from Yule Catto & Co. to Synthomer.
Aftermath
The new name aligned the listed company with its polymer-focused operating identity and modern specialty-chemicals strategy.
Recent events
- 2021
Synthomer announces acquisition of Eastman's adhesive activities[1]
M&A
Synthomer announced a $1 billion acquisition of adhesive activities from Eastman Chemical, including a synthetic-resin manufacturing site in Middelburg, the Netherlands.
- 2020
Synthomer completes acquisition of OMNOVA Solutions[1]
M&A
The acquisition of OMNOVA Solutions was completed on 2 April 2020, broadening Synthomer's presence in specialty polymers and related industrial applications.
- 2019
Synthomer announces proposed acquisition of OMNOVA Solutions[1]
M&A
Synthomer announced an agreement to acquire OMNOVA Solutions for an enterprise value of $824 million, supporting the expansion of its specialty polymer and performance-materials portfolio.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/synthomer · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled