Christoph Schlünken

Opta Germany Holding GmbH is engaged in the provision of desulphurization and secondary metallurgy solutions for the steel industry. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

ALTANA AG engages in the sale and distribution of chemical solutions for the coating; paint and plastic processor; printing and packaging; cosmetics; as well as electrical and electronics industries. Its products include additives; specialty coatings and adhesives; effect pigments; sealants and compounds; impregnating resins and varnishes; including testing and measuring instruments. The company was founded by Heinrich Byk in 1873 and is headquartered in Wesel, Germany.

BYK-Chemie GmbH manufactures additives for the coating industries. It supplies coatings, inks and plastic additives, which are used in minute quantities to improve the qualities of the finished products. It offers solutions for all segments of automotive coatings (solvent-based and aqueous): CED, primer surfacers, one-coat topcoats and basecoat/clearcoat systems. Its products include printing inks and overprint varnishes. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Wesel, Germany.

Part of ALTANA Chemie AG, ECKART GmbH & Co. KG is a leading manufacturer of metallic effect and pearlescent pigments for various applications. The private company is based in Fuerth, Germany. The German company specializes in atomizing custom alloys in a temperature range of 500° to 2,500° C. The company also offers ROTOVARIO, solvent-borne pigment dispersions for gravure and flexo printing inks, and SYNCRYSTAL, synthetic fluorophlogopite flakes with pearlescent effect for cosmetic applications. ECKART was acquired by ALTANA Chemie AG on October 01, 2005 for $765.24 million.

BYK USA, Inc. is a leading supplier of specialty chemicals. BYK USA is based in Wallingford, CT and has subsidiaries in the United States. The private company's innovative additives optimize product properties and production and application processes.

Part of ALTANA AG, Eckart America Corp. is a manufacturer of metallic pigments for the paints and coatings industry. The private company is based in Louisville, KY.

Eckart GmbH engages in the production and sale of metal powders, metal pastes, metal pigments, pearlescent pigments, as well as metal-pigmented and pearlescent-pigmented printing inks. It also offers paste and pellet forms, metallic concentrates, and dispersions. The company was founded by Carl Eckart on August 6, 1876 and is headquartered in Hartenstein, Germany.

ECKART France SAS engages in the manufacturing of metallic and pearlescent pigments for the paints and coatings industry. Its products include metallic effect pigments in powder, paste, and pellet form, metallic concentrates, and dispersions and printing inks. The company was founded on January 25, 1956 and is headquartered in Saint-Ouen, France.