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Fairmount Mineral Acquires Resin Supplier

Aug. 2, 2011
Alpha Resins expands groups foundry product offerings to include cold-box and no-bake moldmaking
Foundry sand supplier Fairmount Minerals reports that it acquired the assets of Detroit-based Alpha Resins earlier this summer. Alpha Resins is a manufacturer of resin systems for cold-box and no-bake molding systems, including Furans, phenolic urethanes, and ester-cured phenolics. The value of the June transaction has not been announced. Fairmount is one of the world’s largest producers of high-purity silica, lake sand, and resin-coated sand products. Its mines are located in the Great Lakes region, and its refining operations are in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, and Denmark. In addition to foundry sand, Fairmount supplies purified sand and coated sand to oil-and-gas exploration firms that pump it into wells to force out gas. Alpha Resins LLC will be operated as a subsidiary and will allow Fairmount to expand its range of foundry products to include a full line of high-performance resin systems. Rick Smith, former president of Alpha Resins, stated: “Fairmount Minerals has such a strong presence and history of leadership in the Metal Casting Industry. Being a part of this highly technical and knowledgeable team will allow Alpha Resins to grow and prosper.”