What we know about the East St. Louis chemical plant that caught fire Sunday

Flames erupted from the roof of the Allnex resins manufacturing plant in East St. Louis Sunday, with multiple fire departments battling a chemical fire that sent two men to the hospital with burns.

The BND is working to confirm details, but here’s what we know about the plant at the center of the blaze.

Allnex produces industrial coating resins and other materials at its plant at 2904 Missouri Ave. in East St. Louis.

According to Reuters, the coating resins manufacturer was sold by acquisitions firm Advent in 2021 for $4.75 billion to Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical company. Reuters deemed it one of the largest acquisitions by a Thai company in recent years.

The deal valued Allnex at 12.2 times its annual core earnings of €325 million. That converts to more than $327 million.

According to its parent company’s website, Allnex bills itself as “the leading global producer of industrial coating resins and additives for architectural, industrial, protective, automotive and special purpose coatings and inks.”

It boasts “a strong global presence” with 4,000 employees worldwide, including 33 manufacturing sites and 23 research and technology support centers.

It was unclear how many are employed at the East St. Louis plant.

According to Bloomberg, the company focuses on manufacturing of synthetic resins, acrylate crosslinkers, powder coatings, additives, catalysts, composites and resins. Allnex serves construction, automotive, tire and rubber, textile, and electronics sectors worldwide.

Two workers injured in explosion, fire at chemical plant in East St. Louis

Allnex was reportedly founded in 2013 after Advent International bought the Coating Resins Division as part of a sell-off from Cytec Industries.

Also in 2013, the company announced it would be creating a new headquarters in Georgia as part of a plan to grow its business globally.

Allnex has acquired or been acquired itself several times over the last decade.

In 2016, Allnex joined with Nuplex Industries, relocating its corporate headquarters to Frankfurt, Germany.

“I am delighted that this business combination has taken place,” Miguel Mantas, at that time the new CEO of Allnex, said in a news release. “With our comprehensive, state-of-the-art technology portfolio, our ability to provide clients with the right chemistry for their products is even more extensive than before. I am also looking forward to moving our corporate headquarters to Frankfurt. The decision to choose Frankfurt for the future company’s headquarters was taken with the intention of establishing a new location, symbolizing a fresh start for the company. Frankfurt offers excellent flight, rail and car connections. The city is located in the heart of Europe and Germany, the largest European economy and a key market for the company and for the coatings industry in general.”

Years later, in 2021, Allnex was acquired by its most recent parent company PTT Global Chemical.

A reporter for the BND attempted to reach Allnex for comment Monday morning by calling a number listed on the company’s website. A security guard answered and said none of the building’s phones were working. They refused to refer questions to someone else or take a message.

A form to connect with Allnex through its website via email gave no option to contact a U.S. location of the company.