Merchant Union reactivates historic Xylazel–AkzoNobel industrial facilities
This transaction represents the reindustrialization of one of most important Galicia's industrial facilities, spanning over 17,000 sqm
Merchant Union, a Vigo-based company paintings, lubricants, and drag doors ship supplier, has just confirmed the acquisition of the former Xylazel plant in As Gándaras industrial park in O Porriño. This transaction represents the reindustrialization of one of Galicia's most important industrial facilities, over 17,000 square meters facilities designed to operate under the highest technical, regulatory, and safety standards. It will resume production and logistics activities following the cessation of AkzoNobel's operations.
The addition of this plant represents a strategic milestone for Merchant Union, allowing it to centralize advanced capabilities in specialized warehousing, industrial production, and technical support, and substantially improve service to its high-volume industrial and maritime clients.
The facilities will have approximately 5,000 m² of storage capacity, 3,000 m² of production areas, and a laboratory of over 600 m², reinforcing the group's commitment to industrial innovation, applied industry, and the development of new lines of business.
The project has been structured as an orderly and socially responsible industrial transition, avoiding scenarios of abandonment or underutilization of a strategic infrastructure and opening the door to continued employment for some of the professionals historically linked to the plant.
According to Roque Varela de Limia Cominges, Merchant Union Group CEO: "We are talking about a plant with a very significant industrial history for Galicia: it originated within the Zeltia Group as Xylazel and was later operated by AkzoNobel, who found in us the means to keep the plant operational, something they considered vitally important. Integrating it into our project means embracing that industrial heritage and ensuring its continuity with a long-term vision."
The transaction is based on an industrial partnership between the two companies, built on years of collaboration and a shared vision of the plant's strategic value.
"This isn't a conventional sale, but rather a solution built between independent industrial partners with aligned interests and a common commitment to preserving productive activity, knowledge, and industrial infrastructure," adds Varela de Limia.
In a context where many industrial facilities are disappearing without replacements, Merchant Union reinforces the role of Galicia, the province of Pontevedra, and the Vigo area as a strategic industrial hub with this transaction, demonstrating that reindustrialization is possible when there is business vision, solid agreements, and a commitment to the region.