Karina Plastics

What Karina Plastics does

Karina Plásticos (legal name Karina Ind. e Com. de Plásticos) is a privately held, family-owned Brazilian manufacturer of thermoplastic compounds headquartered in Guarulhos, São Paulo, founded in 1979. The company develops, formulates, and produces a broad portfolio of PVC compounds, polyolefin specialties, masterbatches, additives, mineral concentrates, rotomolding compounds, specialty wire and cable compounds, thermoplastic rubbers, and compostable bioplastics across more than a dozen proprietary sub-brands (KAPU, Karinbio, Karinprene, Karinpex, Karintox, Karinvolt, Karinbond, Karinlub, Karinphene, Karinbreathe, WPC, CAK, EKO). Karina claims leadership in the Brazilian PVC compound market and Latin American market leadership since 2000, supported by a 112,000 m² high-tech production facility inaugurated in 2004 and ISO 9001:2015 certification with UKAS international accreditation.

The company's commercial model is enterprise B2B direct sales of custom-formulated compounds to industrial customers, with a specialized sales force serving Brazil and international markets and a technical team providing formulation co-development, processability troubleshooting, and post-sale consulting. It serves at least eight end-market verticals including footwear, civil construction, wires and cables, medical/hospital, packaging, hoses, agriculture, and other industrial segments. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated through one-time sales contracts for specialized formulations. Karina has progressively diversified from its PVC origins (it exited hose manufacturing in 1992 to refocus on compounds) into higher-barrier regulated applications (hospital and food-grade PVC unit in 2012) and sustainability-driven product lines (Karinbio compostable bioplastics in 2023, KARINTOX XLPO cable compound in 2025). The company has no external institutional investors, no disclosed M&A activity, and no parent or subsidiary structure, operating as an independent manufacturer under continuous Guerekmezian family control.

Name

Karina Plastics

Legal name

Karina Ind. e Com. de Plásticos

Website

https://karina.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Karina Plásticos is a family-owned Brazilian manufacturer, founded in 1979, that formulates and sells specialty thermoplastic compounds (PVC, polyolefins, masterbatches, TPEs, bioplastics) under proprietary sub-brands to industrial customers across footwear, construction, wire and cable, medical, packaging, and agricultural verticals in Brazil and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Compounding

NAICS

All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), All Other Rubber Product Manufacturing (326299)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Commodity Plastic Compounds (PE/PP/PS/PVC) (IMANABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bioplastics Compounding & Masterbatch (bio-based additives, colorants, fillers) (IMANANAB), Sustainable Additives & Plasticizers (bio-plasticizers, stabilizers, compatibilizers) (IMANANAH)

Keywords

• PVC compounds
• Thermoplastic compounds
• Plastic masterbatches
• Wire cable compounds
• Bioplastic compounds

Headquarters

HQ city

Guarulhos

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Thermoplastic Compounds Sales: Sale of specialized thermoplastic compounds including PVC compounds, masterbatches, additives, mineral concentrates, rotomolding compounds, thermoplastic rubbers, and bioplastics. B2B model serving industrial customers with custom formulations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Karina Plásticos is a Brazilian manufacturer of specialized thermoplastic compounds, primarily PVC compounds, polyolefin compounds, masterbatches, mineral concentrates, additives, rotomolding compounds, and compostable bioplastics. The company develops thousands of customized formulations serving industrial customers across footwear, wires and cables, civil construction, medical/hospital, packaging, agriculture, and other industrial segments.

Product overview

Karina Plastics is a Brazilian plastics company specializing in the development and manufacturing of polymer compounds. The company operates as a compound manufacturer offering a diverse portfolio organized around PVC compounds (Composto PVC) as the core product line, complemented by masterbatches, additives (Aditivos), mineral concentrates (Concentrados Minerais), rotomolding compounds, specialized wire and cable compounds (Fios e Cabos Especiais), thermoplastic rubbers (Borracha Termoplástica), and compostable bioplastics. The product portfolio includes multiple specialized sub-brands such as KAPU® (micro expanded PVC), the karinprene® family (TR, TPE, SOFT) for elastomer applications, Karinbond (adhesive polymer), Karinlub (silicon masterbatch), Karinphene (high performance compound), Karinpex® (crosslinked polyethylene), KARINTOX® and KARINTOX XLPO (LSZH/XLPO compounds for cables), KARINVOLT® (photovoltaic cable compounds), WPC (wood plastic composite), Karinbreathe® (breathable films), and Karinbio® (compostable bioplastic). The company serves industrial markets including footwear, energy, construction, and environmental applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Karinbio: Compostable bioplastics product line contributing to reduction of environmental impacts.
• Karinprene
• KAPU
• Karinpex
• Karintox
• Karinvolt
• Karinbond
• Karinphene
• Karinlub
• CAK
• Karinbreathe
• KPU
• WPC

Products and services

• PVC Compounds (Composto PVC)
• Masterbatch
• Rotomolding Compounds (Rotomoldagem)
• Additives (Aditivos)
• Mineral Concentrates (Concentrados Minerais)
• Specialty Wire and Cable Compounds (Fios e Cabos Especiais)
• Thermoplastic Rubber (Borracha Termoplástica)
• Compostable Bioplastic (Bioplástico Compostável)
• KAPU Micro Expanded PVC Compounds
• Karinbio Compostable Bioplastics
• karinprene TPE/TR/SOFT
• karinpex XLPE Compounds
• karintox LSZH Compounds
• KARINTOX XLPO
• KARINVOLT Photovoltaic Cable Compounds
• WPC Wood Plastic Composite
• Karinbreathe Breathable Film Compounds
• Karinbond Adhesive Polymer
• Karinlub Polysiloxane Masterbatch
• Karinphene High-Performance Compound
• KPU PVC/TPU Blend
• Polyolefin Compounds (Poliolefínicos)

Quantifiable outcome

• Products comply with EN 13432, ASTM D6400, and ISO 17088 standards for compostable bioplastics
• +2 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SESI (Serviço Social da Indústria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSESI named Sr. Hagop Guerekmezian as patrono of the Guarulhos-Cocaia unit, SESI HAGOP GUEREKMEZIAN in 2021, recognizing the company's contribution to the local community.
• Major Private Laboratories and Research InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with the most important private laboratories and research institutes in the country for development and testing of PVC compounds to meet specific customer demands.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Braskem: Latin America's largest petrochemical producer and Brazil's primary PVC and polyolefin resin manufacturer. Comparable to Karina because Braskem also produces specialty PVC compounds and polyolefin-based formulations, but operates at vastly greater scale and as a vertically integrated feedstock supplier.
• Unipar Carbocloro: Brazilian chlor-alkali and PVC resin producer with downstream compound activities. Directly comparable as a Brazilian PVC value-chain participant targeting similar industrial customers.
• Solvay (Specialty Polymers / Compounds): Global specialty chemicals group with significant PVC compound and engineered polymer offerings. Comparable to Karina in PVC specialty compounding and regulatory-certified industrial formulations, but with a much broader global footprint.

Direct peers

• INEOS Compounds: Specialist PVC compound manufacturer serving construction, automotive and industrial customers globally. Closely comparable to Karina in core PVC compounding technology, customer types and product positioning.
• Vestolit (Orbia): Specialty PVC resins and compounds producer with strong Latin American presence. Directly comparable to Karina as a regional PVC compound competitor serving similar footwear, construction and industrial end markets.
• Teknor Apex: Privately held US-based specialty compounder of PVC, TPE and engineered materials. Closely comparable business model to Karina: custom formulations serving wire & cable, medical, footwear and industrial customers with proprietary sub-brands.
• RTP Company: Privately held US-based specialty thermoplastic compounder producing thousands of custom-engineered compounds. Directly comparable to Karina in custom formulation, multi-vertical industrial focus and proprietary specialty portfolio.
• Avient Corporation: Global specialty engineered materials and masterbatch producer (formerly PolyOne). Comparable to Karina in masterbatch, color and specialty additive offerings, and in serving wire & cable, healthcare and packaging customers.
• Cabot Corporation: Global specialty chemicals and performance materials company with a major masterbatch and conductive compounds business. Comparable to Karina in masterbatch technology and specialty black/color compounds for plastics.

Emerging players

• Aurora Plastics: North American specialty PVC compounder focused on custom formulations for footwear, medical and industrial applications. Comparable to Karina in product family (PVC compounds, TPE) and end-market overlap, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC26YXGewGqT-PJgUjncr2Vw
• Facebookfacebook.com/karinaplasticos
• LinkedInbr.linkedin.com/company/karina-plasticos
• Instagraminstagram.com/karina_plasticos

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Karina Plastics