Resisa is a European leader in hard, colophony-based resins for inks and resins for powdered paints, as well as a major player in the Spanish market for structural and coating resins.

The company, which employs 240 people, produces more than 50,000 tons a year of a diversified range of resins for paints, inks and composites at its Sant Celoni and Badalona facilities near Barcelona. It had 1997 sales of Pta 12.7 billion, or roughly FF 500 million.

Among the world's resins producers, TOTAL ranks number two in terms of market share in both Europe and the United-States, with 1997 sales of FF 5.3 billion. In recent years, the Group has been pursuing in this sector a development strategy based on organic growth and selective acquisitions.

Following recent investments in North and South America, the acquisition of Resisa will enable the Resins Division to significantly strengthen its positions in Europe and especially in Spain, where TOTAL is now the market leader. It also gives the Group an entry in Europe into the fast-growing market for resins for powdered paints.