German chemical distributor Brenntag is aiming for an initial public offering in the first half of 2010, most likely before the Easter holidays in early April, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Brenntag had no immediate comment.
Brenntag, bought by private equity group BC Partners for more than €3 billion in 2006, had sales of €7.4 billion in 2008 and has about 11,000 employees in more than 64 countries.
Carbon black manufacturer Orion Engineered Carbons plans to rationalize production lines in North and South America and EMEA.
Merck to acquire the chromatography business of JSR Life Sciences, a leading provider of CDMO services, preclinical and translational clinical research, and bioprocessing solutions.
BASF sells a majority stake in its coatings business to the investor Carlyle.
Novo Nordisk announced a global workforce reduction of approximately 9,000 positions to streamline operations and reinvest DKK 8 billion (€1 billion) in growth opportunities for diabetes and obesity treatments.
