The acquisition, said Verdant, marks an important first step in its strategy to accelerate growth through accretive acquisitions in existing and adjacent technologies and markets. Verdant CEO John Foley commented: “These two acquisitions expand our portfolio of surfactants so that we can help customers across a broader range of markets find creative solutions and capitalize on new opportunities.”

DeForest Enterprises is a specialty surfactants company while ParaFlow Energy Solutions provides products for paraffin mitigation in upstream crude oil production and technologies for use in demulsifier applications.

Both companies are based in Boca Raton, Florida, USA, and together supply more than 100 customers in markets including industrial and institutional cleaning, metalworking and metal finishing, oilfield, pigments and inks, construction and automotive care.

Verdant is a portfolio company of global private equity group OpenGate Capital, which bought Solvay’s secondary surfactants business on Apr. 30 and renamed it. Verdant employs approximately 175 staff and operates three main production sites in University Park, Illinois, USA; Halifax, UK, and Genthin, Germany, as well as a tolling business in Turkey. It is headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist