International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) announced it has completed the acquisition of Clariant´s business unit Detergents & Intermediates (D&I), following its recent closing of the acquisition of Allessa, at the end of last 2013. Both acquisitions complement ICIG´s fine chemicals and custom manufacturing operations as well as the scope of services offered by the WeylChem Group.

The Detergents business of D&I and ICIG's Nease Corporation (USA) will form a new business line for "Detergent Chemicals" within ICIG's fine chemicals platform WeylChem Group. The D&I Intermediates and Allessa businesses will also complement the Fine Chemicals and Custom Synthesis operations of the WeylChem Group, resulting in an increased market share and realizing significant synergies, a unified branding, and cooperation in marketing and sales. WeylChem will continue operating its two manufacturing sites in Lamotte (France) and Wiesbaden (Germany), producing and marketing niche performance chemicals and organic fine chemical intermediates focused on the household & personal care, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and food additives markets. It will be complementing WeylChem's product portfolio with products such as TAED, SAS, Glyoxal and C2 Building Blocks.

Allessa is operating three German sites in the Frankfurt area (Fechenheim, Griesheim and Höchst). With Allessa, the WeylChem Group will access new markets, such as Electronics and Personal Care. Further, new key technologies, such as Hydrogenation, will be added to WeylChem's service offerings.

WeylChem International, the group's sales and marketing organization, will also market products and services of Allessa as well as the intermediates from D&I.

With the addition of the D&I business and Allessa, ICIG becomes a major international player in the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical sector with aggregated sales in excess of Euro 1.2 billion, and more than 5,000 employees in Europe and the US.