Two former spinoffs from Bayer were competing for headlines on Jun. 19 and 20, as specialty chemicals company Lanxess issued a profit warning amid rumors that Middle East chemicals and energy behemoth Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) had made a takeover offer for engineering plastics producer Covestro.
DSM is in exclusive talks with US CDMO Adare Pharma Solutions to buy Adare Biome, a French developer and manufacture of postbiotics, for €275 million.
2021 was historic for chemical M&As, it was a record-breaking year in terms of total value of deals. Therefore, it was expected that 2022 would only build upon this. However, the combination of high interest rates, supply chain bottlenecks and geopolitical instability saw both the number and value of deals take a significant hit throughout 2022.
Interview with Marc Doyle, CEO of Arxada, which was created following the carve-out and sale of Lonza Specialty Ingredients to private equity firms Bain Capital and Cinven.
Swiss peptide and oligonucleotide specialist Bachem has agreed to buy an undeveloped site in Sisslerfeld from DSM. It has completed the purchase of a first plot, with others to follow in the coming years.
German specialty chemicals producer Lanxess and private equity group Advent International have named Calum MacLean as CEO-designate of their planned joint venture for high-performance engineering plastics.
French engineering and technology company Technip Energies has boosted its sustainable chemicals portfolio with the purchase of DSM’s biosuccinium technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Swiss specialty chemicals company Arxada said it will invest 20 million Swiss francs to expand production at its Visp site following the extension of a long-term supply partnership with DSM.
DSM has entered into an agreement to buy Prodap, a Brazilian animal nutrition and technology company. The deal remains subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in 2022. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Repsol has announced plans to invest €105 million to build a plant for ultra-high molecular weight PE (UHMWPE) at its Puertollano complex in Spain. The company said the facility will be the first in Iberia for the “super polymer”.
German specialty chemicals producer Lanxess and private equity investor Advent International have clinched a carefully constructed deal to buy DSM’s engineering plastics business for around €3.7 billion. The assets will then be merged with the Lanxess engineering plastics portfolio to create a new market player with annual sales of around €3 billion.
DSM has agreed to sell its protective materials business, which primarily includes its Dyneema fiber brand, to US specialty polymer materials maker Avient for an enterprise value of $1.485 billion. The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of this year, follows DSM’s strategic review of the business last September.
Belgian chemical producer Solvay is exploring options to split into two publicly listed companies, for planning purposes to be called EssentialCo and SpecialtyCo. If all goes as expected, the spinoffs will take effect in the second half of 2023.
Lanxess and private equity investor Advent International are reportedly discussing a transaction that could see the German company’s engineering plastics portfolios merge with the polymer-related activities being flogged off by DSM in the Netherlands. The resulting new entity would likely be controlled by Advent.
DSM has announced plans to build a large-scale plant to make its Bovaer novel methane-reducing feed additive for cows at its site in Dalry, Scotland. Engineering work has started and the plant is scheduled to start up during 2025.
German specialty chemicals producer Lanxess has joined the growing list of European and US companies seeking to unload their engineering plastics activities – in one way or another. In a Nov. 11 statement, the Cologne-based player announced plans to spin off its High Performance Materials business into an independent legal entity from January 2022.
Leading global chemical companies and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have announced that they are entering an agreement to formalize the Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies (LCET) initiative into a stand-alone entity by the end of 2023, to share early-stage risks and co-invest in developing and upscaling low-carbon emitting technologies.
DSM is restructuring its health, nutrition and bioscience activities, while also reviewing options for its materials business, including a possible sale. The move is aimed at accelerating the Dutch group’s ongoing transformation and growth plans centered on benefitting people and the planet.
DSM has agreed to acquire First Choice Ingredients, a US manufacturer of fermented dairy and savory flavorings for taste and functional activities in a variety of food and beverage applications. The transaction – at an enterprise value of $453 million – is expected to close in the final quarter of 2021.
DSM has paid $63 million to take full control of Midori USA, a biotech start-up based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Dutch group already owned 38.5% of Midori and has now acquired the remaining 61.5%.
The EU Commission’s ambitious plan for a European Green Deal, launched shortly before the pandemic struck in early 2020, aims to make the continent the world’s first climate-neutral region by 2050. The goals spelled out in January last year call for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% up to 2030, compared with 1990 levels.
DSM has invested $100 million in the launch of Hologram Sciences, a health tech company that will provide consumers with personalized nutrition solutions.
DSM is selling its Advanced Solar business in backsheet products for solar modules to Worthen Industries, a US-based chemical and technology manufacturer of industrial adhesives & coatings, extruded films and coated substrates. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
DSM has established an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab for Biosciences in collaboration with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands.
DSM has entered into a strategic partnership with Neste that will allow the Dutch health, nutrition and materials company to cut its carbon footprint and support the industry’s transition to a circular economy.
In a major move portfolio move, German engineering plastics producer Covestro is taking over DSM’s coating resins business for €1.6 billion, including debt. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, following all approvals.
DSM has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Dutch industrial manufacturing group VDL Groep to produce medical facemasks and components in the Netherlands.
DSM has entered into a joint venture with French agro-industrial group Avril to produce canola (rapeseed) proteins to meet growing global demand. The Dutch group will hold 75% of the new company, which is called Olatein, with Avril taking the remaining 25%.
