Sep 6 2007
Clariant Masterbatches Benelux S.A and European Masterbatches NV (EMB), a subsidiary of Sioen Industries, will each strengthen their respective positions in key product areas in Belgium and France. Clariant will purchase Sioen-EMB masterbatches, currently being produced in Bornem, Belgium, while EMB will acquire from Clariant Masterbatches (St Jeoire) PVC pigment pastes made by Clariant in St. Jeoire, France. The agreements are still subject to the necessary approvals of the regulatory authorities.
The transactions cover customer and product portfolios and some manufacturing equipment, but not personnel or properties. Both companies will shift manufacturing to their own sites.
“Both our companies saw their respective businesses as fitting better into the other’s portfolio,” explains Thomas Bernhardt, Head of Clariant Masterbatches Europe West Business Unit. “This acquisition enables customers who formerly purchased from EMB to benefit from working with a world’s leading supplier of masterbatches, including Clariant’s advanced technical capabilities and global network of production and service sites.”
“Sioen-EMB is a European market leader in pigment pastes, with multiple production sites in France and Belgium” explains Pascale Sioen, CEO of Sioen Chemicals. “Buyers of those materials will now deal with a company that is one of the best resources for application-specific knowledge, product know-how and supply chain expertise. Pigment paste customers also will have access to the Sioen Chemicals Division not only for mono-pigment pastes but also for other dispersions such as final-colored pastes, flame-retardants, inks and varnishes.”