MUTTENZ, Switzerland – Clariant AG is planning the acquisition of a controlling majority in Süd-Chemie AG, having signed a contract with the majority shareholders.

As part of the planned transaction, still subject to clearance by merger-control authorities, Clariant has come to agreements with the majority shareholder One Equity Partners (50.4 percent) and the family shareholders (approximately 46 percent). As a result, Clariant will acquire slightly above 95 percent of the outstanding shares. The shares of One Equity Partners will be bought at a price of EUR 121 per Süd-Chemie share. The vast majority of the Süd-Chemie family shareholders will swap their shares into Clariant shares at a ratio of 1:8.84. The total value of the transaction is EUR 2.0 billion (CHF 2.5 billion).

With around 6,500 employees in 40 countries, Süd-Chemie operates two business units that hold a leading position in the areas of process catalysts and adsorbents. Furthermore, Süd-Chemie has a strong research and development pipeline for new business areas with substantial growth potential. Those include innovative materials for lithium-ion batteries and biotechnology, e.g. technology for the production of second-generation bioethanol. Süd-Chemie has demonstrated high levels of innovation coupled with success in the commercialization of its products.