MOSCOW (MRC) -- The EU Commission has granted conditional clearance for BASF to acquire Solvay’s polyamide business, as per BASF's press release.
This approval is an important milestone for the transaction. Closing is expected in the second half of 2019 after all remaining closing conditions have been fulfilled, including the sale of a remedy package to a third party.
During the approval process in Europe BASF made commitments to address the competition concerns of the EU Commission. They require divesting parts of the original transaction scope to a third-party buyer, namely manufacturing assets and innovation capabilities of Solvay’s polyamide business in Europe. The divestment process started in Q4 2018.
The polyamide businesses to be acquired in the Americas and in Asia are not affected by the commitments.
As MRC informed before, in September 2017, BASF and Solvay signed an agreement related to the sale of Solvay’s integrated polyamide business to BASF. The purchase price on a cash and debt-free basis would be EUR1.6 billion. The acquisition would complement BASF’s engineering plastics portfolio and expand the company’s position as a solution provider for the transportation, construction, industrial applications and consumer industries. Regionally, the transaction would enhance access to key growth markets in Asia and South America. At the same time, the purchase would strengthen BASF’s polyamide 6.6 value chain through increased polymerization capacities and the backward integration into the key raw material ADN (adipodinitrile).
Solvay is a multi-specialty chemical company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers in diverse global end markets. Its products and solutions are used in planes, cars, smart and medical devices, batteries, in mineral and oil extraction, among many other applications promoting sustainability. Its lightweighting materials enhance cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 27,000 employees in 58 countries. Net sales were EUR10.9 billion in 2016, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top 3 leaders.
BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF generated sales of more than EUR60 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS).
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