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NEWS BULLETIN
CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION
AZELIS GROWS IN ASIA
Azelis is to acquire WWRC (China) Holdings and Friendship Chemical Company, two Hong Kong-based distributors. Azelis says the move, which aligns with its strategy to support global coverage with local teams, broadens its offerings and provides a base for expansion in the industrial chemicals sector in the wider Asia-Pacific region. Specifically, the acquisitions will provide a strong foothold in the CASE, rubber and plastics additives, and industrial chemicals segments. “We are excited that this union will grow our business in the industrial chemicals sector as WWRC China’s segments are highly complementary to Azelis China’s,” says Laurent Nataf, CEO/president of Azelis Asia Pacific. “WWRC China has excellent relationships with large Chinese suppliers, creating opportunities to expand with these principals worldwide. We also share the same vision and focus on sustainability and commitment to our partners. The addition of WWRC China’s offices increases our geographical coverage in China, allowing us to better serve our customers.” Elsewhere in the region, Azelis has struck a new deal with BASF to distribute its resins range in Vietnam. “This partnership strengthens Azelis’ lateral value chain with the addition of market-leading products in multiple market segments, while also extending its global partnership with BASF into new territories,” says Azelis. “BASF is a prominent player in the chemicals industry that is widely recognised for the innovative and sustainable properties of their products,” says Nataf. “Their resins range is a great complementary addition to our current portfolio. With this collaboration, we are also excited to expand our partnership with BASF and provide our partners in Vietnam and the region with an enhanced portfolio of products that allow us to offer a variety of tailored solutions and innovative
HCB MONTHLY | NOVEMBER 2021
formulations for the CASE industry.” www.azelis.com MORE IN CHINA FOR IMCD
IMCD has agreed to acquire Aquatech Specialty, a distributor of waterborne solutions for the coatings, inks and textiles sector in China. Aquatech was founded in 2004 and in 2020 generated revenues of some €6.7m. It is based in Shanghai and Guangzhou. The transaction is expected to close in November. “Aquatech’s philosophy of value creation matches perfectly with IMCD’s strategy to become a strong partner for our customers and suppliers for sustainable coatings solutions in China,” says Andreas Igerl, managing director of IMCD China (pictured above). “With IMCD’s global connection and technical expertise, plus our local presence and capability, I am confident that we will provide more added value to our customers and partners to drive sustainability in the coatings industry,” adds Peter Shek, owner of Aquatech. www.imcdgroup.com AMERICAS ACTION FOR SAFIC-ALCAN
Safic-Alcan has acquired Rit-Chem, a US-based boutique chemical distributor
specialising in the performance and life science sectors. New York-headquartered Rit-Chem will become part of ChemSpec, Safic-Alcan’s US affiliate. “The acquisition of Rit-Chem is a strong step forward for our ambitions in North America and will complement perfectly ChemSpec’s current activities,” says Yann Lissillour, head of mergers and acquisitions at Safic-Alcan. ChemSpec Canada has meanwhile appointed its first managing director in David Jackson, a 35-year veteran of the chemical industry. In his new role he will be responsible for steering the organisation’s vision and strategy and implementing plans that align with the broader mission of ChemSpec and parent company Safic-Alcan. www.safic-alcan.com BIG BOYS FOR BIESTERFELD
Biesterfeld has announced two senior appointments. Sergej Lazovic has been named joint managing director of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie, working alongside Peter Wilkes. Lazovic will continue with his role as managing director of Biesterfeld International. “Together with our partners, we are driving our expansion and growth strategy forward very
