News bulletin – chemical distribution

NEWS BULLETIN

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION

BIG NORDIC DEAL FOR KRAHN

Krahn Chemie has acquired majority stakes in six companies from Jollis AB & Partners. The companies involved include AmphoChem, a leading Nordic distributor of industrial chemicals, additives and specialty chemicals; and Pemco Additives, another leading Nordic distributor active in the fuels, lubricants and petrochemical industries. Both are headquartered in Gothenburg and represent renowned international suppliers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Krahn has also acquired 100 per cent of Petrico Ltd, based in Sandbach, UK and in which Pemco formerly had a majority stake; Petrico is a distributor of petroleum and chemical products for the lubricants and additives sectors.

Krahn Chemie has also invested in Gothenburg-based BGM Logistics, a provider of logistics solutions for warehousing, thirdparty logistics and distribution in Sweden, and Temper Technology, which produces sustainable and energy-efficient heat transfer fluids and antifreeze products. The deal also includes Pemco-Trigueros Additives, which distributes additives and base oils for use in fuels and industrial and automotive formulations in Spain.

To accommodate the newly acquired activities, Krahn has formed a new company, Krahn Nordics AB, which will be managed by Chatarina Schneider, former managing director of the acquired companies. “The values of Krahn Chemie as a family-owned, mediumsized company fit very well with those of AmphoChem, Pemco Additives, Temper Technology and BGM,” she says. “The exchange of skills and know-how that will take place between Krahn Chemie and the newly acquired companies will also be of benefit to the key producers in our industries.”

“This transaction, like the acquisition of InterActive in Greece at the beginning of 2020, represents another important step for the Krahn Chemie Group to sustainably secure its future and further strengthen its position as a pan-European distributor,” says Axel Sebbesse, chief development officer and head of mergers and acquisitions at the Otto Krahn Group, parent of Krahn Chemie. “Krahn is the ideal platform for companies that want to benefit from the added value of an international well-established group but still retain a lot of responsibility locally.” www.krahn.eu

BM ADDS AFRICAN DEALS

Bodo Möller Chemie has extended its partnership with BASF in Africa with two new arrangements. In the first, Bodo Möller Chemie South Africa has expanded its distribution agreement with BASF South Africa to include resins and additives, in addition to the two companies’ successful partnership in dispersions for the coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE) sector in the southern Africa region.

“The industrial use of CASE materials continues to grow in African countries. Owing to the exclusive distribution agreements with our long-standing partner BASF, Bodo Möller Chemie is reacting to the growing demand of local users,” says Florian Krückl, vice-president, Global Business Management CASE & Textile Effects, at the Bodo Möller Chemie Group.

Bodo Möller Chemie has also been appointed by BASF as its exclusive distributor for resins and additives for the paints and coatings industry in Egypt. “Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants and Elastomers are decisive cornerstones of modern industry used in key sectors like the automobile industry or the timber and construction sector. Nowadays, the needs of our customers go clearly beyond the product and require the comprehensive expertise from our distributor’s side,” says Krükl. “Close partnerships with a manufacturer like BASF are extremely important, because only in this way we can jointly offer the best solution for our customers.” bm-chemie.com

UNIVAR’S SASOL AGREEMENT

Univar Solutions has reached agreement with Sasol Chemicals to become its primary distributor of alcohol and surfactant products in the US and Canada. “Univar Solutions’

warehousing, distribution, logistics network and digital marketplace leadership will enable Sasol to enhance our customer service and help meet our sustainability goals,” says Victoria Stolarski, Sasol’s director of marketing and sales, global alcohols and US surfactants. “Through Univar Solutions we will gain packaging and shipping efficiencies that will help us reduce both plastic use and fuel consumption.”

“We are extremely pleased to help Sasol reach its sustainability goals and appreciate the trust placed in Univar Solutions,” says Brian Jurcak, vice-president of product marketing management at Univar. “Through this expanded agreement, Sasol’s customers will also benefit from our extensive sales team, applicationspecific technical support, and complementary product portfolio.” www.univarsolutions.com

TER PARTNERS WITH PATECH

TER Chemicals has entered into a distribution partnership with Taiwan-based Patech Fine Chemicals covering Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK. Patech specialises in synthetic esters used in the lubricants, personal care, plastics and reflube compressor industries.

“Patech Fine Chemicals boasts an extensive ester portfolio with a clear focus on lubricants and plastics. We are delighted that our customers in the DACH region and the UK are now also able to benefit from our enhanced product range and that we can take major steps forward with the Business Unit Surface & Lubricants,” says Dirk Schlatermund, head of Business Unit TER Chemicals. www.terchemicals.com

NEW FORM FOR BRENNTAG

Brenntag has completed the process of changing from a German stock corporation (AG) to a European company and is now doing business as Brenntag SE. The conversion was agreed internally in the autumn of 2019 and approved by shareholders in June 2020. Brenntag will keep its headquarters in Essen and maintain its existing management structure.

“Almost 17,500 people from more than 100 countries work for Brenntag, around 90 per cent of them outside Germany,” notes CEO Christian Kohlpaintner. “The SE is a supranational, up-to-date legal form that suits today’s corporate culture; it will strengthen our position and help drive Brenntag’s development.”

In other news, Brenntag has acquired ICL Packed, a subsidiary of UK-based Industrial Chemical Ltd (ICL) that specialises in the distribution of packaged water treatment chemicals. “We see a very positive outlook for the water treatment business in the UK over the years to come due to population growth and the increased pressure on environmental quality,” says Steven Terwindt, COO of Brenntag Essentials. “The acquisition will not only strengthen our position in water treatment but also in core market sectors in the region.”

Alongside the acquisition, the deal includes a sourcing agreement under which Brenntag will have access to ICL’s caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite and iron and aluminium coagulants in the UK. www.brenntag.com

SWISS SUCCESS FOR STOCKMEIER

Stockmeier Group has strengthened its management in Switzerland, with the aim of driving further expansion in the Swiss market. Mark Häberli has been appointed as managing director of Kemtan AG, the Basel-based company acquired by Stockmeier at the start of 2020. For the past six years Häberli has been department manager for Nordmann Rassmann in Zurich. In his new role he will report to Dirk Seidel, managing director of Stockmeier Chemie and Kemtan, and will work closely with René Wieseotte, who will continue for another year as business development manager to support the company’s sales strategy in Switzerland.

Kemtan has also recently picked up a major deal from Kolb Distribution and KLK Tensachem, expanding on an existing partnership between Stockmeier and the KLK Oleo Group in Germany to take the products into Switzerland and Liechtenstein. “This strategic cooperation sustainably strengthens our market presence in Switzerland,” says Dr Anja Vonderhagen, executive business director of Kolb Distribution. “Together we want to write another success story and further expand our offering.”

KLK Oleo and its subsidiaries specialise in surfactants based on natural and synthetic alcohols and on other oleochemical products. www.stockmeier.com