AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA
AURELIUS becomes major player on the specialty chemical market
AURELIUS AG / Key word(s): Acquisition AURELIUS becomes major player on the specialty chemical market Bayer CropScience Norwich production location becomes Briar Chemicals – Acquisition completed with effect from September 1, 2012. – Briar Chemicals becomes the third independent specialty chemical subsidiary within the AURELIUS Group – Further close cooperation planned with Bayer CropScience Munich, September 3, 2012 – With the acquisition of the Norwich production location from Bayer CropScience, the activities of the AURELIUS Group (ISIN: DE000A0JK2A8) in the specialty chemical industry now rise to over 200 million euro in revenues. Starting September 1, 2012, the Norwich facility will operate as Briar Chemicals Ltd., making crop protection and specialty industrial chemicals. It is AURELIUS' third major acquisition in the industry, after ISOCHEM/FRAMOCHEM and CalaChem. 'Chemicals have become a major focus for us. With our subsidiaries, we are already seeing very positive results, and we believe there is great potential in pharmaceutical and plant protection chemistry,' said Dr. Dirk Markus, CEO of AURELIUS AG. 'With our two specialty chemical subsidiaries ISOCHEM and CalaChem, in the last few years we were able to substantially improve operating results by introducing new products and moving into new markets.' Starting September 1, 2012 the new Briar Chemicals Ltd. will focus on extending its product portfolio and expanding contract production for third-party customers. Investment in a wastewater treatment plant and a multi-production facility will assure the long-term viability of Briar Chemicals and its approx. 250 jobs. The Group anticipates that the expanded sales capability of its other specialty chemical subsidiaries ISOCHEM and CalaChem will enable it to grow faster than the market in the specialty chemical industry. 'This new autonomy is an outstanding opportunity for us to offer development services and production of high-value chemicals to other customers as well,' said Gerhard Engleder, responsible for the investment in Briar Chemicals. The divestment of the production site in Norwich is part of Bayer CropScience's global consolidation of crop protection product manufacturing. As an independent company, Briar Chemicals will be in an even better position to develop its business activities. Bayer AG has confirmed that it will continue to work closely with Briar Chemicals in the coming years, so that production capacity utilization will remain at a high level. For the 250 employees, this means a good outlook for the future, and their health and safety will remain a top priority. 'The site in Norwich is in outstanding technical condition and a leader in its field,' noted Dr. Markus. 'We are delighted that with Bayer CropScience another well-known company has decided to sell part of its manufacturing activities to AURELIUS.' About Aurelius The AURELIUS Group specializes in acquiring companies with development potential and providing them with operational support. With respect to the acquisition of subsidiaries, AURELIUS strives to identify, analyze, develop and exploit all available opportunities in the market. The AURELIUS Group understands itself to be a GOOD HOME for its subsidiaries on a long-term basis. Although its acquisition activities are not limited to a certain sector, AURELIUS has placed a certain emphasis on the following sectors: industrial enterprises, chemicals, business services, consumer goods/food & beverage and telecommunications, media & technology. AURELIUS has many years of investment and management experience in different industries and sectors. AURELIUS improves the performance of its subsidiaries by providing management capacities and the necessary financial resources for investing in innovative products, sales and research. AURELIUS is a globally active company with offices in Munich and London and subsidiaries in Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as the United States, China, Malaysia, India, Thailand and South Korea. The shares of AURELIUS AG are traded in the Open Market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the m:access of the Munich Stock Exchange under ISIN DE000A0JK2A8. Additional information can be found at www.aureliusinvest.de.
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183886 03.09.2012 |