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[February 2009]
Heraeus Acquires Electronic & Decorative Materials Business from BASF Catalysts
Heraeus (headquartered Hanau, Germany) has entered into an agreement to acquire BASF Catalysts’ thick films and ceramic colours business, used in electronics and decorative applications, located at BASF’s East Newark, NJ, USA site. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With the acquisition, the W C Heraeus Thick Film Materials Division further expands its market position and offers its customers an even broader product portfolio. Dr Ralf Droste, Head of the Thick Film Materials Division, commented: “In addition to strengthening our activities in North America, we have gained access to comprehensive know-how that will decidedly advance our development of new products”.
Dr Roland Gerner, Managing Director of W C Heraeus, added: “Particularly in today’s difficult market environment, this acquisition demonstrates our company’s capacity for growth. We at Heraeus intend to continue expanding our business in promising markets worldwide”.
With its Thick Film Materials Division, W C Heraeus is a global supplier of glass and ceramic coatings and has flourished for decades in the areas of thick films and ceramic colours. Customers of these business units include manufacturers of printed circuit boards as well as the fine glass and ceramics industry. W C Heraeus products are now marketed in more than 75 countries.
BASF made the decision to sell these operations after an in-depth analysis determined that they were not core strategic businesses. Today, BASF’s Catalysts is the world’s largest catalyst manufacturer and leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts for a variety of industrial applications.
In 2006, BASF acquired these businesses as part of its acquisition of the Engelhard Corporation, a leading catalysts manufacturer. Engelhard had pioneered the production of ceramic colours in the early 1900s and entered the thick films sector in the 1970s.
The Thick Film Materials Division is a part of W C Heraeus, one of the managing companies within the Heraeus Group, a precious metals and technology company headquartered in Hanau, Germany. Heraeus is a global, family-owned company with 155 years of tradition. It is active in the business areas of precious metals, sensors, dental and medical products, quartz glass and specialty lighting sources. With product revenues of €3 billion, precious metals trading revenues of €9 billion and more than 11,000 employees worldwide in over 100 subsidiaries, Heraeus is a global market leader in the industries in which it does business.
ENDS