Emerald Kalama Chemical, a global, leading manufacturer of specialty chemicals, announced that affiliates of its majority owner, American Securities LLC, have entered into a definitive agreement to sell Emerald to LANXESS AG, a leading specialty chemicals company. 

The sale is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021, following customary and requisite approvals.

The sale will include all of Emerald’s operations in Washington state, the UK, and the Netherlands. These facilities are used to manufacture consumer-friendly preservatives, nature-identical aroma chemicals, low-VOC coalescents, and non-phthalate plasticizers and modifiers.

Emerald was formed in 2006 from the divesture of several specialty chemical businesses from Lubrizol. 

It was acquired by affiliates of American Securities in 2014. 

Since then, Emerald has continued to invest in expanding capabilities and growth, including the acquisition of Innospec Widnes Ltd in the United Kingdom in 2015, a $40 million major expansion at its facility in Rotterdam, and the launch of several new product lines.

“Emerald has grown at a rapid pace, and we have continuously invested in expanding our capabilities. LANXESS has a sterling reputation within our industry as a global supplier, with a foundation built on exceptional service, responsible manufacturing and growth year-over-year. This is a fantastic development for Emerald, as LANXESS will be able to capitalize on existing successes and position of our businesses to continue growing synergistically,” said Edward Gotch, CEO and board member of Emerald.

“We are gaining further momentum on our growth course. The businesses of Emerald Kalama Chemical are an ideal fit for us. We will further strengthen our Consumer Protection segment and open up new application areas with strong margins, for example in the food industry and animal health sector. In addition, we will also enlarge our presence in our growth region of North America,” said Matthias Zachert, chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG.

“We are proud to have supported Ed and the talented Emerald management team to drive growth and expansion of capabilities during our partnership,” added Scott Wolff, chairman of Emerald and a Managing Director of American Securities. “This transaction completes our original strategy for Emerald, which was to find strategic homes for each of the company’s distinct businesses to help them continue to grow.”