Lonza Acquires New Zealand-Based Zelam

Lonza has acquired Zelam, a research-focused chemical company based in New Zealand, which develops and manufactures products for crop protection, specializing in fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, foliar nutrients and additives. Zelam also develops and manufactures products for wood protection. Zelam has facilities based in New Plymouth (NZ) with field research and timber facilities nearby in New Zealand, as well as in Australia and the U.S.

“We see this acquisition as an excellent opportunity to further our growth strategy for Agro Ingredients by providing entry into new strategic markets and products that are complementary to our existing Meta business,” said Sven Abend, chief strategic officer for Lonza. “It also allows Lonza to leverage Zelam’s existing agrochemical business for registration and sales into other global regions, particularly the United States, EU and South America. Zelam’s unique formulated products and patented delivery systems will benefit both the Agro Ingredients and Wood Protection markets.”

Zelam is one of the leading developers and owners of patented chemistry and delivery technologies for pastoral crops and glueline treatment of engineered wood. Zelam has 45 employees including a seasoned management team and experienced R&D team with highly skilled researchers and formulation chemists, as well as sales and technical people with strong industry experience.

For more than 25 years, Zelam has researched and developed smart products that meet specific needs of the agrochemical and timber treatment markets. Zelam has a reputation for responding quickly with first-rate research, testing, product development and enhancements. Zelam’s manufacturing facilities are world class and include New Zealand’s first micro-encapsulation plant, pollen tube growth testing, and glueline treatment of engineered wood products. Additionally, product brand names like TAG G2, Vixen, Taratek and Permatek are widely known in New Zealand.