Langelsheim, Germany/ New York, NY, USA, January 3, 2022

The Heubach Group (“Heubach”), a leading global producer of pigments and SK Capital Partners (“SK Capital”), a private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors, announced today the completion of the acquisition of Clariant’s Global Colorants Business (“Clariant Pigments”). The combined business will operate under the Heubach brand, creating a global pigment technology and industry leader.

The newly combined Heubach Group (“the Company”) is a leading global provider of comprehensive color solutions, supplying a broad portfolio of organic, inorganic, and anti-corrosive pigments, pigment preparations, dyes, colorants and specialty materials. The Company is a technological and quality leader and operates its global business from 19 manufacturing facilities across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, employing approximately 3,000 people. The headquarters of the Heubach Group will be established in Vienna, Austria.
 

 

The Heubach Group is excited to announce the appointment of Stefan Doboczky as Chief Executive Officer of the Heubach Group, effective January 10, 2022. Mr. Doboczky joins the Heubach Group having most recently served as CEO of Lenzing AG, a global leader of cellulosic fibers and biochemicals. Prior to Lenzing, Mr. Doboczky was member of the Managing Board of Royal DSM, the Dutch Life Science and Material Science Group, where he spent almost two decades in various general management roles. Mr. Doboczky holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Technical University of Vienna (A), as well as an MBA from IMD in Lausanne (CH). Stefan Doboczky noted “I am very excited to join the new Heubach Group. I am convinced that by combining these successful businesses we will create a powerful offering for our customers in the pigment and colorant space.”

The Valence Group of Piper Sandler & Co., BofA Securities and Citigroup served as financial advisors to Heubach and SK Capital. Committed financing for the transaction was provided by BofA Securities, Citigroup, HSBC, KeyBanc, Citizens, ING and MUFG. Lenz &Staehelin AG and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Heubach and SK Capital. Milbank LLP acted as legal counsel to Heubach. Homburger AG acted as legal counsel to Clariant and Deutsche Bank AG served as Clariant’s financial advisor.

The new Heubach

The new global pigments powerhouse


The new Heubach Groupbrings together two of the industry’s leading color innovators, Heubach and Clariant’s Global Colorants Business, creating a market-leaderfor diversified organic and inorganic pigments and preparations with a focus on new application technologies and sustainability.

This merger combines the strengths of two of the most prestigiouscolor companies in history. The Heubach family began manufacturing decorative glassware in the 14th century and 500 years later, in 1806, opened its first pigment factory, marking the beginning of the company today. Clariant was formed in 1995 as a spin off from the chemical company Sandoz AG and its pigment production dates back to the Pigments businesses of the former Hoechst AG. For more than 150 years both companies have been known for their experience in chemistry, innovation, excellence in pigments and attention to customer service.

With our extensiveproduct portfolio, advanced technologies, global manufacturing sites and secure supply chains, we deliver industry leading, best-in-class products to brighten the lives of customers, wherever they are.

Our global presence
At the heart of the new Heubach Group is a global team of almost 3,000 dedicated people drawn from diverse backgrounds who are passionate about bringing color solutions to the industries we serve. We are committed to the reliable supply of high-quality materials from our 19 facilities across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. These facilities feature robust, flexible raw material supply chains that help us reduce lead times and deliver on time.

Our portfolio
Our 4,000 products offer one of the world’s most complete portfolios of organic, inorganic, and anti-corrosive pigments, pigment preparations and dyes. For customers in the coatings, plastics and inks industries we leverage decades of experience in application development and pigment chemistry. Our digital tools and trend forecasting keep our customers a step ahead in delivering advanced color solutions for application areas including automotive, construction, consumer goods, E&E, packaging, home and personal care and agriculture.

Our sustainability
The new Heubach Groupsets today’s standard in pigmentsfor safe, modern and protective coatings, making us a pioneer in the development of sustainable color technologies.  As Heubach and Clariant’s Global Colorants Businessbefore us, we operate our production plants to the highest standards, remaining at the forefront of sustainability initiatives, and demands in the sustainable value chain,through innovation, production technologies, scale and portfolio breadth. We are a pioneer in the sustainable innovation of anti-corrosive pigments, and in the usage of bio-based succinic acid in the production process of high-performance quinacridone, further reducing CO2 emissions. We collaborate closely with our customers to help them meet their own sustainability and environmental protection goals.

Our customer focus
Customers will benefit from the new Heubach’s combined know-how and best practice to develop future-oriented innovative solutions for their applications in the coatings, plastics, inks and specialty application industries, enabling them to deliver advanced, sustainable products where color contributes to brand and perceived value.