Lonza to sell its Specialty Ingredients Division to Bain Capital and Cinven

LSI is one provider of specialty chemicals for microbial control solutions, used to eliminate or control harmful and unwanted micro-organisms. The company’s products are critical ingredients in coatings, disinfectants, preservatives, sanitizers as well as personal care products and other industrial uses. The business also produces a range of other specialty chemicals, centered around its unique production facility in Switzerland.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, LSI has approximately 2,800 employees, 11 R&D centers and 17 manufacturing sites across the world. The business serves circa 5,300 customers across a wide range of end-markets.

Acquisition to strengthen footprint

LSI is a strong company, which presents an attractive investment opportunity for a number of reasons:

• LSI provides a range of differentiated specialty chemical products, underpinned by strong R&D capabilities, regulatory and IP protections, and a highly qualified and dedicated workforce
• The microbial control solutions market benefits from structural growth due to favorable penetration trends, supportive regulatory dynamics, and the growing need to protect society from harmful micro-organisms
• The business serves a diversified set of attractive end-markets, with a particularly strong presence in the Professional Hygiene and Home & Personal Care segments
• The business enjoys leading positions in North America and Europe, with longstanding customer relationships and extensive regulatory expertise

The strategy of the consortium is to:

• Enhance the R&D capabilities of LSI to continue to develop innovative chemistries to control the spread of microbes (such as viruses and bacteria) in a sustainable and responsible manner
• Build deeper customer relationships through customised application development in a complex regulatory environment, and to provide an even greater range of microbial control formulations
• Consolidate the microbial control solutions market through buy-and-build opportunities in the sector, which remains fragmented
• Invest further in the world-class production facility in Visp, Switzerland, to enhance its unique technical capabilities and high quality specialty chemicals portfolio

“LSI has multiple attractive growth opportunities as the leading global player in the growing market for microbial control. Our strategy is to reinforce the company’s market position, to accelerate growth through further investment in R&D and innovation, and to use LSI as a platform for further industry consolidation, in line with Bain Capital’s and Cinven’s strategies in other sectors,” commented David Danon, Managing Director at Bain Capital.