ICIG and Vynova Group acquire Advanced Organics business from Valtris

The acquired business includes production plants in Tessenderlo (Belgium) for benzyl chloride and derivatives with approx. 90 employees as well as a plant for the production of benzyl alcohol located in Maastricht (the Netherlands) with approx. 30 employees. The Advanced Organics business joins Vynova Group, the chlor-vinyls platform of ICIG. Vynova Group also has a presence in Tessenderlo, where Vynova Belgium, the group's largest production site and corporate headquarters, is based, supplying intermediates (chlorines) for the newly acquired Advanced Organics business.

Vynova is a leading European manufacturer of chlor-alkali products and PVC. With production sites in five countries and more than 1,275 employees, the company generated annual sales of EUR1 billion in 2023. Established in 2015, Vynova is the chlor-vinyls platform of International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG).

International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) is a privately owned industrial group with holdings in chemical and pharmaceutical companies with a total turnover of more than EUR4bn. ICIG employs more than 7,800 people and operates more than 50 production sites in Europe, the U.S. and India.

Valtris Specialty Chemicals, a portfolio company of the U.S. holding company SK Capital Partners and headquartered in Independence, Ohio, is a global leader in specialty performance additives. The company operates nine production sites and employs approx. 700 people across North America, Europe and Asia.

The international A&O Shearman team was led by partner Dr. Thomas König (M&A, Frankfurt) and in addition comprised senior associate Isla Smith, associate Natasha Rarity (both M&A), partner Kate Pumfrey and associate Eleanor Lynch (both Employment and Compensation), partner Simon Letherman (Tax, all London), counsel Andreas Piepers (M&A), associate Ashley Shan (Private Equity, both New York), partner Gauthier van Thuyne (Public Law), counsel Sylvain Petit (Antitrust), senior associate Bert Verhoeven and associate Alexandre Coulon (both M&A, all Brussels) and senior associate Gareth Handley and associate Philip Brink (both M&A, both Amsterdam).