Heubach Partners with SK Capital to Drive Next Phase of Growth for Clariant’s Pigments Business
14.6.2021 08:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
The Heubach Group (“Heubach”), in partnership with SK Capital Partners (“SK Capital”), announced today a definitive agreement to acquire Clariant’s Pigments Business (“Clariant Pigments”). The combined business will operate under the Heubach name, creating a global pigments leader generating more than €900 million in annual sales.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210613005051/en/
The transaction values Clariant Pigments at approximately CHF 805 million, with additional consideration of CHF 50 million contingent on the 2021 financial performance of the business unit. As part of the transaction, Clariant will be reinvesting for a minority stake in the combined business, demonstrating its continuing commitment to the success of Clariant Pigments and the substantial growth opportunity in the combination with Heubach.
Heubach is a leading global producer of organic, inorganic, and non-toxic anti-corrosive pigments, operating four global production locations and employing approximately 1,000 people. Clariant Pigments is a leading global provider of organic pigments, pigment preparations and dyes, operating 13 global production sites and employing approximately 1,900 people.
The combination of Heubach and Clariant Pigments is expected to be highly synergistic, and creates a diversified pigments player that will enhance Heubach’s and Clariant Pigments existing positions. The businesses share a complementary product portfolio and a regionally compatible asset footprint, which will allow for an expanded product range and wider geographical coverage to better serve customers. The combined business will continue to prioritize innovation, quality, technical service and product development in order to provide an enhanced value proposition for its customers.
Johann Heubach, Chief Executive Officer of the Heubach Group, noted “We have been in pigments for more than 200 years. My late father and I set out to drive consolidation in the pigments industry, and the combination of Heubach and Clariant Pigments is a major milestone in this vision. We are extremely excited to have gained SK Capital as a partner and we are eagerly looking forward to capitalizing on their expertise in integrating and operating businesses in the global chemical industry. The fit between Heubach and Clariant Pigments is perfect. The combination of industry leading technologies, a product portfolio serving a wide range of customer requirements and global production and service footprint will give the newly formed Heubach Group the ability to serve our global customer base in the coatings, plastics, inks and specialty applications fields with industry leading products and services.”
Aaron Davenport, a Managing Director of SK Capital, noted “Clariant Pigments is a premier global colorant solutions provider, and, together with our new partners, the Heubach Group and Clariant, we see a tremendous opportunity to create significant value for all stakeholders.”
Conrad Keiijzer, Chief Executive Officer of Clariant, noted “We are pleased to announce the agreement with Heubach and SK Capital for the sale of our pigments business. We are confident that with Heubach and SK Capital, we have found the right new owners of this business, for our customers, our colleagues and our other stakeholders.”
Closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals and is expected to take place in the first half of 2022. The Valence Group of Piper Sandler & Co., BofA Securities and Citi served as financial advisors to Heubach and SK Capital. Committed financing for the transaction was provided by BofA Securities and Citi. 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.
About Heubach Group
Heubach has more than 200 years of experience in pigments production as one of the first-ever manufacturers of pigments. Heubach is a leading global producer of organic, inorganic and anticorrosive pigments and pigment preparations, is headquartered in Langelsheim, Germany and has sites in Germany, US, and India with sales offices around the world. Over the years, Heubach has developed a leading technology position, which has been built both internally and from the successful take-overs of pigment activities from Bayer, DuPont and ICI. Heubach operates its global business according to “Best-in-Class” German standards with a focus on EHS excellence, quality leadership, product stewardship and innovation. For more information, please visit www.heubachcolor.com.
About SK Capital
SK Capital is a private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. The firm seeks to build strong and growing businesses that create substantial long-term value. SK Capital aims to utilize its industry, operating and investment experience to identify opportunities to transform businesses into higher performing organizations with improved strategic positioning, growth and profitability as well as lower operating risk. SK Capital’s portfolio of businesses generates revenues of approximately $11 billion annually, employs more than 16,000 people globally and operates 150 plants in 28 countries. The firm currently has greater than $5 billion of assets under management. For more information, please visit www.skcapitalpartners.com.
About Clariant
Clariant is a focused and innovative specialty chemical company based in Muttenz, near Basel/Switzerland. On 31 December 2020, the company employed a total workforce of 13,235. In the financial year 2020, Clariant recorded sales of CHF 3.860 billion for its continuing businesses. The company reports in three business areas: Care Chemicals, Catalysis and Natural Resources. Clariant’s corporate strategy is based on five pillars: focus on innovation and R&D, add value with sustainability, reposition portfolio, intensify growth, and increase profitability.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210613005051/en/
Contact information
Europe
Stephen Fishleigh
BackBay Communications
+44 203 475 7552 (o)
+44 7904 114 002 (m)
stephen.fishleigh@backbaycommunications.com
United States
Jeremy Milner
BackBay Communications
401-862-9422
jeremy.milner@backbaycommunications.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Swedish Court Further Reschedules Delivery of Judgment in PriceRunner Vs Google Antitrust Case24.6.2026 21:55:00 EEST | Press release
Klarna Group plc (NYSE: KLAR) wishes to update investors that the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm, Sweden (Patent- och marknadsdomstolen) has again postponed publication of its judgment in the antitrust damages proceedings brought by PriceRunner, a Klarna subsidiary, against Google. The Court has rescheduled publication of its judgment from June 26, 2026 to July 1, 2026 at 13:00 CET. As with the Court's two previous notifications, the rescheduling is a procedural decision by the Court and relates solely to the timing of the judgment delivery. In its notification, the Court cited high workload as the reason for needing additional time to finalize the judgment. No inference about the outcome should be drawn from it. Important Notice The outcome of the proceedings is inherently uncertain. No assurance can be given that PriceRunner will succeed on liability or quantum. Any award would be subject to appeal by Google, to sharing arrangements with former PriceRunner shareholders and Klar
Vertex Energy Announces 6,000 bpd Group III Base Oil Expansion Project24.6.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Vertex Energy, Inc. (“Vertex” or the “Company”) today announced it is advancing a project at its Mobile, Alabama refinery to produce crude-derived conventional Group III base oils through the Company’s existing hydrocracker and related processing infrastructure, providing lubricant manufacturers and blenders with an additional domestic source of high-quality Group III supply. The project is designed to add an incremental 6,000 barrels per day of conventional Group III production capacity and support production of 4 cSt, 6 cSt, and 8 cSt Group III base oils using an existing crude-derived hydrocracked vacuum gas oil stream produced at the Company’s Mobile, Alabama refinery. Combined with the Company’s existing re-refined Group III base oil production, this additional capacity is expected to make Vertex the leading Group III producer in North America. Vertex has completed preliminary design work and has procured a high-pressure lubricants hydrotreating unit. The Company plans to start pr
Taktile Secures $110M in Goldman Sachs-led Series C to Power AI Transformation in Financial Institutions24.6.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Taktile, the leader in AI transformation for financial institutions, today announced its $110 million Series C fundraise. Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives led the round, with participation from Balderton Capital, Index Ventures, Tiger Global, Y Combinator, and Dig Ventures. Taktile Fast Facts Taktile enables banks and insurers to transform into AI-native organizations that are increasingly powered by autonomous agents. Demand for Taktile accelerated in 2025, as AI models became capable of automating high-stakes decisions that previously required hours of manual work—from underwriting business loans and assessing claims to catching financial crime. Customers automate and optimize decisions with Taktile by combining its financial services expertise and product built for sector-specific AI use cases. One of the world’s largest insurers is running multiple use cases on Taktile, with projected cost efficiencies of over $90M in claims processing alone. Taktile’s team has a proven
New MetLife Study Reveals a 72% “Confidence Gap” in Ability to Recover from Life's Setbacks24.6.2026 16:25:00 EEST | Press release
A new multinational study from MetLife reveals a striking “confidence gap”: while most adults describe themselves as resilient, their confidence drops by 72% when faced with real-life setbacks. The Confident Pathways Report, conducted across the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Mexico, was designed to better understand how confidence is built and sustained throughout life. The findings underscore the role of opportunity, preparedness, and support in building confidence - factors that help people navigate uncertainty, recover from setbacks and pursue their goals. At a time when soccer is bringing people and communities together around the world, the findings also highlight how early childhood experiences such as sports, education, and mentorship can help foster resilience and gain confidence from a young age. Key findings across the four countries surveyed include: Confidence drops by 72% when adults consider their ability to recover from setbacks. Respondents were far more lik
StatLab Launches CytoPath Disc, Advancing Standardized Cell Block Preparation Worldwide24.6.2026 16:08:00 EEST | Press release
StatLab Medical Products, a leading global developer and manufacturer of pathology supplies and equipment, today announced the global launch of the CytoPath Disc, an innovative cell block preparation technology designed to standardize and simplify cell block preparation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260624368623/en/ Developed as an alternative to traditional cell block methods, which convert concentrated cells suspended in fluid into a paraffin-embedded format for slide-based evaluation, the patent‑pending CytoPath Disc offers a more streamlined and efficient approach. The CytoPath Disc absorbs concentrated cells within a simple, sponge-like matrix, which is then processed, embedded, stained, and sectioned using standard histology workflows. Traditional cell block preparation methods often present challenges in achieving consistent results due to complex procedures, as well as the need for additional equipm
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
