Brussels, October 16, 2018 --- The divestment of Solvay’s polyamide business to BASF is moving forward, as BASF has offered remedies involving part of the assets originally included in the scope of the acquisition, to address the competition concerns the European Commission has raised following an in-depth Phase II investigation.
The European Commission is now examining these remedies and submitting them to market testing before completing its review procedure.
The assets concerned by the remedies include innovation capabilities and manufacturing assets of Solvay’s polyamide intermediate and engineering plastics business in Europe. The activities included in the proposed remedy scope are able to compete as successful stand-alone businesses under third party ownership.
For BASF and Solvay this is a further step towards obtaining European Commission clearance for their agreement, which is now expected early in 2019.
Both companies will continue to run their businesses separately until completion of the transaction, which also involves consultation with employee representatives.
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Solvay is an advanced materials and specialty chemicals company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers worldwide in many diverse end markets. Its products are used in planes, cars, batteries, smart and medical devices, as well as in mineral and oil and gas extraction, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. Its lightweighting materials promote cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 26,800 employees in 61 countries. Net sales were €10.1 billion in 2017, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top 3 leaders, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 22%. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR) and in the United States its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a level-1 ADR program. Financial figures take into account the announced divestment of Polyamides.
