Media release
Zeochem acquires ALSIO of China
The CPH Group has agreed to acquire a majority shareholding in Jiangsu ALSIO Technology of the Jiangsu Feixiang Group. The purchase of China’s leading manufacturer of molecular sieves marks a further milestone in CPH’s current expansion strategy.
CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG is expanding within the chemistry sector. Its Zeochem subsidiary has agreed to acquire 80% of the shares of Jiangsu ALSIO Technology Co. Ltd (ALSIO) from the Jiangsu Feixiang Group. ALSIO, which was founded in 2008 and is domiciled in Lianyungang in China’s Jiangsu province, is one of Asia’s leading manufacturers of molecular sieves. The company generated net sales of around CHF 16 million in 2014, and employed 114 personnel in its development, production and sales. The parties have agreed not to divulge the purchase price involved.
The deal is expected to be closed in the beginning of 2016. ALSIO will be integrated into the Zeochem Group, and will now trade under the Zeochem brand. “ALSIO is an ideal complement to Zeochem’s current worldwide activities, both geographically and in terms of its product programme,” says Dr. Alois Waldburg-Zeil, Head of the CPH Group’s Chemistry Division. “And from its location in China, we will be able to further develop and refine our service of Asia’s growing markets.”
“We are delighted that we have found in Zeochem a strong industrial partner with a long business tradition. We are convinced that Zeochem will continue ALSIO’s success story and further drive the development of its business on a global scale,” adds Dr. Ji Li, CEO of the Jiangsu Feixiang Group.
“CPH is strengthening its business activities beyond the paper segment, expanding its global market position in growth regions and reducing its dependence on the Swiss franc,” says Dr. Peter Schildknecht, CEO of the CPH Group. “Our acquisition of ALSIO is a further major step in this process, and in the implementation of our strategy in the chemistry sector.”
The ALSIO purchase follows last year’s announcement by the CPH Group’s Packaging Division that it would be building a coatings plant in China. The completion of the new facility is progressing and will start producing blister pack films for the Asian pharmaceuticals markets in the course of 2016.
Zeochem is a leading manufacturer of molecular sieves for industrial applications, and of chromatography gels for the pharmaceuticals industry. With production sites in Switzerland and the USA, the CPH Group’s Chemistry Division generated net sales last year of CHF 60 million, accounting for 12% of total net sales for the Group as a whole.
Perlen, 18 November 2015
Further information
Dr. Peter Schildknecht
CEO
CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG Phone: +41 41 455 87 57
Christian Weber
Head of Corporate Communications CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG Phone: +41 41 455 87 51
About CPH
CPH is an internationally active and diversified industrial group which is headquartered in Switzerland. The CPH Group develops, manufactures and distributes chemical products, wood-based paper and pharmaceutical packaging films. The Group and its subsidiaries maintain production facilities at locations in Switzerland, Germany, the USA and (from 2016) China. With a total workforce of 860 employees, the Group generated net sales of CHF 492.5 million last year. The shares of the Group’s holding company CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: CPHN).
This release contains future-oriented statements about CPH that are subject to risk and uncertainties. These statements reflect the management’s opinions at the time of the release’s compilation, but they may deviate from actual future events.