Azelis strengthens EMEA footprint with acquisition of UK's WhitChem

Azelis, a leading global innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Whitfield Chemical Group Limited, the ultimate parent company of WhitChem, a well-regarded distributor focused on CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers) and R&PA (rubber & plastic additives) in the UK.

This acquisition reinforces Azelis’ position in industrial chemicals, and specifically in the CASE and R&PA market segments in the UK. WhitChem’s long-standing relationships with blue-chip principals and product portfolio strengthen Azelis’ lateral value chain in the UK, whilst their wide customer base and strong local technical sales team further expands the Group’s product offering and customer reach.

WhitChem employs 30 staff and generates the vast majority of its sales in the UK, with some exports to Ireland. Following the closing, the WhitChem management will stay and support the integration into Azelis, remain committed to growing the business, and further strengthen Azelis’ CASE & R&PA team.

Anna Bertona, CEO & President Azelis EMEA, said: "We’re thrilled to welcome WhitChem into Azelis. Their exemplary expertise, strong relationships and a diverse customer base complement the organic growth of Azelis, while at the same time providing a valuable addition for our lateral value chain for this growing market. Over the years, they have proven to be an important technical sales extension for their principals, having grown their market share significantly, and they continue to show strong growth prospects.”

Charles Hawley, Managing Director at WhitChem, commented: "We look forward to combining our talents with Azelis and leveraging our synergies. We see many cross-selling opportunities with our complementary product portfolios. CASE and R&PA are exciting markets that have seen significant growth of late and we are eager to expand our product offering and innovative services to the combined customer base. Together we form a great cultural fit and we will continue working on adding value and creating continued growth.”