Stepan buys CECA quaternary esters & phosphoric esters unit
17 Dec '08
2 min read
As part of the recentering of its surfactant business initiated in 2007, CECA, Arkema's Specialty Chemicals business unit, announces the sale of its quaternary esters and phosphoric esters to Stepan.
"This divestment of a non-strategic business for CECA will allow us to focus our resources on the operational management of our other surfactant ranges for which we offer genuine added value as a specialty chemicals manufacturer ", explains Christophe Villain, CECA's Managing Director.
These activities account for annual sales of the order of € 8 M, and concern two product groups:
* quaternary esters for the production of textile softener.
* Phosphoric esters used as synthesis intermediates and in many industrial applications.
The European leader in the quaternary esters market for textile softener production, Stepan operates three industrial facilities in Europe, in Voreppe (France / Isère) which also houses its European headquarters, Wesseling (Germany) and Stalybridge (United Kingdom).
This divestment is part of Arkema's transformation drive, and represents a further step in the recentering of its business portfolio.
CECA, a subsidiary of the Arkema Group, is a world player in Specialty Chemicals. CECA constantly strives to improve its customers' performance by creating and developing adsorbents, chemical intermediates, and additives. CECA operates an extensive network of industrial facilities in Europe, together with two research centres (GRL and CRRA) dedicated to customer innovation.