Indian owner for Jayhawk

Anupam Rasayan India has agreed to acquire the US-based production site Jayhawk Fine Chemicals from Switzerland’s CABB for about $150 million. The transaction is expected to occur in January, following satisfaction of conditions precedent and customary closing actions.

Based at a site in Galena, Kansas (pictured), Jayhawk is active in the custom manufacturing of advanced intermediates, active ingredients and high-performance materials, the latter generating 65% of its revenues. It has core competencies in such complex chemistries as halogenation, oxidation, nitration and phosphorus chemistry. 

Anupam carries out the custom synthesis and manufacture of speciality chemicals in India, including pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, personal care, pigments, dyes and polymer additives. Managing director Anand Desai, described the story as “a transformative step in Anupam’s global journey”, enabling it to move closer to end applications, manufacturing key N-1 molecules for critical sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, and performance materials. 

For its part, CABB said that Jayhawk, which it acquired from Evonik in 2018, had been “a key contributor to the group’s results”. However, CABB is now shifting its focus from industrial applications, electronics and semiconductors to further expanding its higher-margin specialities portfolio in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals from its sites in Switzerland, Germany and Finland.