Sudarshan buys aluminium dyes site

Via a European subsidiary, Indian colours and pigments giant Sudarshan Chemical Industries has signed a definitive asset sale and transfer agreement to buy Clariant Additives’ aluminium dyes and chemicals manufacturing plant in Muttenz, Switzerland. Terms were not disclosed. 

The deal, which should close on 4 January 2027, essentially converts a supply relationship into direct ownership as the plant has manufactured Sudarshan’s aluminium dyes portfolio, including the Sanodal, Sanodure, Sanodye and Anodal brands, plus organic intermediates, for many years. The workforce will continue at the site.

“We have depended on this site for years. Now we own it. That means we control the process, the capacity, and we can plan the next generation of these products on our own timetable,” said Rajesh Rathi, chairman and managing director of Sudarshan. An existing supply arrangement was about to end and the company preferred buying the site to transferring the process elsewhere.

Aluminium dyes are used to colour anodised aluminium, giving finished surfaces their colour and durability in automotive and consumer electronics components, packaging and industrial parts. Sudarshan covers the segment worldwide in cooperation with regional partners.

This follows on from the opening in June of Sudarshan’s second global head office at Schwalbach am Taunus, near Frankfurt, where it acquired the Heubach Group in 2025. The company now operates across over 120 countries, with 19 manufacturing sites.

Subsequently, Sudarshan sold its VP4 Frankfurt subsidiary to Celanese in order to focus wholly on pigments. VP4 Frankfurt came as part of Heubach. It mainly toll-produces diketene, an intermediate for functional food ingredients, on behalf of Nutrinova, an affiliate of Celanese and Mitsui. Nutrinova will continue to supply Sudarshan with the small volumes of material it still requires.