The CABB Group has said that it will invest over €50 million by 2025 to expand facilities at its agrochemical manufacturing site in Kokkola, Finland. Eight new chemical reactors and a new packaging plant were commissioned in September, largely as a result of a long-term supply contract with a new customer from the crop protection industry. Further ‘double-digit millions’ investments are currently being made or in the pipeline.

Three more companies have joined Together for Sustainability (TfS), the industry initiative for sustainable supply chains, bringing the total membership to 36. They are Germany- and Switzerland-based CDMO CABB; Mitsui, which is the first Japanese member; and Sennics, a Sinochem International subsidiary that makes polymer additives.

German- and Swiss-based CABB Group is to create a new unified organisation called ‘One CABB’. As part of this the Custom Manufacturing and Acetyls business units will be combined. “Both units serve overlapping customer bases while utilising similar technologies in their production,” the firm said.

“Through the change to ‘One CABB’ we will gain speed and efficiency and thus strengthen our position as one of the premier contract development and manufacturing companies,” added CEO Valerie Diele-Braun (pictured).

According to unconfirmed reports, private equity firm Permira is considering exiting from its ownership in CABB after seven years and an auction may begin next year. The German-headquarters fine and speciality chemicals producer could raise about $1.2 billion, it is estimated.

Permira, which has about €44 billion in committed capital around the world, originally acquired CABB from Bridgepoint in 2014. Four years later, it bought Evonik Jayhawk Fine Chemicals, adding a US presence to the company.

As part of a digitalisation process, the CABB Group is currently fitting GPS devices to all of the 200 rail tank cars and tank containers it hires to transport monochloroacetic acid (MCA). This should be complete by June, the company said.