Platinum Equity signed a definitive agreement to acquire Solenis, a global producer of specialty chemicals used in water-intensive industries, from Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and BASF in a transaction that implies an enterprise value for Solenis of $5.25 billion. BofA Securities and Goldman Sachs are leading the debt financing for the acquisition.
As part of the transaction, Solenis is expected to merge with Sigura Water, an existing Platinum Equity portfolio company the firm acquired in 2019, for a total combined transaction value of approximately $6.5 billion. The combined company is expected to generate approximately $3.5 billion of revenue and serve a range of customers around the world in consumer, industrial and pool water treatment markets.
Founded in 1907 and headquartered in Wilmington, DE, Solenis is a supplier of specialty chemicals and services for process, functional and water treatment applications to consumer and industrial markets. The company’s global footprint spans across 120 countries and five continents and comprises more than 5,200 employees and 41 manufacturing facilities.
“Global demand for solutions that save water, use less energy, eliminate waste and convert everyday products to more sustainable materials is only continuing to grow,” Jacob Kotzubei, a partner at Platinum Equity, said. “As a leader in sustainability, Solenis has been helping its customers tackle these complex challenges for more than 100 years. It is an exceptionally well-run organization with an outstanding management team and a service-oriented culture. We believe in the company’s mission and we are excited to invest in its continued growth and expansion.”
Solenis currently serves two primary segments: consumer solutions (consumer and food packaging, graphic paper and tissue and towel markets) and industrial solutions (core water treatment and wastewater markets). Sigura’s business is in the production and sale of water care solutions and value-added services for residential and commercial pool and spa applications as well as industrial markets.
“Solenis and Sigura are highly complementary businesses and a fantastic fit with very little product or customer overlap,” Todd Golditch, managing director at Platinum Equity, said. “They both are leaders in providing mission-critical products and solutions to water-intensive industries and serve attractive end markets with strong tailwinds. Sigura’s high-performance pool and spa treatment business and industrial segment will slot perfectly into the Solenis portfolio, and both will benefit from increased scale and end-market diversification. Together, the combined Solenis company will also have a world-class management team capable of driving market leadership and significant growth in the near- and long-term. We will also continue seeking new opportunities to grow the combined company through additional strategic M&A.”
John Panichella, CEO of Solenis, will continue to lead the combined company following the transition and integration.
“Today is an important milestone for Solenis. We thank the CD&R team for its support, which has positioned us well for this exciting next phase of growth with our new investment partners at Platinum,” Panichella said. “Combining with Sigura will help bolster our scale, diversify our end markets and create attractive operational improvement opportunities to increase profitability. Sigura is an industry pioneer in the pool space with a well-deserved reputation for innovation, a portfolio of industry-leading brands in the pool space and a growing industrial business. We are thrilled to partner with Platinum and excited to welcome Sigura to the Solenis family.”
Robert Baird, CEO of Sigura, will lead a new pool solutions division at Solenis once the merger is completed.
“We are very excited about this opportunity with Solenis. The combination will help accelerate our growth and provide us access to additional resources and expanded market opportunities,” Baird said. “Both of our companies share a common mission to deliver superior water quality solutions that improve the environment and enhance the security, health and safety of the communities we serve. I look forward to joining the Solenis leadership team and working with John and team to strengthen our businesses together.”
The acquisition of Solenis and merger with Sigura are expected to be completed before the end 2021, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.
The Valence Group of Piper Sandler is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Platinum Equity on the acquisition of Solenis. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher provided legal counsel and Willkie Farr & Gallagher is providing debt financing counsel to Platinum Equity.
