BASF has agreed to sell its Illinois manufacturing site of vegetable oil-based raw material sterols and natural vitamin E, anionic surfactants and esters.
The sale to an affiliate of US private equity firm One Rock Capital Partners was expected to close in the first half of this year, subject to approval from relevant competition authorities, BASF said on 17 December.
BASF acquired the Kankakee site and its businesses from Cognis in 2010.
“Based on a recent careful market review it was determined that the site is no longer a strategic fit for BASF,” the company said.
“With this divestment, we are sharpening the profile of our human nutrition business, with focus on creating superior food ingredients and formulations that meet the challenges and needs of continuously evolving lifestyles,” said Dr Melanie Maas-Brunner, president of BASF’s Nutrition & Health division.
BASF said it would continue to produce anionic surfactants for the home care, personal care and industrial formulators industries at its other sites worldwide.
