Deals
Clariant Looks Beyond Huntsman's China Offering to Niche Markets
- Local players have Achilles heel in greener technology
- By 2025 China will represent half of specialty chemical market
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Clariant AG’s planned $6.4 billion takeover of Huntsman Corp. will make it a major player in China for commodity polyurethane chemicals, yet the Swiss company is also looking to exploit niche gaps in the market, including additives to allow plastic film recycling.
“Private Chinese companies are growing the fastest as they have the strongest insight into the market needs, but they do have a gap in the technologies they can provide,” Stephan Lynen, head of Clariant’s additives business unit, said in an interview. “That’s where we come into play.”