October 1 2019, David R Brown
Azelis acquires Orkila to become a leading specialty chemical distributor in Africa and the Middle East
Azelis, a leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, has announced it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Orkila, the leading specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor in Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, the Orkila group runs offices in 13 countries and is active in more than 30 countries in the region.
Combining the strength of a leading regional specialty distributor with the strength of Azelis will result in an excellent and unique platform for organic growth
Dr. Hans Joachim Müller
Azelis Chief Executive Officer & President
Founded in 2005, Orkila is active in multiple market segments across the MEA region, including pharmaceuticals, food, agrochemicals, animal nutrition, personal care, paints & construction, oilfield, plastic additives, home care and water treatment. Like Azelis, the company is very focused on promoting specialty service offerings and and has an application lab in Egypt that serves both food and personal care customers. Orkila also offers accredited laboratory testing coupled with the ability to develop and introduce innovative products, create and enhance formulations and assist the clients' pursuit of growth and improved performance.
Dr. Hans Joachim Müller, Azelis Chief Executive Officer & President, commented: “We are very excited that Orkila will become a part of Azelis. They are a well-established company, known in Africa and the Middle East for their high quality expertise and service. We have been impressed by Orkila's committed management, the similarity of our business models and excellent cultural fit. We know that many of our principals are currently looking into strengthening their activities in Africa. ”
Antoine Sacy, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Orkila, added: “After almost 15 years of growing on a stand-alone basis, it is time for us to move into global waters. Joining a well-established global player such as Azelis will enable us not only to continue to deliver high quality products and services that our customers are accustomed to, but also to access new growth opportunities.”
Azelis has been increasingly focusing on Africa and the Middle East and has expanded its footprint in the region in recent years by establishing grassroots operations in Morocco, Ivory Coast and Tunisia.
The transaction is expected to complete in the next four months. To ensure continuity, Audrey Sacy Aris and Christophe Sacy, as well as other senior managers, will continue to run the operations going forward. All Orkila's 220 employees will be joining the Azelis team.
About Azelis
Azelis is a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients present in over 40 countries across the globe with around 2,000 employees. Our knowledgeable teams of industry, market and technical experts are each dedicated to a specific market within Life Sciences and Industrial Chemicals. We offer a lateral value chain of complementary products to about 40,000 customers, creating a turnover of €1.94 billion (2018). In the US we operate under a number of renowned co-brands in the personal care market segment.
Source(s): Azelis Press Release
Further Information
Visit: https://www.azelis.com