On August 28, W. R. Grace & Co. announced a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets from Evonik Industries AG on September 5, 2017, following the close of Evonik’s acquisition of J.M. Huber Corporation’s silicas business. The assets to be acquired by Grace include trademarks and licenses to produce and sell Evonik’s SIDENT® dental precipitated silica product range and J.M. Huber Corporation’s defoamer and anti-caking product ranges, branded in the European Economic Area as Zeofoam™ and Zeoflo®, with worldwide product sales rights. Terms were not disclosed. The transaction will not change Grace’s 2017 outlook as of July 27, 2017.
“Grace has long been a leader in both the supply of dental silicas and the supply of additives to a variety of industries. The precipitated silica products and technologies will enable Grace to deliver more value to our leading global consumer products customers with some of the world’s most recognized toothpaste brands. The defoamer precursors and anti-caking agents are a great addition to our strong silica product portfolio,” said Sandra Wisniewski, President, Grace Materials Technologies.