Page 136 - CW E-Magazine (28-1-2025)

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INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION

Berger, JSW and Indigo said to be in the race

for Akzo Nobel India

JSW Paints, a group company of 17, the parent’s stake is valued at around in South Asia, it is conducting a strategic
Sajjan Jindal-led diversifi ed conglome- Rs. 13,043-crore. review of its portfolio in order to redeploy
rate JSW Group, and private equity fi rm, capital towards growing its core coatings
TPG, are reported to have held prelimi- Akzo Nobel India is the fourth largest businesses.
nary discussions for a potential tie-up as paint-maker in India, after Asian Paints,
part of the ongoing race to buy the majo- Berger and Kansai Nerolac. The com- As per a recent exchange disclosure,
rity stake held by Dulux paint maker pany commands a market share of Akzo Nobel India will start exploring the
AkzoNobel India’s Dutch parent. 5-7 percent against Asian Paints and potential sale of its powder coatings busi-
Berger which together command close ness as well as the R&D operations to a
Other entities like Indigo Paints, to 70 percent market share in India. separate, indirect wholly-owned arm, as
Pidilite, Berger Paints and Aditya Birla requested by the parent entity.
group are also reportedly interested in Akzo Nobel India has a presence
the proposed transaction, which is being across segments that include decorative The board of Akzo Nobel India also
run by investment bank, Citi. paints, automotive and speciality coat- informed that it has been asked to start
ings, industrial coatings, marine, protec- the process of potential acquisition of
Dutch fi rm AkzoNobel NV holds a tive and powder coatings. It has a well- intellectual properties under the decora-
74.76 percent stake in AkzoNobel India knit distribution network and is said to tive paints business that are currently
and any attempt at purchasing a con- have a better presence in the premium owned by Akzo Nobel NV. Post the pro-
trolling stake will trigger an open offer. paints category. In October 2024, Akzo posed internal restructuring, Akzo Nobel
Based on the market cap of the Indian Nobel NV announced that with an initial India will majorly consist of the decora-
arm at the end of day’s trade on January focus on its decorative paints positions tive paints business.

OTAI award for Prof. Amit Pratap

Prof. Amit Pratap, Professor and
former Head of the Department of
Oils, Oleochemicals and Surfactants
Technology at the Institute of Chemi-
cal Technology (ICT), Mumbai, has
been honoured with the prestigious
Dr. S. Hussain Zaheer Memorial Award
by the Oil Technologists’ Association
of India (OTAI).

The award, which recognises his
outstanding research contributions in
oil chemistry and technology, biolubri-
cants, biosurfactants, and related sub-
jects, was presented during the 79th
Annual Convention of OTAI, held
at CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical
Technology (CSIR-IICT), in Hyderabad, collaborations with government, matic transformation of oleochemicals.
on January 10, 2025. academia, and industry in areas such as His work has resulted in 100+ national
biolubricants, biosurfactants, surfactant and international research publications
Prof. Pratap’s research spans synthesis and applications, and enzy- and several granted patents.

136 Chemical Weekly January 28, 2025

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