Ludwigshafen, Germany, May 28--BASF, Bayer and Hoechst today announced that Platinum Equity plans to acquire DyStar, the Frankfurt-based manufacturer of textile dyes. A sales and purchase agreement has been signed with the current owners BASF (30 percent share), Bayer (35 percent share) and Hoechst (35 percent share), a subsidiary of Aventis. According to this agreement, Platinum Equity will acquire 100 percent of the shares of DyStar. All parties have agreed not to disclose further financial details. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.
“We are excited about the opportunity to acquire this business,” said Tom T. Gores, chairman and chief executive officer of Platinum Equity. “DyStar is already a leader in the textile dye industry, with a well-deserved reputation in servicing the textile and fashion industry. We have enormous confidence in its future potential.”
DyStar is the world’s leading provider of dyes and services for the carpet and textile industries. The company was founded by Bayer and Hoechst in 1995 and extended to include BASF’s textile dye activities in 2000. DyStar has approximately 3,900 employees worldwide and is active in all key textile markets through its own subsidiaries. In 2003, DyStar posted sales of around €800 million.
Platinum Equity is a global firm specialized in the merger, acquisition and operation of mission-critical services and solutions companies. Since its founding in 1995, Platinum Equity has acquired more than 40 businesses and built a portfolio of 19 market-leading companies with over 32,000 employees, more than 600,000 customer sites and annual revenues of $5.5 billion. In 2003 Platinum Equity was named the 34th largest private company in the United States.
