South Africa’s Imperial disposes German chemicals unit, focuses on core businesses

South Africa’s Imperial Holdings said on Wednesday it would sell its German chemicals unit, Schirm GmbH and related assets, to AECI for 110.5 million euro ($128.15 million) as it focuses on developing its core businesses.

Imperial, which sells imported vehicles and runs a car rental agency in South Africa, has sold off assets, including a short-term insurance business as it aims to make the group less vulnerable to swings in the value of its home market’s volatile rand currency.

Under the deal, its subsidiary Imperial Chemical Logistics GmbH (ICL) will retain the customer warehousing, transportation, and distribution services on sites on which Schirm operates, it said in a statement.

For a period of one year from the closing date of the transaction, Schirm will continue to have an option to acquire four warehouses at the Schirm plant in Schönebeck from ICL for a maximum of 9 million euros ($10.43 million).

“The specialisation and capital requirements of chemical contract manufacturing are not aligned with Imperial Logistics’ capabilities and stated objective of reducing capital intensity,” Imperial said in a
statement.

“Moreover, there are limited operational or financial synergies between chemical contract manufacturing and Imperial Logistics’ other operations.”

Schirm manufactures agrochemicals accounts for around 80 percent of its revenue, and fine chemicals and supplies Bayer, BASF and Syngenta, among others.

The explosives and specialty chemicals firm, AECI, will pay 3.5 million euros to lease warehouse capacity at the Wolfenbuettel site to meet Schirm’s finished goods storage requirements, Imperial said.

The proceeds will be used to reduce short-term debt and to invest in the expansion of the group’s core businesses.