Chase Corporation (NYSE American: CCF), a leading global manufacturer of protective materials for high-reliability applications across diverse market sectors, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NuCera Solutions, (“NuCera” or the “Company”) from SK Capital (a private equity firm headquartered in New York). NuCera is a recognized global leader in the production and development of highly differentiated specialty polymers and polymerization technologies serving demanding applications, offering products critical to enabling end-product functionality, performance and reliability.
NuCera is headquartered in Houston, Texas with its primary production facility based in Barnsdall, Oklahoma and additional international sales offices in France and Singapore. The Company employs approximately 130 people globally. For the trailing 12-month period ended April 30, 2022, the Company recognized an estimated revenue of $83 million with Adjusted EBITDA1 margins exceeding 25%.
NuCera will be acquired for a purchase price of $250 million, pending any working capital adjustments and excluding acquisition-related costs. The purchase will be funded by utilizing Chase’s existing revolving credit facility and available cash on hand. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third calendar quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Chase expects this acquisition to be accretive to earnings within the first year of ownership. Chase will be modestly levered (~1.2x pro-forma net leverage) post acquisition and maintains ongoing financial flexibility.
“The acquisition of NuCera is transformational in advancing Chase’s strategic growth priorities. NuCera is a recognized leader in developing and manufacturing specialty polymers and polymerization technologies that serve demanding applications globally. The Company’s strong market position, North American manufacturing footprint and captive synthesis capabilities will allow us to gain additional scale and expand our presence across multiple new high-growth end markets, while maintaining both a strong balance sheet and financial flexibility. NuCera’s culture and technology driven growth oriented mindset closely align with those of Chase, and we are excited to welcome the NuCera team and their highly differentiated products to Chase Corporation and its customers.”
-Adam P. Chase, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chase Corporation.
Steven McKeown, Chief Executive Officer of NuCera, commented, After a notable period of growth, we are very excited to join the Chase family which offers a strong cultural and strategic alignment to our business. Our portfolio of innovative, high-performance products is well aligned with Chase’s core philosophy of making a material difference. On behalf of everyone at NuCera, we greatly look forward to beginning our journey with the Chase team.
Mario Toukan, Managing Director of SK Capital, commented, It has been a pleasure to support the development and growth of NuCera. SK invested heavily in NuCera’s people, capabilities and facilities, establishing a leading platform of technology-oriented, specialty polymers. We believe NuCera is well-positioned to continue its growth under Chase Corporation’s ownership and we wish them continued success.
The acquisition of NuCera drives Chase’s proven core growth strategy and is an attractive step in the continued transformation of Chase. NuCera will expand Chase’s global reach into new blue-chip customers and attractive high-growth end markets such as personal care, polymer additives, coatings, diversified consumer products and masterbatches. In addition, Chase expects to have meaningful long-term synergy opportunities. Chase will continue to market under NuCera brands and the business will be integrated into Chase’s Adhesives, Sealants and Additives reporting unit.
About NuCera Solutions-
With an 85-year history of innovative chemistry, NuCera is a global leader in the development and manufacture of highly differentiated specialty polymers for markets that require high quality and performance: Adhesives, Coatings, Imaging, Masterbatches, Personal Care, Plastics and other consumer applications. NuCera supplies performance chemistry to global markets from its highly flexible manufacturing facilities in Barnsdall, OK which are supported by R&D and applications laboratories as well as pilot plant facilities.
About Chase Corporation-
Chase Corporation, a global specialty chemicals company that was founded in 1946, is a leading manufacturer of protective materials for high-reliability applications throughout the world.