Stepan Acquires Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business from INVISTA Vlissingen, The Netherlands

At a glance

Chemical company Stepan Company has acquired INVISTA's aromatic polyester polyol business and associated assets, including two manufacturing sites in the US and the Netherlands. The acquisition, which was financed with cash on hand, is expected to enhance Stepan's manufacturing capabilities and support the growth of its global rigid polyol business. Stepan believes that the long-term prospects for rigid polyol use in insulation remain strong, driven by energy conservation efforts and stricter building codes. The company plans to provide more details on the acquisition during its fourth quarter and full year 2020 results conference call on February 18, 2021.

NORTHFIELD, Ill. - Stepan Company (NYSE: SCL) today announced that it has purchased INVISTA's aromatic polyester polyol business and associated assets.  Included in the transaction are two manufacturing sites, one in Wilmington, NC (United States) and the other in Vlissingen (the Netherlands), and intellectual property, customer relationships, inventory and working capital.  The business acquired has global sales of approximately $100 million.  This acquisition was financed with cash on hand and is expected to be accretive to Stepan's EBITDA margins.

"We are excited to add INVISTA's polyester polyol capabilities to Stepan.  This acquisition expands our manufacturing capability in both the United States and Europe, enhances our business continuity capabilities for the market and supports the growth of our global rigid polyol business.  We expect that INVISTA's available spare capacity, plus debottlenecking opportunities in both plants, will allow Stepan to support market growth in a capital efficient way," said F. Quinn Stepan, Jr. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stepan.  "We believe the long-term prospects for rigid polyol use in insulation remain strong as energy conservation efforts and more stringent building codes should continue to drive market growth.  Additionally, we believe the acquired technology will accelerate our product leadership initiatives, drive manufacturing efficiencies and output, and create increased value for the overall market.  We look forward to providing the highest level of service to our new customers and are excited to add the new employees and the two new sites to our global polyester polyol manufacturing network."

Management will provide more perspective on this acquisition as part of Stepan Company's fourth quarter and full year 2020 results conference call on February 18, 2021.