Grace Divests HPLC Column Businesses
According to Grace’s first quarter conference call, the product lines’ sales totaled around $35 million and “will net about $11 million in cash.” “These products did not meet our growth or profitability requirements, and added significant complexity and costs to our operations,” stated Grace President and COO Hudson La Force. The sale affected 125 employees, but Grace told IBO that about 30 employees will be hired by the acquiring firms. These divestments include Grace’s sale of its LC instrument businesses (see IBO 4/15/16).
Columbia, MD 5/24/16—W. R. Grace has exited the majority of its lab LC media and columns businesses, retaining its VYDAC and DAVISIL media for process chromatography, Syloid FP excipients for drug formulations, and custom manufacturing of regulatory starting materials and intermediates. Hichrom will exclusively distribute VYDAC HPLC columns and has also acquired several Grace HPLC column brands (ALLTIMA, ALLSEP, APEX, APOLLO, GENESIS and PREVAIL). German firm Dr. Masich has purchased selected Grace HPLC and preparative HPLC column lines (EXSIL, MODSIL, EXMERE Media and the ALLTEC ADSORBOSPHERE, ALLSPHERE, BRAVA, ECONOSPHERE, GRACESMART, PLANTINUM and VISIONHT), as well as packing equipment. Grace will continue to supply media and media bonding services for these column brands. Singapore-based S’Pure has acquired Grace’s GRACE and ALLTECH SPE cartridge brands (MAXI-CLEAN, EXTRACT-CLEAN and GRACEPURE). Grace will supply SPE media to S’Pure.
