Cognis
| Cognis
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | August 1, 1999 |
| resolution | July 2011 |
| Reason for dissolution | Takeover and integration into the BASF Group |
| Seat | Monheim am Rhein , North Rhine-Westphalia |
| management | Antonio Trius (CEO 2002-2011) |
| Number of employees | 5,572 (December 2009) |
| sales | € 2.584 billion (2009) |
| Branch | chemistry |
Cognis was a global supplier of specialty chemicals and ingredients for food. Cognis was taken over by the chemical company BASF on December 9, 2010 and integrated into the BASF Group in July 2011.
history
The company, which was founded in 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Henkel , was owned by the private equity funds Permira , Goldman Sachs and Schroder Ventures Life Sciences from 2001 to 2010 . Between 2002 and 2011, Antonio Trius was Cognis' Chief Executive Officer.
In order to concentrate more on its core businesses, Cognis sold its subsidiary Pulcra Chemicals to Fashion Chemicals in 2008. In the same year, the company also sold its 50 percent stake in the Cognis Oleochemicals joint venture to PTT Chemical International Private Ltd. , a Singapore-based subsidiary of the Thai PTT Global Chemical .
In 2009 Cognis achieved total sales of around 2.6 billion euros and an operating result (Adjusted EBITDA ) of 364 million euros. In June 2010, BASF reached an agreement with the previous Cognis owners to take over the company, subject to regulatory approval. The purchase for an amount of 3.1 billion euros was approved by the European antitrust authority on November 30, 2010, subject to conditions.
Business areas and products
Most of the raw materials and active ingredients produced by Cognis on a natural basis were intended for various markets. These included the nutrition and health market as well as the cosmetics, detergent and cleaning agent industries. There were also industrial markets such as paints and varnishes, lubricants, agriculture and mining.
The company was divided into three business areas:
Care Chemicals
The Care Chemicals division produced raw materials and additives for the cosmetics, detergent and cleaning agent industries. In 2008 the annual turnover was 1,684 million euros. Market segments were:
- Hair / Body / Oral Care: Hair cleaning, hair treatment, face and body cleaning, oral care
- Skin Care: Face, body and baby care, sun protection, deodorants and antiperspirants, decorative cosmetics, personal care wipes
- Home care: surface cleaning and care, textile care, Skintex technology
- Industrial & Institutional Cleaning: cleaners, textile care
- Silicates: Sodium and potassium silicates based on quartz sand, calcined soda and potash for use in detergents, tires, mineral paints and bleaches for the paper industry
Nutrition & Health
In the Nutrition & Health segment, active ingredients and excipients for the food, nutritional supplement and pharmaceutical industries were developed and produced. In 2008 annual sales amounted to EUR 346 million. Market segments were:
- Food & Beverages: Food emulsifiers, special compounds and functional ingredients from baking additives to additives for ready-made desserts, plant sterols and sterol esters, plant extracts, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 fatty acids, natural vitamin E and natural carotenoids, lutein esters
- Dietary Supplements: Natural nutrients such as vitamin E, mixed tocopherols, natural carotenoids, lutein esters, plant sterols and sterol esters, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids
- Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare: Auxiliaries for the pharmaceutical industry, primarily based on high-purity oleochemical raw materials and derivatives, carriers for drugs, active ingredients and basic chemicals
Functional Products
Functional Products developed environmentally friendly ingredients and formulations, including for coatings and paints, lubricants and crop protection agents. In 2008 annual sales amounted to 948 million euros. Market segments were:
- Coatings: Surfactants, additives, binders and basic chemicals for paints and varnishes, printing inks, adhesives and polymer products
- Lubricants: Complete formulations for hydraulic and gear lubricants for transport vehicles, wind power, aircraft and cooling lubricants as well as additives for fuels and metalworking
- AgroSolutions: additives, green solvents and auxiliaries for crop protection formulations
- Mining & Ion-Transfer Technology: Solutions for metal extraction, metal recovery and recycling as well as removal of heavy metals from waste
sustainability
As a former part of Henkel, Cognis had many years of experience in nature-based chemistry and pursued the principle of sustainability. In its production processes, Cognis uses around 50 percent renewable raw materials in the form of natural oils, fats and plant extracts.
Using a specially developed classification system called “Green Chemical Solutions”, customers of the Cognis Care Chemicals division were able to see how high the proportion of natural, renewable raw materials was in the product on offer.
In 2001, Cognis was the first specialty chemicals manufacturer worldwide to receive ISO matrix certification 9001 (quality) and 14001 (environment). Since 2004, Cognis has been an active member of the international Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which was launched by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Electronic Federal Gazette, July 15, 2010, consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2009
- ↑ Media release from BASF SE dated December 12, 2010: "BASF completes Cognis acquisition"
- ↑ PROCESS: Cognis sells Pulcra Chemicals to a strategic investor. July 14, 2008, accessed November 12, 2010 .
- ↑ chemie.de: Cognis sells its stake in Cognis Oleochemicals to PTT Chemical. July 25, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010 .
- ↑ Handelszeitung: BASF can take over Cognis subject to certain conditions. (No longer available online.) November 30, 2010, archived from the original on December 26, 2010 ; Retrieved November 30, 2010 .
- ↑ a b c Cognis GmbH: Annual Report 2008. (PDF; 2.5 MB) Archived from the original on November 2, 2010 ; Retrieved November 12, 2010 .