By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : August 20, 2026 2:20 pm
The company reported sales of €1.675 billion, up 3 percent from the same period last year
ALTANA delivered solid sales and profit growth in the first half of 2026, with strong demand in the Americas and continued investment in innovation helping the specialty chemicals group navigate a challenging market environment.
The company reported sales of €1.675 billion, up 3 percent from the same period last year. On an operating basis, excluding the impact of negative currency effects, sales rose 8 percent. Growth was broad-based, with all four divisions and the key regions of the Americas, Europe and Asia contributing.
Profitability also strengthened. EBITDA climbed 14 percent to €332 million, pushing the EBITDA margin to 19.8 percent, compared with 17.9 percent a year earlier.
“In the first half of the year, there was increased demand for the particularly high-quality solutions in our product portfolio,” explains Martin Babilas, CEO of ALTANA AG.
“In addition, many customers built up inventories beyond the usual levels due to the tense geopolitical situation. Our strong sales and earnings performance in the first six months also shows how important our innovative and sustainable solutions are for the competitiveness of our customers’ products across various industries and markets.”
ALTANA continued to lean heavily on research and development as a driver of growth. The company invested €109 million in R&D during the first six months of 2026—nearly 7 percent of sales and well above the industry average.
About one in six ALTANA employees works in R&D. As of June 30, the group employed 8,060 people worldwide, around 290 fewer than a year earlier following the divestiture of smaller business segments.
The company also highlighted its relatively low energy consumption compared with the wider chemicals industry, reducing its exposure to volatile oil, gas and electricity prices. ALTANA said it is continuing to improve energy efficiency and develop products that help its customers cut resource use and emissions.
Its sustainability efforts were recently recognized by EcoVadis, which awarded the group a Gold Medal, placing ALTANA among the top 5 percent of companies assessed worldwide.
ALTANA CFO Stefan Genten pointed to the group's global footprint as another source of resilience.
“We have a global presence exactly where our customers and the most attractive growth markets are, and we are continuously strengthening our decentralized site network through targeted investments. This makes ALTANA less dependent on individual regions, accelerates innovation, and reduces risks across our supply chains, including those arising from tariffs.”
The Americas delivered the strongest regional performance, with sales up 5 percent in nominal terms and 11 percent on an operating basis.
The U.S., ALTANA’s largest single market, was particularly strong. Nominal sales increased 11 percent, while operating growth reached 19 percent, driven primarily by demand for electrical insulation and protective materials from ELANTAS, along with lubricants and granulates from ECKART.
Europe, the group’s largest region by sales, posted 2 percent nominal growth and 7 percent operating growth. Germany recorded a 1 percent nominal increase and 6 percent operating growth.
Asia delivered 2 percent nominal growth and 6 percent operating growth, with India standing out at 17 percent operating growth.
Every ALTANA division posted operating sales growth in the first half.
BYK, the group’s largest division, increased sales 5 percent, with operating growth of 9 percent. ECKART reported an 8 percent sales increase and 11 percent operating growth.
ELANTAS achieved 4 percent operating growth, although nominal sales fell 6 percent because of the divestiture of smaller operations and adverse currency effects.
At ACTEGA, sales increased 9 percent, with operating growth reaching 10 percent.
The first-half results underscore ALTANA’s ability to combine broad-based demand, continued R&D spending and a diversified global footprint to protect growth and margins despite persistent geopolitical and market pressures.