Sudarshan Chemical Industries to acquire aluminium dyes plant from Clariant

Definitive Asset Sale and Transfer Agreement signed for the Muttenz site in Switzerland

Sudarshan Chemical Industries Limited (Sudarshan) has agreed to acquire Clariant Additives’ aluminium dyes and chemicals manufacturing plant in Muttenz, Switzerland. The deal was signed through Sudarshan’s European subsidiary, Sudarshan Switzerland SLO AG, via a definitive Asset Sale and Transfer Agreement.

This agreement shifts Sudarshan's Aluminium Dyes portfolio—including Sanodal, Sanodure, Sanodye, and Anodal—from a long-term supply relationship at the Muttenz plant into direct ownership.

Aluminium Dyes are the colorants used to color anodized aluminium, giving finished surfaces their color and durability in automotive and consumer electronics components, packaging and industrial parts. Sudarshan covers the segment worldwide in cooperation with its trusted regional partners.

The Muttenz facility specializes in producing organic intermediates through highly complex, multistep organic chemistry that very few locations can reliably execute. For decades, the plant has manufactured the Aluminium Dye portfolio for Sandoz, Clariant, and now Sudarshan. Following the transition, the current workforce—including both permanent employees and agency staff—will remain at the site.

The existing supply arrangement with the seller was reaching its conclusion. Rather than transfer a complex, well-established process to another site, Sudarshan chose to acquire the assets directly — securing long-term continuity for the products concerned and building on the capability already in place.

The transaction is structured as a purchase of identified assets, and completion includes the transfer of possession of those assets and related records. Closing remains subject to the fulfilment of customary conditions precedent and is expected on or around 4 January 2027.

“We have depended on this site for years. Now we own it. That means we control the process, the capacity, and we can plan the next generation of these products on our own timetable. For customers in this segment, nothing changes except our ability to commit. This is an important step forward because it gives us better control on the processes and a possibility for future innovations,” said Rajesh Rathi, Chairman and Managing Director, Sudarshan Chemical Industries Limited.

“Muttenz runs multistep organic chemistry that very few plants in the world can run reliably, and that capability sits with the people who operate it. Our priority is to keep both intact. Same processes, same specifications, same standards. We are acquiring a working operation, not a set of assets on paper,” added Dr. Klaus-Dieter Baumgart, Global Chief Technology Officer, Sudarshan Chemical Industries Limited, and Managing Director, Sudarshan Germany Horizons GmbH.

“Transferring these assets to Sudarshan is the right outcome for the Muttenz production facility and its employees. With Sudarshan, we have found a buyer who knows this operation well. Furthermore, the company has great interest in taking on employees and giving them a new home,” said Angela Cackovich, BU President Adsorbents & Additives, Clariant International Ltd.