Advent and Wilbur-Ellis combine Caldic and Connell

• Caldic is a global provider of specialty ingredients and chemicals for the life sciences and industrial formulation markets
• Connell provides specialty chemicals and ingredients for the life science and industrial sectors
• The new entity will have more than 3,800 employees across 43 countries

Advent International and Wilbur-Ellis announced on Friday the merger of Caldic and Connell, two life sciences and specialty chemicals solutions businesses. The merger will form a global distribution platform with combined sales of around €3 billion. The new entity will have a presence in two regions that Advent said are experiencing high growth: Asia-Pacific with Connell and in Latin America with Caldic-GTM.

Rotterdam-headquartered Caldic is a global provider of speciality ingredients and chemicals for life sciences and industrial formulation markets. Caldic merged with Grupo Transmerquim (GTM), an Advent portfolio company, in March.

San Francisco-headquartered Connell provides specialty chemicals and ingredients for life science and industrial segments.

The new entity will have more than 3,800 employees across 43 countries.

“By bringing together the highly complementary businesses of Caldic and Connell, we will form a truly global business with significant exposure to high-growth regions and very diversified end markets with a high value-add offering,” said Ronald Ayles, managing partner at Advent.

Advent, headquartered in Boston, was founded in 1984 and has $96 billion in assets under management. It has invested over $66 billion in over 395 businesses since its inception.

Wilbur-Ellis, headquartered in San Francisco, is an international marketer, distributor and manufacturer of agricultural products, animal nutrients and specialty chemicals and ingredients.