DKSH buys Pacific area distributor

Zürich-based DKSH has agreed to acquire Axieo, a speciality chemicals distributor headquartered in Australia and with an office in New Zealand. The company said that this would expand the regional footprint of its Performance Materials business unit and take it into the agrochemicals sector there. The deal is expected to close within Q1, subject to certain conditions.

Axieo employs 120 people and has net sales of about CHF 130 million/year, selling to over 2,600 customers in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and general industry sectors. It has two innovation centres for formulation development that it operates with Monash University in Melbourne. These will become part of DKSH’s network of 46 such centres worldwide.