Overview
LONDON (April 25, 2016) – International law firm McDermott Will & Emery advised Valtris Specialty Chemicals, a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, on its acquisition of Akcros Holdings, from an independent investor club.
H.I.G. Capital is a global private equity investment firm with $19 billion of equity capital under management. Valtris is a leading manufacturer of specialty chemicals primarily used as additives in the production and processing of polymers, sealants, and chemical intermediates and was carved-out of Ferro Corporation by H.I.G. in December of 2014.
Akcros Chemicals is a provider of specialty chemicals used as additives in the production and processing of polymers, paint, and coatings with operations in both Europe and North America with its two primary manufacturing sites in Eccles, U.K. and New Brunswick, NJ and additional production capability in Mumbai, India and Guangzhou, China.
McDermott represented Valtris on the structuring and execution of the transaction, covering all commercial, tax advisory and financing aspects of the acquisition.
The McDermott team was led by corporate partners Mark Davis and Brooks Gruemmer and included lawyers from the Firm’s corporate, finance, employment, tax and antitrust practices based in London and Chicago, including partners Stephanie McCann (Finance), Kathy Schumacher (Finance), Matthew Herrington (Tax), Tom Young (Tax), Mark Bilut (Environmental), Andrea Hamilton (Antitrust), Emily Knurek (Property), Maureen O’Brien (Benefits), Jennifer Mikulina (IP) and associates Calum Thom (Corporate), Isabel Berger (Corporate), Alex Tanton (Corporate), Paul McGrath (Employment), George Houhanisin (Finance), Kyle McHugh (Finance), Matthew Chen (Corporate).
Mark Davis said, “We have been working with H.I.G. for over a decade, advising on transactions across a wide variety of industries including health care, services, transportation, manufacturing, mining, chemicals, textiles, apparel, telecommunications and software. We are delighted to be able to act on a UK transaction for H.I.G. out of our London office and contribute to yet another successful transaction in their impressive portfolio. This further bolsters our record advising on mid-market buyout transactions out of our London office.”
McDermott’s Transactions Practice Group represents a wide spectrum of business interests around the world, from global corporations and industry-leading companies to privately funded and entrepreneurial driven enterprises, as well as the financial institutions that support them. Acting as strategic partners for our clients, McDermott advises on a full range of corporate needs.
The Firm’s corporate practice in London advises on M&A, capital markets and structured finance, private equity and corporate restructuring transactions providing clients with cross border and multi-jurisdictional transaction management. The team is highly rated by market commentators and clients. It complements McDermott’s US, Chinese, German, French and Italian practices, providing a strong English law capability for the Firm’s work in the international financial markets.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $19 billion of equity capital under management.[1] Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 80 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.
[1] Based on total capital commitments to funds managed by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates.
