Bluestar Adisseo Co. announced Dec. 12 the acquisition of Nutriad, a global feed additive producer. This transaction is part of Adisseo's strategy to become one of the worldwide leaders of specialty additives in animal nutrition.

Nutriad, a multinational company headquartered in Dendermonde, Belgium, operates four laboratories and five plants located in Belgium, Spain, the U.K., China and the U.S. The business generates gross sales of about $100 million per year.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

A manufacturer of feed additives for more than 50 years, Nutriad has a solid product range in palatability, mycotoxin management and digestive performance, Adisseo said. In addition to poultry and swine, Nutriad is also present in aquaculture, dairy and beef cattle.

Adisseo said it is convinced that a combination between Nutriad and Adisseo represents a highly attractive opportunity for both companies to build a strong worldwide franchise leveraging on complementary strengths.

Nutriad’s product range, the species addressed and its target markets are highly complementary to Adisseo’s and will allow the combined business to implement integrated solutions and offer even more value to customers, Adisseo noted.

Adisseo chief executive officer Jean-Marc Dublanc said, "Today, we take another major step forward in delivering our strategy, and we are thrilled to welcome the Nutriad team as they join the Adisseo family. ... The acquisition of Nutriad supports our ambition for accelerating growth of our Specialties business in order to address our customers’ needs.

"Together, we will set up an efficient organization, which should allow us to strengthen our global product portfolio’s competitiveness and its overall efficiency," Dublanc added. "We will also mutually benefit from respective strengths and global commercial coverage for product registration, sales, marketing and worldwide distribution network, with combined sales in more than 100 countries.”

Nutriad CEO Erik Visser said, “We are excited to become part of Adisseo because both companies are driven by the same ambition: to deliver the most innovative and practical feed solutions to our customers. We are proud of what we have achieved in recent years, as Nutriad is growing rapidly across species and geographies. By combining our strengths with those of Adisseo, we can jointly accelerate success for our customers.”

Adisseo is a leading global expert in feed additives. The group relies on its seven research centers and its production sites in Europe and China to design, produce and market nutritional solutions for sustainable animal feed. With more than 1,900 employees, it serves around 2,600 customers in more than 100 different countries through its global distribution network.

Adisseo is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in China and is one of the main subsidiaries of China National BlueStar, a leader in China's chemical industry with nearly 25,000 employees and a turnover of 6.4 billion euros.