Aditya Birla Group-led Birla Carbon, a global supplier of carbon black, has acquired Nanocyl SA, a Belgium-based manufacturer of multi-wall carbon nanotubes.
Birla Carbon did not disclose the financial details of the transaction.
On Wednesday, Birla Carbon announced its recent acquisition to expand its reach in the energy systems market. According to the company, this deal will help it become a leader in a material critical to the performance of lithium-ion batteries and other conductive applications.
“Birla Carbon has been nurturing a number of innovation opportunities in its effort to realize its multi-prong sustainability agenda. The acquisition of Nanocyl is a clear step towards executing its strategy in that direction,” said Santrupt Misra, group director, Birla Carbon, director, chemicals, and director, group H.R., Aditya Birla Group.
Nanocyl was founded in 2002 in Belgium. It is one of the leading manufacturers of industrial multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). Its industrial strategy focuses on the current challenges of the energy, transport, and electronic markets while developing sustainable solutions for the rubber market.
Nanocyl’s CEO Laurent Kosbach said that the company has developed and commercialized MWCNT’s successfully over the past 20 years as an entrepreneurial startup, with the support of its current partners and investors.
“However, with growing needs for our products, the time has come to join a global industry leader in order to maximize the synergies and the potential of these materials across many end uses,” he added.
“Kosbach and his experienced team have been pioneers in the field of carbon nanotubes that provide unique performance characteristics for a wide range of applications, most notably energy systems such as lithium-ion batteries,” said John Loudermilk, president and chief executive officer, Birla Carbon.
With the acquisition, Mumbai-headquartered Birla Carbon will add Nanocyl’s MWCNTs to its existing portfolio of Conductex family of conductive carbon black additives and active anode materials.
Birla Carbon, which is one of the flagship businesses of the Aditya Birla Group, currently operates across 12 countries, with 16 manufacturing facilities and two technology centres in Marietta (US) and Taloja (India).
