India’s largest pigment maker obtained Germany’s Heubach Group for ₹1,180 crore in October 2024, supplying it a network of 19 facilities across 11 countries, which includes one in US
New Delhi- Sudarshan Chemical Ltd believes it could shield itself from US President Donald Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs due to its 19 production facilities throughout 11 countries, which includes one in America.
The Pune-headquartered enterprise received Germany’s Heubach Group for ₹1,180 crore in October 2024, giving it a network of facilities, which include the one at Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, US.
“This new accession provide us a lot of flexibility and alternatives. If there are tariffs on Mexico, we provide from Europe and India. If there are tariffs on India, we deliver from Europe into the United States market,” stated Rajesh Rathi, managing director at Sudarshan Chemical.
Trump’s choice to impose 25% tariffs on goods made in Mexico and Canada has revived fears of extra taxes on goods exported from India to the USA, particularly on account that Trump has been vital of the country’s tariff administration.
An additional tariff ought to hurt Sudarshan Chemical’s profitability. Last year, 42% of its ₹2,539 crore in sales got here from exporting pigments used to add colour to paints and coatings.
Market enlargement
Heubach Group clocked over €879 million (approximately ₹8,000 crore) in 2023, after which it filed for bankruptcy in April 2024. After completing the buyout, Sudarshan Chemical will join the chemical manufacturers with over $1 billion in annual sales.
Calling the deal “a golden chance”, Rathi stated Sudarshan Chemical can also leverage its production unit in Pennsylvania.
“We can also looking at scaling up that plant. In the first few years, we will be very conservative with cash. But to scale up the plant will not need a cash because it earlier has the capability,” Rathi stated in an interview.
Before the Heubach accession, Sudarshan Chemical catered to global need by its manufacturing units at Roha and Mahad in Maharashtra. Now, the enterprise will have manufacturing facilities in 11 nations, which includes Brazil, Mexico, the USA, and Germany.
With a 35% market proportion in India, Sudarshan Chemical is the largest pigment maker within the domestic marketplace and claims to be the third-largest in the world. It insists with Pidilite Pigments and Meghmani Pigments, among others. Rathi stated that the Heubach acquisition is a closer step to turning into a world chief in the pigment industry.
“We saw this acquisition as a high quality step, driving the enterprise to emerge as the second-largest pigment player globally and anticipated it to be cost cumulative over the medium to long term, because the synergies spread,” wrote by Nitesh Dhoot, Krushna Parekh and Nitin Raheja of Dolat Capital in a note dated 16 October 2024.
Sudarshan Chemical’s revenue grew 18% over a year ahead to ₹666 crore in October to December. Moreover, its profitability fell 96.5% to ₹0.5 crore from ₹14.59 crore. The organization explained that the decline to the one-time charge of the value to earn the German firm and softness in the global and domestic markets.
Sudarshan Chemicals, worth ₹6,796 crore by market capitalization at the end of Friday, has noticed its shares jump 34% so far this fiscal in comparison to a 1% benefit in the 30-share benchmark Sensex.
