Lone Star Funds Announces Agreement to Acquire the Capsules & Health Ingredients Division of Lonza Group AG

DALLAS & NEW YORK & LONDON & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lone Star Funds (“Lone Star”) today announced that an affiliate of Lone Star Fund XII, L.P. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Capsules & Health Ingredients (“CHI”) division of Lonza Group AG. As part of the transaction, Lonza will retain a 40% equity position in the business.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, CHI operates globally across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The business comprises three segments:

• Hard Empty Capsules: leading global manufacturer of gelatin and plant-based capsules offering a broad range of innovative solutions for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical customers.
• Dosage Form Solutions: end-to-end development and manufacturing platform serving nutraceutical and pharmaceutical customers.
• Health Ingredients: provider of branded, science-backed nutrition ingredients serving joint health, energy and active lifestyle markets.

Lone Star believes CHI is a high-quality, globally recognized platform with strong technical capabilities, differentiated product offerings and established customer relationships. As an independent operator, the business will be well positioned to enhance operational focus, invest in innovation and pursue strategic growth initiatives across its core segments. The company also benefits from operating in attractive markets with strong underlying demand growth trends.

“We see significant opportunity for CHI as a standalone business,” said Donald Quintin, Chief Executive Officer of Lone Star. “The company has leading positions, a global footprint and a strong heritage of product quality and innovation. We believe that, as an independent operator, CHI will benefit from greater strategic flexibility and dedicated investment to accelerate growth, enhance operational performance and continue delivering value to customers worldwide. We look forward to partnering with the CHI team and Lonza as we look to drive the company forward together.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals.

About Lone Star

Lone Star is a leading investment firm with its principal office in London, UK advising funds that invest globally in private equity, credit and real estate. Since the establishment of its first fund in 1995, Lone Star has organized 25 private equity funds with aggregate capital commitments totaling approximately $95 billion. For more information regarding Lone Star Funds, go to www.lonestarfunds.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.