Azelis Italy enters into friction market segment with the acquisition of CAME

Azelis, a leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Came Chemical Mineral and Engineering S.r.l. ("CAME”) in Italy. CAME is specialized in the distribution of chemicals for friction and sintering applications, CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomeres), and cosmetics. The friction market covers a wide variety of materials used on large scale in several industries, such as automotive, metal fabrication, machinery, and electronics.

Highlights & rationale

• The acquisition of CAME will enable Azelis to expand its field of activities into the friction market and it will strengthen its presence in CASE, personal care and rubber & plastic additives (R&PA).
• The transaction, consistent with Azelis’ corporate strategy of complementing organic growth with strategic acquisitions, is expected to close in the second half of January 2021.

CAME’s employees will all join Azelis, including two of the owners, Mrs. Verena Cepparulo and Mr. Gianni Minetto.

Mrs. Verena Cepparulo, Founder and Managing Director of CAME, said:

“We are very excited about this new chapter in our company history. Joining Azelis will allow us to leverage their global network and high operational standards, and due to very interesting synergies  it will also provide us with access to additional market sectors where we were not present before. We now have an opportunity not only to ensure security and continuity of our business, but to diversify it as well.”

Marco Gerosa, Regional Managing Director of Azelis Italy, commented:

“CAME has an excellent reputation in the market and we are delighted to welcome them to Azelis. The company is known for the high service levels they provide to customers and comprehensive product portfolio in friction. The acquisition of CAME will increase our market presence and overall product offering, and it will generate many cross-selling opportunities. There is an excellent strategic fit that allows us to provide an expanded product offering and customer reach on one side, while making us more attractive to our existing principals on the other.”

Mr. Gianni Minetto, Founder and Sales Manager of CAME, added:

“High-quality technical sales have been at the heart of our business since the formation of the company. This complements well Azelis’ strong focus on technical expertise and innovative solutions to customers. Joint expertise and increased market reach will bring many new prospects in future for both our companies and all our partners.”

Azelis Italy has had a few significant acquisitions in the recent years, such as Ametech in 2016 and Deafarma in 2019. Azelis has a strong focus on application development and innovation and runs more than 60 application laboratories worldwide, serving CASE, personal care and R&PA customers, amongst others.

The acquisition of CAME illustrates the support provided by EQT since the initial acquisition of Azelis. EQT is confident that the expanded range of services and global reach provided by this acquisition will continue to bring benefits to customers and principals of the combined group.