M&As: SK acquires Singaporean recycling firm for US$1 billion; Hexpol to acquire 70% of recycled engineered compounds firm

The construction subsidiary of the South Korean conglomerate SK Group, SK ecoplant, is to acquire 100% acquisition of Singapore-based electronics waste management solution provider TES Envirocorp for around US$1 billion. The deal is expected to close in Q2 of 2022. It will buy the shares in TES Envirocorp from Navis Capital Partners.

TES Envirocorp, headquartered in Singapore, operates 43 facilities in 21 countries. Its main markets are the US, UK, Germany, China and Singapore. It specialises in recycling and disposing electronic components including electric vehicle batteries and data centre equipment. It also extracts precious metals such as cobalt from retired IT equipment for reuse. The company generated US$346 million in revenue last year.

The addition of TES Envirocorp would strengthen sustainable waste management business of SK ecoplant, which rebranded from SK Engineering & Construction last year for green identity.

The electronics recycling market has been expanding rapidly in line with explosive consumption of IT devices. Data centres require regular replacement of parts.

According to a report by the United Nations, electronics waste is projected to jump from 53.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 74.7 million tonnes by 2030. The electronics waste recycling market is forecast to reach US$140 billion) in 2028, said Allied Market Research in a report.

SK ecoplant entered the environmental services market in 2020 by taking over Korea’s leading waste management solution provider EMC Holdings.

Meanwhile in other news, Sweden’s Hexpol has signed an agreement to acquire 70% of the shares in almaak international for around EUR70 million from the existing owners Olaf Eichstädt and Thomas Schmeinta. almaak is a specialist in high quality recycled engineered polymer compounds based in Germany catering to the European automotive industry.

During the last few years, almaak has made significant investments in equipment and technology to secure the company’s continued growth and meet the increased demand for sustainable products, it adds.

almaak’s turnover in 2021 amounted to EUR75 million with a profitability level just below the Hexpol Group. It operates two sites in Germany with some 190 employees. The main end user segment is the European automotive industry where the interest for recycled compounds is high.

Hexpol adds the acquisition is fully in line with its M&A strategy with desired growth in thermoplastic compounding and specialty engineered polymers with high level of recycled materials. Furthermore, the acquisition strengthens its market position in Europe.

The transaction will close after regulatory approval which is estimated to the 2nd quarter of 2022.

(PRA)

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