Australia’s Ansell Ltd is to acquire 100% of Kimberly-Clark’s Personal Protective Equipment business (KCPPE) for US$640 million. KCPPE is a global personal protective equipment business, designing, marketing and selling differentiated safety products including gloves, protective apparel and safety eyewear.
The acquisition is expected to complete by September 2024, subject to satisfaction of antitrust approval and other customary closing conditions.
Commenting on the acquisition, Managing Director/CEO Neil Salmon said: “With this acquisition we are enhancing our sales of specialist products designed for clean room applications and recorded today under the Life Sciences SBU, while also widening our portfolio of products sold into Scientific verticals which include manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and semi-conductors, and laboratories for academic and industrial research.”
The Kimtech and KleenGuard brands Ansell is acquiring and the experienced KCPPE business team behind them have strong reputations for quality and innovation built over many years of industry leadership, said Salmon.
He added, “These are similar qualities to Ansell, however KCPPE has particular areas of strength across product portfolio, geographic position and sustainability differentiation that will meaningfully enhance Ansell’s overall position in the marketplace and customer differentiation.”
He concluded, “Our existing footprint, in addition to our global organisation and supply chain, creates the opportunity to generate significant synergy value from the acquisition while also enhancing our combined organic growth potential and we are excited about the benefits this will create for Ansell’s customers and shareholders.”
KCPPE products are marketed and sold under two leading brands, Kimtech and KleenGuard. Kimtech branded products, principally gloves and protective apparel, are sold into the attractive global scientific market, where KCPPE is a trusted supplier in the fast-growing cleanroom sub-segment, supported by a technical sales force with strong end user relationships. KleenGuard branded products, including chemical protective clothing and safety eyewear, are sold into a variety of Industrial end markets. KCPPE’s customer base is global, with the majority of sales in North America.