The high-value product range of Clariant’s Business Areas serves multiple industries around the world. With innovative and sustainable solutions, Clariant responds to changing customer and market needs.

In 2019, despite challenging economic conditions and modest demand for industrial applications, Clariant’s sales increased in local currency. Growing demand for environmentally friendly and need-focused products provided business opportunities in all Business Areas.

In order to stay ahead of the competition, Clariant unveiled the »Innovation Excellence & Business Incubator« unit in 2019, emphasizing the company’s commitment to strong innovation management. With a well-filled innovation pipeline, a more digitalized R&D system, enhanced laboratory capacity, strategic partnerships, and close collaboration between the four Technology Platforms and the Business Units, Clariant is well positioned to develop value-adding solutions at unprecedented speed.

Further strengthening commercial and operational capabilities allowed the Business Areas to provide customers with improved value propositions at the best cost-performance ratio. Through cross-functional collaboration, data-driven customer segmentation, and the implementation of new digital tools, Clariant attained a holistic picture of the customer journey and was able to offer tailored solutions, thereby increasing sales effectiveness.

To shorten lead times and systematically match supply with demand, the Business Areas focused on optimizing planning, procurement, production, and delivery. This makes Clariant an agile and reliable supplier that provides a safe and healthy working atmosphere while also protecting the environment.

Business Area Care Chemicals

comprises the Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties (ICS) as well as New Businesses, which encompass Electronic Materials and Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing. These businesses focus on high-margin and low-cyclicality segments. Care Chemicals provides specialty chemicals and application solutions for the consumer care market, industrial applications, base products, food ingredients, and encapsulation technologies. The Business Area follows lifestyle-driven megatrends and strengthens Clariant’s position as a supplier of sustainable products.

Business Area Catalysis

comprises the Business Unit Catalysts and the Business Line Biofuels & Derivatives. It develops, manufactures, and sells a wide range of catalyst products for the chemical and fuel industries, which contribute significantly to value creation in customers’ operations, ensuring finite raw materials and energy are used efficiently. In addition, Catalysis is at the forefront of new market developments for bio-ethanol.

Business Area Natural Resources

comprises the Business Units Oil and Mining Services, Functional Minerals, and Additives. It is characterized by high growth and a strong megatrend orientation. Main drivers are the rising demand for high-value-added specialty chemicals used in the oil, mining, food, and packaging industries and the increased consumption of oil, gas, and base metals, driven by fast-growing economies. Additives provides highly customized solutions for the plastics and coatings as well as for consumer industries serving megatrends such as mobility, digitalization and sustainability.

Discontinued Operations

Since July 2019, the Business Units Pigments and Masterbatches are reported under Discontinued Operations, as they are intended to be sold by the end of 2020. Closely tied to GDP growth, they provide highly diversified end applications to the construction, automotive, electronics, and health care industries. With their innovative applications for biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable plastics, they contribute to the transition to a circular economy.