Global law firm Dentons has advised Czechoslovak Group (CSG) on the acquisition of the nitrocellulose business, related production facilities and the Walsrode industrial park in Lower Saxony, Germany from the NYSE-listed company International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF). CSG was able to prevail in a bidding process and is expanding in the field of chemicals for the defense industry through the acquisition. The acquisition is still subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
The 1.7-square-kilometer industrial park is located near Walsrode and is home to several companies in the chemical industry and other sectors. As part of the acquisition, CSG is taking over the production of nitrocellulose and the industrial park itself, which, among other things, has its own rail connection and a combined heat and power plant. Under IFF, the company produced nitrocellulose exclusively for industrial purposes, primarily serving customers in the coatings and printing inks sectors. In the future, CSG plans to include and expand existing production capacities to also produce energetic nitrocellulose for the defense industry.
More than 350 people are employed in the parts of the Industrial Park Walsrode acquired by CSG.
CSG is a Czech industrial and defense group based in Prague that was founded in 2014. It employs over 10,000 people. The company has subsidiaries in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, India and Serbia. CSG focuses on the security and defense industries, as well as the automotive, aviation and railway industries.