1998 – PVS Chemicals acquires plant from Sud Chemie
2008 – Acquisition of PVS Chemicals Germany GmbH, Kelheim by Chemie Kelheim Holding GmbH.  TIB Chemicals Ag www.tib-chemicals.com   and Solvadis GmbH www.solvadis.com are partners in the deal

Sulphuric acid and oleum have been produced at this site since 1938

September 1, 2009 - Since 2007 Solvadis has operated its own production plant for sulphuric acid in various concentrations in Kelheim.  The installation itself has operated successfully for several decades and has a production capacity of approx 110,000 metric tonnes per year.  The combination of regional presence through the installation and the extensive national and international experience of Solvadis in this line of business provide the customer with a high level of added value.  Solvadis taking over 100% of Chemie Kelheim starting 1st of September 2009.

September 7, 1998 - Munich, Germany-based Süd Chemie will sell its sulphuric acid business to PVS Chemicals of the US, in a deal which is scheduled to close on 15 October.  PVS, headquartered at Detroit, US, makes and sells inorganic chemicals and has launched a worldwide expansion drive.  The company said it will continue production at its plant at Kelheim, Germany, and may add new products.

The acquisition of the Kelheim unit, which supplies customers in Bavaria and parts of Austria, will double PVS's European capacity of around 70,000 metric tons per year, including derivatives.  "Our long-term objective is have a number of sulfuric acid plants spread throughout Europe," says Guido Ransbottyn, managing director of PVS's European operation. "We believe we can grow mainly through acquisitions as large chemical companies decide to divest sulfuric acid activities because they no longer consider them to be core businesses."  The company also plans to introduce value-added products into Europe. It is already investing in a facility at Gent to make highly purified sulfuric acid as a cleaning solution for the semiconductor market.  "We have the technology in our plants in the US for value-added products that we will bring over to Europe," says Mr. Ransbottyn. "The Kelheim plant is the only sulfuric acid producer in that part of Germany, which opens up opportunities because of the constraints on transporting the product."   For Sud-Chemie, the deal means its withdrawal from the sulfuric acid sector, in which it has been a producer for several decades.  "We want to concentrate on our core competencies of catalysts, absorbents and additives, and environmental technology," says a Sud-Chemie spokesperson.  The company will retain other units at Kelheim for the production of bentonites, mainly for the cat litter sector, and soil cleaning products, as well as a pilot plant for hydrotalcite.