The acquisition is made in line with HeiQ’s strategy to increase its presence in the bio-based antimicrobial and healthcare surface hygiene market, and to further diversify and innovate its product range and capabilities with a view to becoming a global leader in materials innovation.
LIFE is a materials technology company that has developed a strong portfolio of smart ingredients and formulations with applications in numerous industries. This includes the development and distribution of bio-based antimicrobial additives and treatments used by manufacturers of plastics, coatings, textiles, ceramics and paper, that inhibit or manage bacteria, fungi, algae, and other micro-organisms that come in contact with treated materials. LIFE has the broadest technology platform in the industry, using inorganic, organic and bio-based botanical active substances.
LIFE’s 40+ products strengthen HeiQ’s global product offering and will facilitate HeiQ’s existing technology platforms into new markets, especially masterbatches, plastics and coatings. Leading manufacturers and brands, such as DuPont, American Standard, Igloo Products, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, and Columbia Sportswear use LIFE’s antimicrobial additives. Through LIFE, HeiQ will also have access to hygiene technologies, such as odor absorbent additives, that complement HeiQ’s core antimicrobial technology. With the acquisition, HeiQ will now have additional offices and laboratories in Thailand and Brazil.
HeiQ co-founder and CEO Carlo Centonze said: “Buoyed by this exciting acquisition, our strategy to become a global leader in materials innovation and to grow our healthcare surface hygiene proposition is rapidly gaining momentum. We are delighted to gain exposure to LIFE’s technology platform of complementary, strongly bio-based and highly effective antimicrobial technologies. Our recent partnerships have demonstrated the appetite for our antimicrobials and especially HeiQ Viroblock in industries outside of textiles. The level of sustained interest we have seen from B2B, B2C and B2B2C brands, fills us with confidence that antimicrobial technology is becoming mainstream for all materials that we touch in our daily lives. Therefore, this acquisition, which is led by a talented and entrepreneurial founder, strengthens the gains we have already made in the antimicrobial space.»
Tom E. S. Ellefsen, founder and CEO of LIFE, commented: “We are delighted to bring our expertise in antimicrobial technologies for polymers, coatings and textiles to the HeiQ Group. With the HeiQ Viroblock technology, HeiQ has established a market leading position for antimicrobial textiles, and we at LIFE will help HeiQ extend this market leadership position into polymers, coatings and other materials. Both HeiQ and LIFE are oriented around innovation and technology, and this is why there is such a strong fit between the two companies. We have already identified multiple opportunities to combine and leverage technologies from both companies to fuel future revenue growth.”
