Within global specialty chemicals and CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) ecosystems, the mandate to optimize return on capital has driven market leaders to systematically prune low-margin chemical intermediate operations in order to reallocate liquidity into advanced bio-solutions and next-generation drug delivery platforms. Aligning its manufacturing infrastructure with targeted long-term growth vectors, Germany-based specialty chemicals titan Evonik concluded a primary asset carve-out within its Health Care business line. The corporation finalized the transfer of selected active ingredient manufacturing complexes, systems, and active industrial licenses to the ProChem Group. Documented across industrial merger and acquisition (M&A) registers as of June 19, 2026, the strategic alignment permits Evonik to concentrate engineering resources onto its high-margin mRNA lipid matrices, while equipping ProChem with a turnkey, regulatory-compliant manufacturing chassis.
Evonik's Resource Allocation: Scaling High-Growth Biosolutions and the REXIM® Consolidation
To drive superior balance sheet efficiencies and sharpen its core areas of expertise, Evonik Health Care is dynamically restructuring its processing footprint. The strategic parameters governing this operational pivot break down as follows:
Strategic Focus Area Reinforcement: Evonik will focus future capital expenditure (CapEx) tracking directly onto advanced oral and injectable drug delivery systems, precision biosolutions such as specialized lipids for mRNA and gene therapies, and high-spec cell-culture ingredients.
Sunsetting Hanau Keto Acid Production: As part of this targeted realignment, Evonik successfully discontinued all keto acid production lines at the Hanau location at the end of 2025. The entire pharmaceutical-grade keto and amino acid lines have been consolidated under the premium global brand REXIM® at Evonik's highly optimized sites in Wuming, China, and Ham, France.
Insulating Advanced Lipid Assets: Conversely, Evonik will maintain full ownership and operational control of its Hanau-based, GMP-compliant advanced pharmaceutical lipid facility. Used in high-growth RNA therapeutics, this infrastructure will continue to process and supply clinical and small-scale commercial quantities for global healthcare clients.
ProChem's Multi-Site Capabilities: Technical Synthesis and Regulatory Scale
By absorbing Evonik’s state-of-the-art processing assets and quality-assured methodologies at the Hanau site, ProChem Group achieves an immediate operational step-change. Well-regarded for its cross-functional competencies in chemical production and deep laboratory testing, ProChem’s newly expanded operational capabilities span key industrial verticals:
Comprehensive Service Spectrum: The incoming partner will leverage the site's turnkey mechanics to scale its advanced services, including chemical synthesis, distillation, extraction, drying, mixing, grinding, sieving, packaging, and high-tier analytical verification.
Cross-Sector Client Capture: Armed with this structural infrastructure, ProChem is positioned to service demanding and heavily audited markets stretching far past core pharmaceuticals, encompassing cosmetics, food additives, and highly specialized chemicals.
C-Suite Alignment: "Engineering Advanced Portfolios for Compliant Markets"
The formalization of the asset transfer brought together senior directors from both organizations to ratify the future layout of the industrial site. The launch event included key representation from Thomas Hermann (Product Line Head of Rexim at Evonik Health Care), Kerstin Oberhaus (Evonik Site Manager Hanau), Jochen Pohl (Managing Director of ProChem GmbH), and Gerhard Jakobi (Managing Partner of the ProChem Group).
Emphasizing the financial and operational ratiocination of the asset realignment, Guido Skudlarek, Head of the Evonik Health Care Business Line, noted:
Refining our focus and aligning our assets enables us to deliver even more strongly in the areas where we create the highest value for our customers.
Validating global market supply security, Thomas Hermann, Head of Evonik’s REXIM® Product Line, added: "With this step we are strengthening our position in these highly attractive markets to offer our customers supply security with a broad portfolio across markets."
Deconstructing the competitive edge locked in via the acquisition, Jörg Blumhoff, Chief Sales Officer at the ProChem Group, concluded:
We are gaining state-of-the-art facilities, quality-assured processes, and an excellent industrial infrastructure at the Hanau site. This enables us to significantly expand our service portfolio and offer our customers even more comprehensive, scalable, and regulatory-compliant solutions in the future.
