On the basis of comprehensive expertise in the manufacture
and application of liquid insulating systems, the division is
steadily expanding its activities. It seeks to tap new application
fields and thus growth potential by developing new insulat-
ing materials and applying specific polymerization knowhow.
ACTEGA
The ACTEGA division’s portfolio is tailored to the needs of the
packaging and graphic-arts industries. It produces spe-
cialty coatings, printing inks, adhesives, and sealants used by
customers to achieve functional and visual effects.
ACTEGA is managed by the holding company ACTEGA
GmbH, based in Wesel. Subsidiaries in Germany, France,
Spain, China, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, and Chile manufacture
and sell the division’s products. Its research and deve-
lopment activities are also decentralized, oriented to the competencies
of the individual companies in the relevant
application areas.
Important product groups of the division include water
based coatings and printing inks, as well as sealants and
adhesives used to make packaging materials. A focal point
of its product portfolio is the specific needs of the food industry
with its high quality requirements. In addition, there is
a demand for ACTEGA’s printing inks and overprint varnishes
among customers in the graphic-arts industry. The division’s
largest sales region is Europe, followed by the Americas.
Its most important individual markets are the U.S. and
Germany.
In recent years, the division has concentrated on application
fields and sales regions with above-average growth
potential, making acquisitions in these areas and divestments
in others.
Together with the packaging industry, and in direct
contact with brand manufacturers, ACTEGA develops new
and improved functionalities. Its innovation activities primarily
aim to improve the safety and shelf life of packaged
foods.
In the 2017 fiscal year, the ACTEGA division entered new
fields of business with high growth potential with the acquisition
of innovative technology projects, especially the
acquisition of the metallography technology of the Israeli
company Landa Labs and a technology portfolio of the U.S.
company NuLabel technologies.
Important Influences on Business Development
ALTANA’s different sales markets are influenced by various
short-, medium-, and long-term trends.
Short- and medium-term fluctuations in demand result
mainly from economic developments. The current development
of consumer behavior is not the only factor. Our customers’
expectations regarding the short-term development
of the end markets downstream in the value chain also
have a significant impact on their purchase behavior. This
appraisal largely determines how much storage is reserved
along the value chain.
In addition, actual and expected changes in the prices
of essential raw materials impact the sales situation. When
raw-materials prices continually rise, customers look for
alternative input materials and thus influence overall sales or
the product mix. The same applies to significant changes
in other cost components that have a strong influence on the
price of products. This price sensitivity of the markets is
also reflected in short-term changes in demand, when for example
stronger price fluctuations are expected for significant
raw-materials markets.
The competitive situation in the different product-
specific market segments can have similar effects on customer
behavior. The entry of new manufacturers into a market
or withdrawal of existing manufacturers from a market and
the competitors’ prices can impact demand.
Long-term changes in demand for the Group’s products
and services are brought about on the one hand by global
megatrends and the economic growth of certain regions. On
the other hand, product and technological developments
48 Group Basics