OREANDA-NEWS. BASF has signed a contract to divest its liquid masterbatch business in Clermont de l'Oise, France, to Audia International, a large global supplier of polyolefins and color masterbatches. The transaction is expected to close in mid 2014.

As a leading supplier of color masterbatches, BASF will concentrate on its business with solid and powder masterbatches, produced in Cologne, Germany. For BASF, the liquid masterbatches are a niche business and not part of its future focus.

For Audia, this acquisition of the liquid masterbatch business is very strategic and represents an exciting expansion in technology, markets, and geography, complementing its major entry into the European market over the past seven years. The liquid masterbatch business will be run as part of Audia's subsidiary, Uniform Color Company, a leading global supplier of masterbatches, with facilities in North America and Europe.

The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the agreement.