On February 7, BASF announced that it acquired the private company Rolic AG headquartered in Allschwil, Switzerland. Both companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The transaction includes Rolic’s affiliates in Allschwil, Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Shanghai, China. Regulatory approvals are not required.
   Rolic is an innovative high-tech company with worldwide operations. The company’s 110 highly-skilled employees develop and sell ready-to-use formulations and functional film products for the display and  security industry against forgery as well as barrier materials and films.
   Rolic is a market and technology leader in photoalignment materials. Panel makers use Rolic’s technology to meet the needs of end consumers looking for products featuring optimum image quality with high contrast and brilliance, as well as very low energy consumption.
   “We are excited to have the Rolic team join BASF. The acquisition is a further step that reflects BASF’s strategic and long-term commitment to grow in the electronics industry,” said Dr. Markus Kramer, President of BASF’s Dispersions & Pigments division.
   “Our ability to deliver best-in-class technology solutions for next generation electronic devices and our local presence in all major markets are key success factors to respond to customer needs in this fast-moving, innovation-driven industry. We are convinced that bringing Rolic’s strong technology know-how and customer relationships together with BASF’s market reach will create new opportunities for co-developing next generation LCD and OLED displays featuring higher resolution, more brightness and deeper contrast,” said Dr. Lothar Laupichler, Senior Vice President of BASF’s Global Electronic Materials Business.