Quaker Chemical and Houghton Intl. merge

Quaker Chemical Corp., Conshohocken, Pa., and Houghton Intl., Valley Forge, Pa., companies with a combined 250-year history as providers of process fluids, chemical specialties, and technical expertise to the global primary metals and metalworking industries, have agreed to a merger.

"The proposed combination of Quaker Chemical and Houghton Intl. represents the next phase of our evolution, and stays true to the vision of growing in our core specialties," said Michael F. Barry, chairman and CEO of Quaker Chemical.

Sanjay Hinduja, chairman of Houghton Intl., which is owned by the Hinduja Group through its Gulf Oil business, said, “We are pleased to enter this agreement to unite these two distinguished and global companies. Together we will strengthen our capabilities and business models to better serve the global market and all our stakeholders.”

According to the two parties, combining the two companies will allow the new company to better serve customers in the automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, metals, mining, machinery, marine, offshore, and container industries. The business will have one of the world’s most expansive metalworking platforms comprised of specialty products that include removal fluids, forming fluids, protecting fluids, heat treating fluids, industrial lubricants, and greases.

The transaction is expected to be completed at the end of 2017 or early 2018.