DKSH : extends partnership with Stepan to Vietnam

Local announcement

DKSH extends partnership with Stepan to Vietnam

DKSH, the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia, and Stepan, a major manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, have extended their partnership to provide home and personal care surfactants in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, April 30, 2018 - DKSH's Business Unit Performance Materials, a leading ingredients and specialty chemicals distributor, has extended its partnership with Stepan to distribute a broad range of home and personal care surfactants throughout Vietnam.

Stepan is one of the world's largest merchant producers of surfactant chemicals, with a range including a full line of anionic, cationic, nonionic and amphoteric surfactants as well as surfactant blends and specialty esters. They also create custom surfactants and formulated blends to meet unique customer demands.

Equally, DKSH is well equipped to provide product enhancement and development thanks to its dedicated innovation center in Ho Chi Minh City. The center supports key clients and customers to develop cutting-edge personal care and cosmetics formulations and will serve as a hub for surfactant technical know-how.

With roots in Vietnam tracing back to 1890, DKSH was chosen for its solid logistics infrastructure and proven experience in providing Market Expansion Services along the entire value chain. DKSH currently provides Market Expansion Services to Stepan in India, Korea and the Philippines.

Cesar Saez, Vice President, Global Personal Care Industry, DKSH, commented: "We are delighted to work with Stepan in Vietnam. Their surfactants are not only performance enhancing, but highly sustainable since they are based on renewable raw materials. We are very pleased to be entrusted with Stepan's innovative range as their surfactants will compliment and strengthen our existing portfolio of diverse personal care ingredients and formulations. Our large customer base in Vietnam will greatly benefit from these excellent products and we are very excited to begin this journey with Stepan."

About Stepan

Stepan Company is a major manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals used in a broad range of industries. Stepan is a leading merchant producer of surfactants, which are the key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning compounds and in agricultural and oilfield solutions. The Company is also a leading supplier of polyurethane polyols used in the expanding thermal insulation market and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers) industries. Headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, Stepan utilizes a network of modern production facilities located in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

About DKSH

DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia. As the term "Market Expansion Services" suggests, DKSH helps other companies and brands to grow their business in new or existing markets. Publicly listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2012, DKSH is a global company headquartered in Zurich. With 825 business locations in 37 countries - 800 of them in Asia - and 31,970 specialized staff, DKSH generated net sales of CHF 11.0 billion in 2017. DKSH was founded in 1865.

With strong Swiss heritage, the company has a long tradition of doing business in and with Asia and is deeply rooted in communities and businesses across Asia Pacific.

DKSH Business Unit Performance Materials is a leading specialty chemicals distributor and provider of Market Expansion Services for performance materials, covering Europe, North America and the whole of Asia. The Business Unit sources, develops, markets and distributes a wide range of specialty chemicals and ingredients for pharmaceutical, personal care, food & beverage as well as various industrial applications. In addition, it creates innovative and cutting-edge concepts and applications in 29 innovation centers located worldwide. With 100 business locations in 31 countries and around 1,010 specialized staff, Business Unit Performance Materials generated net sales of CHF 894.1 million in 2017.

For further information, please contact:

DKSH Performance Materials

Daniel Hollister

Manager, Group Communications, Performance Materials Phone +44 20 8879 5500daniel.hollister@dksh.com

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