Seqens

Private Equity Manager (GP)

Case study

About the company

Seqens is a global chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer. The company is a leading supplier of pain relief ingredients in both the Paracetamol and Aspirin supply chains. Seqens is headquartered in France with production facilities and R&D centres located globally.

Investment rationale

• The company is a vertically integrated producer of critical products and is strongly positioned to benefit from secular tailwinds, such as western reshoring initiatives, which de-risk supply chains, and growth in pharmaceutical supply chain outsourcing.
• In addition, Seqens has historically been an undermanaged asset, and SK Capital Partners (“SK”) has identified significant value creation opportunities.

Our relationship

• Pantheon has been investing in the manager since 2018 through three primary funds. SK is a sector specialist; they are focused exclusively on the pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials industries.

Active management and value creation

• SK has strategically merged Seqens with another of its portfolio companies, Wavelength Pharmaceuticals, which is a complementary active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer. The combination creates a scaled leader in the sector with a global presence and multiple opportunities for synergies.
• The private equity manager believes that significant operational improvements can be made to the business to create value. The company will benefit from SK’s experience in the sector and their ability to reposition the company to drive growth both organically and through M&A.