Shareholders to Receive TWD 56 Per Share in Cash, a 17.28% Premium to July 20 Closing Price

Existing Management Team Will Continue to Lead Company with Support from KKR

Partnership Provides Greater Access to Capital and Operational Resources to Undertake Growth Opportunities in Taiwan and Around the World

TAIPEI, Taiwan–(BUSINESS WIRE)– LCY Chemical Corp. (“LCY” or the “Company”) (TPE: 1704) and global investment firm KKR today announced the signing of a share exchange agreement for a consortium led by KKR to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of LCY for TWD 56 per share in cash, adjusted to include a TWD 2.90 per share dividend (rounded to the nearest TWD 0.01) (ex-dividend offer price is TWD 53.10 per share). The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of LCY upon the recommendation of its Audit Committee comprising independent directors, represents a total market capitalization of approximately TWD 47.8 billion (USD 1.56 billion).

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The offer price represents a premium of 17.28% to LCY’s closing price on 20 July 2018, the last trading day prior to the transaction announcement. It also represents a premium of 19.2%, 23.0% and 24.3% over the 30-day, 90-day and 180-day average closing prices, respectively.¹

Mr. TH Hong, Chairman of LCY, said, “The proposed transaction delivers meaningful and immediate value to our shareholders, while also providing greater access to capital, operational resources and the time horizon needed to execute a strategy to drive long-term, sustainable value creation. KKR is the ideal partner to help us build on our 50-year track record of producing high-quality chemical products for customers worldwide and take LCY to its next level of growth given KKR’s focus on responsible business and operational excellence. KKR’s decision to partner with us is a testament to the innovative and talented team we have built in Taiwan – and around the world – and we look forward to working with them to build an even stronger company.”

Mr. Paul Yang, Member and Head of KKR Greater China, said, “LCY is a global leader in the specialty chemical industry and has earned its place as one of Taiwan’s leading global companies. We believe that KKR’s partnership approach will enable LCY to make the necessary investments in R&D and other growth initiatives to maintain the technological capabilities, capacity and product differentiation needed to further the Company’s leadership position going forward. This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside LCY’s exceptional management and dedicated employees to help the Company take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Founded in 1965, LCY is a producer of specialty chemicals with a concentration on thermoplastic elastomers and performance plastics used in infrastructure, health care, household, automotive, textile and electronic products, among other diverse applications. LCY will maintain its corporate headquarters in Taipei, its existing global distribution and sales networks and its production plants in Taiwan, mainland China and the United States.

KKR is a global investment firm with over 42 years of experience partnering with management teams and helping them to create value as a long-term, patient investor. Following completion of the transaction, KKR intends to work closely with LCY’s existing management team and employees to strengthen the Company’s business platform by exploring expansion opportunities in new and existing international markets as well as penetrating new verticals, with a goal to grow and support employment in Taiwan and overseas. KKR also looks to enhance the Company’s approach to environmental, social and governance management to responsibly and sustainably grow LCY’s corporate value.

Immediately following consummation of the share swap, KKR will hold a majority and controlling interest in LCY. The KKR consortium includes participation by the Company’s current employees and certain members of the Founding Family.

KKR makes its proposed investment from its Asian Fund III. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Upon the completion of the transaction, LCY will become a private company, and its shares will no longer be traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. KKR and its partners are committed to supporting LCY’s global expansion and will evaluate a range of options to support the Company’s strategy, including capital market activities in Taiwan.

Baker & McKenzie is acting as legal advisor to the Company. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Lee & Li are acting as legal advisors to KKR and the consortium. Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. is acting as financial advisor to KKR. Goldman Sachs Bank USA has agreed to underwrite and arrange debt financing to the consortium for the share exchange transaction, subject to certain customary conditions.

About LCY Chemical Corp.

Founded in 1965, LCY CHEMICAL CORP (TWSE:1704) aims at improving the quality of life and has been in petrochemical business for more than 50 years. Product portfolios include methanol, solvents, electronic-grade chemicals, rubbers and performance plastics. For more details, visit LCY CHEMICAL CORP. website: http://www.lcygroup.com/lcy/en/.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic manager partnerships that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements about completing the proposed transaction on the terms and timetable described above, and strategic or other potential benefits of the proposed transaction. Words such as “will,” “believes,” “expects,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Certain factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on such statement. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and KKR and the Company do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, except as required by law.

¹ The figures set out above are based on Bloomberg data as of the last full trading day immediately prior to the date of the announced share swap.

For LCY Chemical Corp.
Charles Wei
+886 2-2763-1611
+886 983-051-488
Charles.wei@lcygroup.com
or
James Kuo
+886 2-2763-1611
+886 900-797-195
James.kuo@lcygroup.com
or
Compass PR (For LCY Chemical Corp.)
June Kuo
+886 936-140-606
june.kuo@compasspr.com.tw
or
Olivia Hsieh
+886 912-429-786
olivia.hsieh@compasspr.com.tw
or
For KKR
KKR Asia
Anita Davis
+852 3602-7335
Anita.Davis@KKR.com
or
KKR Americas
Kristi Huller / Cara Major
+1 212-750-8300
Media@KKR.com
or
Sard Verbinnen & Co. (For KKR Asia)
Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+852 3842-2200
KKR-SVC@sardverb.com

Source: KKR Consortium

EQT granted exclusivity to acquire Azelis, a global distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients

• EQT VIII, with PSP Investments as co-investor, is in exclusive discussions to acquire Azelis, a leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients with a global presence in more than 40 countries

• Azelis provides a diverse range of products and innovative services to more than 43,000 customers and 2,000 principals

• EQT VIII to support Azelis’ continued growth by leveraging EQT’s experience with buy-and-build strategies, digital capabilities and global network of industrial advisors

The EQT VIII fund (“EQT” or “EQT VIII”), in partnership with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (“PSP Investments”) as co-investor, has been granted exclusivity to finalize the discussions to acquire Azelis (“Azelis” or “the company”) from funds advised by Apax Partners.

Azelis was established in 2001 through the merger of Novorchem (Italy) and Arnaud (France). It has since followed an active acquisition strategy to create a leading specialty chemical distribution network in Europe. Today, Azelis supports more than 43,000 customers who benefit from its application
know-how and technical support and have access to a wide product portfolio from more than 2,000 specialty raw materials producers. The company has 1,800 employees and sales of around EUR 1.8 billion.

EQT will support Azelis’ continued development by providing access to both operational and financial resources and by leveraging EQT’s expertise with buy-and-build strategies. In addition, EQT will provide digital capabilities and grant the company access to a global network of industrial advisors. Azelis’ current management team, under the leadership of Dr. Hans-Joachim Müller, will continue to lead the organization.

“Azelis holds a leading position in the attractive specialty chemical distribution space,” said Bert Janssens, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII. “We have been impressed by how Azelis’ management team transformed the business from a predominantly European operator to a leading global platform. EQT looks forward to working with Hans-Joachim and his team on their continued growth journey.”

“We are constantly strengthening our capabilities to serve our key suppliers (“principals”) and our diverse base of customers,” said Dr. Hans-Joachim Müller, CEO of Azelis. “We are grateful for Apax’s support over the past three years and are excited to continue our journey together with EQT.”

EQT draws on comprehensive expertise and competence in business services. Since 1994, EQT has invested in many companies within the services sector. “EQT applies a long-term, responsible and sustainable development approach, relying on a consistent industrial logic,” explained Kristiaan Nieuwenburg, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII. “Azelis will benefit from this growth-focused investment philosophy, as well as our sector expertise.”

“Strong relationships with leading private equity firms are at the core of our investment strategy, and we are excited to partner with EQT for the acquisition of Azelis,” said Simon Marc, ‎Managing Director and Head of Private Equity at PSP Investments. “Azelis is a global leader in an attractive market that has strong consolidation prospects. We are very pleased to back Azelis and its world-class management team in their next stage of growth.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and the necessary consultation with employee representatives being conducted, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value.

Contacts
Bert Janssens, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII, +31 202 62 4001
EQT Press office, +46 8 506 55 334
Verena Garofalo, Advisor, External Communications and Media Relations, PSP Investments, +1 514 218-3795, media@investpsp.ca

About EQT
EQT is a leading investment firm with approximately EUR 50 billion in raised capital across 27 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More information: www.eqtpartners.com

About Azelis
Azelis is a leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients present in over 40 countries across the globe with around 1,800 employees. Our knowledgeable teams of industry, market and technical experts are each dedicated to a specific market within Life Sciences and Industrial Chemicals. We offer a lateral value chain of complementary products to over 40,000 customers, creating a turnover of EUR 1.8 billion. In the US we operate under a number of renowned co-brands that cater to the various markets in the region.

More information: www.azelis.com

About PSP Investments
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) is one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers with USD 153 billion of net assets as of March 31, 2018. It manages a diversified global portfolio composed of investments in public financial markets, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources and private debt. Established in 1999, PSP Investments manages net contributions to the pension funds of the federal Public Service, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force. Headquartered in Ottawa, PSP Investments has its principal business office in Montréal and offices in New York and London. For more information, visit www.investpsp.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

With Ardian’s support, ESIM Chemicals became an independent company and realized significant growth
Frankfurt am Main / Linz, 14 May 2018 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today
announces that it is selling ESIM Chemicals (“ESIM”), a leading Austrian chemical maker to an affiliate
of Sun European Partners LLP (“Sun European Partners”). The two parties have agreed not to reveal
details of the transaction, and completion is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.
Headquartered in Linz, Austria, ESIM is a global provider of high-quality agricultural and crop
protection chemicals, intermediates and maleic anhydride tree chemicals. The company emerged
after Ardian carved-out the two business units: agrochemicals (Exclusive Synthesis, “ES”), and fine
chemicals (Maleic Anhydride Intermediates & Specialties, “IM”) from DPx Holdings B.V. in August 2015
and subsequently led the business to independence.

ESIM’s primary focus is to partner with chemical companies in the custom synthesis of their unique
compounds. The company has over 75-years of experience in transforming breakthrough ideas into
scalable supplies of high-quality fine chemical products and intermediates.
The intermediates and end products synthesized by the company are important materials for a wide
range of industries: ES is among the top three custom manufacturing partners to the global crop
protection industry as well as other end markets such as food, feed and pharma. IM is a leading
supplier of maleicanhydride specialty ingredients that are used in various end markets such as personal care, nutrition,
paints and coatings as well as pharma.

Over the past three years, Ardian has supported the management team led by CEO, Wolfgang
Hillisch; COO, Harald Gruber; and CFO, Bernhard Kienberger in its efforts to combine ES and IM and to
build a fully stand-alone platform with its proprietary research and development, sales and marketing,
finance and controlling, and IT capabilities. As a result of the integration of the two business areas,
significant synergies and strong organic growth were achieved on the basis of existing and new
customer relationships and mutual operational benefits.
ES has considerably expanded its strong position in exclusive synthesis in the area of crop protection
chemistry and at the same time expanded into other markets such as cosmetics and fragrances,
polymers and coatings. IM has broadened its specialty product portfolio and has tapped into adjacent
and new market niches. Investments in business development and R&D have been essential to this
success. Additionally, the company set up its own laboratories and more than doubled the number of
employees in these areas. Overall, the number of employees has increased over 20% since 2015.
Wolfgang Hillisch, CEO of ESIM, said: “After the successful carve-out, ESIM has demonstrated its
leading reputation as an independent provider for fine and agricultural chemistry and has achieved
significant growth over the last three years. Ardian provided significant support and industry expertise
throughout the process and made a major contribution to our success today. At the same time, we
are convinced that we have found an ideal partner in Sun European Partners to support our envisaged
growth track.”

Wolfgang Pietzsch, Managing Director in Ardian’s German Buyout team, added: “The step towards
independence requires courage and perseverance but also offers large opportunities. The
management and employees of ESIM have managed this process incredibly well and have
demonstrated the company’s great potential. We are proud to have contributed to the successful
development of the business and the optimal foundation for further growth.”
Ardian’s Buyout team has extensive experience in the chemical sector resulting from past and current
investments including Eliokem, CABB, Novacap, Italmatch, and DRT.

ABOUT ARDIAN
Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$67bn managed or advised in
Europe, North America and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps
entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global
investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities
fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly
global network, with more than 500 employees working from 13 offices across Europe (Frankfurt,
Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), North America (New York, San
Francisco) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo). It manages funds on behalf of about 700 clients
through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate
and Private Debt.
Follow Ardian on Twitter @Ardian
www.ardian.com

ABOUT ESIM
ESIM Chemicals is a leading global provider of high-quality agricultural and crop protection chemicals,
intermediates and maleic anhydride tree chemicals, focusing on partnering with companies in the
custom synthesis of their unique compounds and offer a portfolio of fine chemical products critical to
multiple industries.
The company is headquartered in Linz (Austria) and has more than 75 years of experience in
transforming innovative ideas into scalable supplies of advanced fine chemical products and
intermediates using state of the art facilities.
www.esim-chemicals.com

ADVISORS TO THE TRANSACTION
M&A: Rothschild
Legal: Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Binder Groesswang
Commercial: Advancy
Financial: Ernst & Young
Tax: Ernst & Young
Environmental: Golder Associates
ESG: Indefi
Operational: ChemAdvice
PRESS CONTACTS
ARDIAN
Headland
Carl Leijonhufvud
cleijonhufvud@headlandconsultancy.com
Tel: +44 020 3805 4827

Cinven has today completed the acquisition of CHRYSO, a global specialty chemicals group for construction materials.

Cinven’s Industrials and French teams identified CHRYSO as a compelling investment opportunity based on the Group’s strong market position in an attractive industry segment; its successful track record of acquiring and integrating businesses; and its excellent innovation capabilities. CHRYSO is well positioned to benefit from the growing infrastructure spends in emerging countries, as well as housing market recovery in Europe and the US.

CHRYSO represents the 4th investment from The Sixth Cinven Fund.