Yara completes acquisition of Britains Phosyn

In June 2006 Yara completed the purchase of British-based Phosyn Ltd, a globally-recognized brand in the plant nutrients business. The wholly-owned subsidiary took the name Yara Phosyn Ltd, with Yaras Dr Geoff Paulson as its first Managing Director.

Phosyn was established in 1967 and Hydro Agri France, a Norsk Hydro company, bought a 35 % stake in 1997. In 2006 Yara bought the rest of Phosyn for GBP 12.5 million.

The acquisition confirmed Yara’s commitment to establishing its specialty plant nutrition business, as Phosyn is globally recognized as a leading nutrient manufacturer. Some 90 % of its 2005 turnover was export related and it dominated the British market.

Yara Phosyn maintained its production facilities and headquarters in the northern English town of Pocklington. The total number of employees at the time of the merger was 146.

An ideal fit for Yara
The merger, which followed earlier partnerships with Akzo Nobel and SQM, allowed Yara to offer a complete product portfolio for high value crop segments.

Phosyn has manufactured plant nutrient products for foliar application and seed treatment, provided analytical services to agriculture worldwide, since its establishment in 1967.

Phosyn’s approach to selling micronutrients was based a total plant nutrition concept similar to Yara’s.  It had two self-owned laboratories and operated the Megalab system in cooperation with external laboratories all around the world.