BYK and ECKART Help Drive ALTANA First-Half Growth
Need to Know
- ALTANA reported first-half sales of €1.675 billion, up 3% nominally and 8% on an operating basis.
- BYK sales increased 5%, or 9% operationally, while ECKART sales rose 8%, or 11% operationally.
- ALTANA maintained its full-year outlook but said geopolitical conflicts could pressure demand and raw-material costs in the second half.
ALTANA reported higher first-half sales and earnings for 2026, with coatings-focused divisions BYK and ECKART posting some of the specialty chemicals group’s strongest operating growth.
Sales reached €1.675 billion in the first six months, an increase of 3% compared with the prior-year period. On an operating basis, adjusted primarily for negative currency effects, sales increased 8%. EBITDA rose 14% to €332 million, and the EBITDA margin increased to 19.8% from 17.9%.
BYK, ALTANA’s largest division and a major supplier of coatings additives, increased sales 5% and operating sales 9%. Effect-pigment supplier ECKART reported an 8% sales increase and 11% operating growth. ACTEGA sales increased 9%, or 10% operationally, while ELANTAS recorded 4% operating growth.
ALTANA said demand increased for higher-value solutions in its portfolio during the first half. The company also reported that customers built inventories above usual levels because of geopolitical uncertainty, a factor that contributed to the period’s sales performance.
The company continued to invest heavily in research and development, spending €109 million during the first six months, equivalent to nearly 7% of sales. ALTANA’s portfolio includes coatings additives, effect pigments, specialty coatings and adhesives, resins and varnishes, as well as testing and measuring instruments.
ALTANA maintained its 2026 outlook for mid-single-digit operating sales growth, adjusted for exchange-rate and acquisition effects, with EBITDA expected to be at least on par with the prior year. The company cautioned that geopolitical uncertainty and armed conflicts are expected to put pressure on demand and raw-material costs during the second half.
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