Novasep sells Rohner unit

Novasep has sold Rohner, the fine chemicals operation it acquired with Dynamic Synthesis last year, to Arques Industries, a German company that focuses on acquisitions and turnarounds. Novasep announced its intention to divest Rohner in December, noting at the time that Rohner had not rebounded from the loss of a key customer in 2003 at its Pratteln, Switzerland, facility. Separately, Novasep is launching an early-stage services group to supply active pharmaceutical ingredients at the milligram to kilogram scale. The company says it has dedicated 14 chemists and labs in Le Mans and Lyon, France, to the service.