Avantor completes VWR acquisition

Avantor, a minnow in the laboratory supply business with about $700 million in annual sales, has completed its acquisition of VWR, a whale in the industry with $4.5 billion in sales. The combination, valued at $6.5 billion, will benefit from “deeper access to the high-growth biopharma, industrial, and applied research sectors,” says Avantor CEO Michael Stubblefield. The new firm will retain the Avantor name; the VWR name remains as a sales channel. Avantor was created in 2010 by the private equity firm New Mountain Capital through the acquisition of lab chemical maker Mallinckrodt Baker.