IMin Partners concentrates its investments in specialty
niches of the industrial minerals and specialty chemical industries.
The segments that are targeted are the ones IMin feels
they have a competitive advantage as a result of their
past operational and professional experience.
The industrial minerals segment includes an array of
natural minerals, excluding those that are energy related
(oil, natural gas, coal, etc.), metals, or forest products.
The domestic industrial minerals industry is estimated
to be worth $31 billion (value of extraction, USGS estimate),
and of this total, the specialty minerals segment is estimated
to be worth $4 to $5 billion domestically. Specialty industrial
minerals are non-commodity resources with a variety of
barriers to entry, such as limited reserves, geographic
positioning, or defendable technology. The demand for
industrial minerals is generally derived from their physical
and/or chemical properties. Due to their varying functionality,
specialty industrial minerals are sold to a variety of
intermediate and end markets.
In the specialty chemical space, IMin uses similar criteria
as in the minerals industry for judging the attractiveness
of market segments. IMin focuses on specialty chemical
sectors that have high-value added products with clear
barriers to entry often as a result of superior research
and development efforts. The focus on companies with unique
product offerings eliminates most companies that operate
in the commodity chemical market. Most of the specialty
chemical segments targeted have end markets that overlap
with companies in IMin's specialty mineral universe. IMin
Partners goal is to leverage its in-depth knowledge of
the minerals industry to gain insight into potential acquisition
opportunities in adjacent specialty chemical markets.
The specialty chemical segments that fit IMin's investment
thesis include paint and plastic coatings, adhesives and
sealants, catalysts, petroleum, and water management chemicals.
The overall specialty chemical industry has a global value
of approximately $100 billion.
