ALTANA

ALTANA makes specialty chemicals, including additives, coatings and sealants, wire enamels and other compounds. The company also manufactures test and measurement equipment that determine the quality (i.e., color, gloss, and so forth) of paint and plastics. ALTANA operates more than 40 subsidiaries worldwide and gets nearly half of its business from just three countries: China, Germany, and the US. Deputy chairman Suzanne Klatten, through investment vehicle SKion GmbH, had owned slightly more than 50% of ALTANA but spent about $1.2 billion bumping up her ownership to 90% in 2008. The next year, SKion began buying up the rest of the company.