This Week in Quality – November 17, 2025

CD&R’s $10.3 billion acquisition of Sealed Air highlights this week’s packaging and materials developments. Johnson & Johnson expands its oncology pipeline with the $3.05 billion Halda Therapeutics purchase, while Celestica introduces ultra-dense AI storage infrastructure.

CD&R Acquires Sealed Air in $10.3 Billion All-Cash Transaction at 41% Premium

Sealed Air Corporation agreed to be acquired by CD&R in an all-cash transaction valued at $10.3 billion, with stockholders receiving $42.15 per share representing a 41% premium to the unaffected stock price as of August 14, 2025. The transaction positions the global food and protective packaging solutions provider for accelerated transformation under private ownership with headquarters remaining in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The deal, expected to close mid-2026 pending stockholder approval and regulatory clearances, includes a 30-day go-shop period allowing Sealed Air to solicit alternative acquisition proposals. Equity financing comes from CD&R-affiliated investment funds while debt financing has been committed by J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, UBS and Wells Fargo. Sealed Air generated $5.4 billion in 2024 sales with approximately 16,400 employees serving customers across 117 countries.

Johnson & Johnson Acquires Halda Therapeutics for $3.05 Billion to Expand Oncology Pipeline

Johnson & Johnson will acquire Halda Therapeutics for $3.05 billion in cash to strengthen its solid tumor and prostate cancer treatment pipeline. The acquisition brings Halda’s proprietary RIPTAC platform for developing oral targeted therapies addressing treatment-resistant cancers, with lead candidate HLD-0915 having received FDA fast track designation for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The transaction follows J&J’s $14.6 billion purchase of Intra-Cellular Therapies earlier in 2025 and supports the company’s target of $50 billion in oncology sales by 2030. Phase I/II data for HLD-0915 demonstrated encouraging anti-tumor activity with 59% of patients achieving PSA50 response. The deal is expected to close within the next few months pending antitrust clearance and will result in $0.15 adjusted EPS dilution in 2026.

Celestica Introduces SD6300 Ultra-Dense 4U JBOD with 108 Drive Bays for AI and Enterprise Storage

Celestica launched the SD6300 ultra-dense 4U JBOD storage expansion system featuring 108 dual-port LFF SAS drive bays with SAS-4 uplink and high-availability architecture for AI infrastructure, hyperscale and traditional enterprise data center deployments. The system’s 1125mm depth, including cable management, enables installation in standard 1200mm racks to maximize floor space utilization.

According to TRENDFOCUS, the SD6300 represents the industry’s highest density and most compact ultra-dense JBOD. The platform includes up to four dedicated SAS-4 SSD bays for enhanced read and write performance and targets AI data ingest and archiving phases alongside data lakes, cold storage, object storage, big data and analytics workloads.

Permag Secures Western Rare Earth Supply Through Solvay and LCM Partnership for 3-5 Years

Permag entered a strategic agreement with Solvay and Less Common Metals to secure a stable European supply of samarium material essential for high-performance magnets and magnetic assemblies over the next three to five years. Solvay will provide mixed rare earth concentrates and separation technologies to produce pure samarium oxides while LCM contributes metallization process expertise.

The partnership addresses supply chain resilience for the North American samarium cobalt magnet producer serving industries requiring precision magnetic solutions. The agreement forms part of Permag’s broader supply chain strategy including ongoing negotiations with upstream suppliers worldwide to ensure uninterrupted product delivery for customers in aerospace, defense and industrial applications.

Saudia Group Selects GE Aerospace GEnx-1B Engines for Boeing 787 Dreamliners

Saudia Group signed a strategic agreement with GE Aerospace to equip the Saudi national flag carrier’s 39 Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft with GEnx-1B engines. The deal includes engine supply, a multi-year maintenance, repair and overhaul program, spare engines and capability-building initiatives delivered through Saudia Technic to localize aerospace expertise in the Kingdom.

The GEnx engine family has accumulated more than 70 million flight hours since its 2011 introduction and powers two-thirds of all 787 aircraft in operation globally. GE Aerospace maintains a 40-year relationship with the Saudi aerospace sector and currently powers Saudi Arabia’s four largest commercial carriers through its operations and joint ventures.