Solar SA Investments Proprietary Limited, a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Solar Industries India Limited, has signed definitive agreements to acquire all outstanding shares of South Africa-based Omnia Holdings Limited in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately US$1.355 billion (₹12,951 crore). The proposed acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval from Omnia shareholders. Omnia is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and has a 73-year operating history across the mining, agriculture and chemicals sectors.
Omnia operates in 23 countries and serves customers in more than 40 countries through over 70 distribution centres. Its international operations include markets such as Australia, the United States, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia. For the financial year ended March 31, 2026, Omnia reported revenue of approximately US$1.41 billion (₹13,307 crore) and remained net cash positive.
The transaction is expected to strengthen Solar Group’s position in the global commercial explosives and blasting solutions market. Solar has expanded its presence in Africa over the past three decades and entered the Southern African Development Community region in 2010 with a manufacturing facility in Zambia.
Solar began operations in South Africa in 2015 through a distribution platform and commissioned a manufacturing facility in Middelburg in 2017. In 2024, it further expanded its South African operations through the acquisition of ProBlast, a company specialising in open-cast mining, drilling, blasting and explosives services.
Omnia’s Mining business operates under the BME brand and provides open-cast mining solutions, bulk explosives, electronic detonation systems, digital blasting solutions and mining chemicals. The business has operations across Africa and other international markets.
Omnia’s integrated manufacturing infrastructure is another key element of the proposed transaction. Its Agriculture business operates nitric acid and ammonium nitrate production facilities and has recently added a 5,000-tonne ammonium nitrate storage tank, doubling its storage capacity. Solar said these assets are expected to strengthen vertical integration, improve security of raw material supply, increase operational flexibility and support cost competitiveness across the explosives value chain.
Manish Nuwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Group, said, “Omnia is a business we have long admired for the strength of its Mining and Agriculture businesses, differentiated technologies and brands, and deep customer relationships built over many years.” He added that the transaction would combine Omnia’s manufacturing and blasting capabilities with Solar Group’s expertise in explosives, initiating systems and advanced blasting technologies.
Solar Group, headquartered in Nagpur, manufactures industrial explosives and initiating systems for mining, infrastructure, construction, defence and space applications. The group operates more than 40 integrated manufacturing facilities across 11 countries, employs over 16,500 people and serves customers in more than 90 countries.
