CHICAGO — Glanbia Nutritionals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Glanbia P.L.C., has agreed to acquire Watson Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of custom nutrient premix, bakery ingredient, edible film and material conditioning solutions for the nutrition, food and beverage, personal care and supplement industries. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1939, Watson is a third-generation family business with three facilities in West Haven and Orange, Conn., and Taylorville, Ill. The company specializes in microencapsulation, agglomeration, micronizing, spray drying and film technology.

Glanbia Nutritionals offers proteins, custom nutrient premixes, cheese, bioactives, plant-based nutrition ingredients, flavors and micronutrients in more than 130 countries worldwide. The company operates three innovation centers and employs more than 2,000 in 19 countries.

“The knowledge and experience of the combined R.&D. teams will cement Glanbia’s position as a leader in the sector, with the enhanced ability to create superior premix solutions that address the complex formulation requirements of today’s increasingly sophisticated applications,” Glanbia said.

The acquisition of Watson will extend Glanbia’s custom nutrient premix production footprint coast to coast in the United States, the company said, as the company will now operate facilities in California, Missouri, Illinois and Connecticut. The U.S. presence is supplemented by facilities in Germany and China.

“We are excited to welcome the 300 employees of Watson with their established reputation of expertise, technical capability and commitment to excellence,” said Brian Phelan, chief executive officer of Glanbia Nutritionals. “The customers of both organizations will stand to benefit significantly from the combined capabilities that the two teams now bring together.”