12 March 2015
ABOUT ALKOXYLATES
Alkoxylates,
used as emulsifiers, detergents and wetting agents,
form the chemical foundation
for a wide range of Solvay Novecare’s specialty surfactants
used in its agrochemicals, coatings, home & personal care,
industrial and oil & gas markets.
DETAILS
has agreed with
Emery Oleochemicals and ERCA Group
to buy their jointly-owned new alkoxylation facility,
ERCA Emery Surfactant B.V.,
in the Moerdijk integrated industrial park
in the Netherlands,
strengthening its strategy of securing sustainable,
large-scale surfactant assets worldwide.
As an on-pipe facility, commissioned in 2014,
it will benefit from competitive and
secure supply of the key raw material ethylene oxide (EO)
via pipeline from the industrial park,
which is located between
the key regional transport and
logistics hubs of Rotterdam and Antwerp, Belgium.
The acquisition comes ahead of
the start-up of two other large-scale on-pipe alkoxylation units
that Solvay’s Novecare Global Business Unit (GBU)
is building
in Singapore and
in the United States,
due in the third quarter.
It is Novecare’s latest investment
to expand its surfactant footprint,
complementing the alkoxylation site
in Italy and
the new surfactant plant in Germany.
The agreement is due to close by mid-April,
pending customary approvals.
Novecare expects to fully integrate the unit into
its industrial network
by the fourth quarter
with production continuing throughout the process.
Emmanuel Butstraen,
President of Solvay’s Novecare GBU
“The acquisition of this state-of-the-art facility
on a strategically located industrial site
will bolster our long-term competitive position in Europe,”
“This on-pipe unit complements Solvay’s regional footprint and
secures our customers access to develop and grow their businesses
in dynamic markets around the world.”
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
