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A Schulman to move European shared service centre to Poland
STRATEGIES
With the addition of Włocławek, the Solvay Silica business unit has a strong global footprint, with nine manufacturing sites close to customers across Europe, South America, North America and in Asia, as well as four R&I laboratories on as many continents. In South Korea, Solvay recently broke ground on a new >80 000 tonnes/year plant [ibid., June 2015] that will also produce Efficium and, once on stream, raise the company’s annual silica capacity by close to 50% between 2014 and 2016. The Silica business, which invented HDS in the 1990s, offers products for a range of applications in personal care, animal nutrition and high-performance membranes, in addition to rubber reinforcement. It had annual sales of €451 million in 2014. For the first quarter of 2015, Solvay posted net sales of €2.64 billion, up 6.4% compared with the same period in 2014. Net income was €158 million for the quarter, up from €106 million a year earlier, and REBITDA rose 12% to €502 million. For the three-month period, the company’s Advanced Materials segment reported a 22% year-on-year rise in sales to €801 million, with the Silica business accounting for 16% of that total with ‘sustained solid demand’. REBITDA at €203 million was up 19% year on year. Its Performance Chemicals segment saw sales rise 5% to €754 million and REBITDA increase 14% to €195 million, while the Functional Polymers segment reported sales of €387 million and REBITDA of €30 million, down 14% and 24% respectively on 1Q 2014 figures. Contact: Solvay SA, Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 2642111, Web: www.solvay.com
A Schulman to move European shared service centre to Poland
M
asterbatch and compound producer A. Schulman, Inc is planning to move its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) shared service centre from Londerzeel in Belgium to Poznan in Poland. Plans call for this phased relocation to be completed by May 2016. The company expects the cost of this action to be approximately €7 million over the next 12 months. The move is expected to generate annual savings of approximately €5 million by fiscal 2017, when fully implemented. The decision to relocate the shared service centre is in line with Schulman’s on-going cost control initiatives and strategy
8
Additives for Polymers
‘to prudently and proactively manage the business’ by better balancing market trends and macroeconomic conditions, explains Heinrich Lingnau, VP and general manager, EMEA. ‘This organizational realignment decision was made after several months of careful consultation and a close examination of all alternatives. This action will enable us to enhance service levels to our customers and improve our cost structure; however, we understand that this decision will impact our teams and we are working diligently to support the transition of associates directly affected by this strategic decision’, he says. Schulman reports that its operations in Poland are ‘strong and growing’. ‘This action will not only benefit the region but will help to further develop our team in the country and leverage our previous success’, comments Isabel Casimiro, finance director, EMEA. The company has also recently appointed Tony Daponte as its first masterbatch R&D director for the Asia Pacific region. In this capacity, he will collaborate with the existing application centres in the region and assist in the development of an R&D facility dedicated to harnessing the technical know-how in the Asia Pacific. Daponte has served as Schulman’s R&D director Masterbatch for the EMEA region since 2001, contributing to the on-going development of ‘innovative products and value-adding properties’. In 2012, he also became the managing director of the company’s facility in Bornem, Belgium. The new appointment is indicative of the company’s commitment to advancing its R&D capabilities and innovation potential in the Asia Pacific region, says Derek Bristow, Schulman’s senior VP and general manager of Asia Pacific. According to Schulman, product innovation is ‘a critical component’ of its organic growth strategy. Through its global R&D centres, the company is able to accelerate the development of customer-centric solutions that address specific needs anywhere in the world, it says. Schulman provides customized masterbatch solutions that serve a diverse range of niche markets, including agriculture, appliances, mobility, building and construction, electrical & electronics, sports, leisure & home, and packaging. Contact: A. Schulman, Inc, Akron, OH, USA. Tel: +1 330 666 3751, Web: www.aschulman.com
Chemours completes spin-off from DuPont
D
uPont has completed the separation of its Performance Chemicals segment through the
August 2015
With the addition of Włocławek, the Solvay Silica business unit has a strong global footprint, with nine manufacturing sites close to customers across Europe, South America, North America and in Asia, as well as four R&I laboratories on as many continents. In South Korea, Solvay recently broke ground on a new >80 000 tonnes/year plant [ibid., June 2015] that will also produce Efficium and, once on stream, raise the company’s annual silica capacity by close to 50% between 2014 and 2016. The Silica business, which invented HDS in the 1990s, offers products for a range of applications in personal care, animal nutrition and high-performance membranes, in addition to rubber reinforcement. It had annual sales of €451 million in 2014. For the first quarter of 2015, Solvay posted net sales of €2.64 billion, up 6.4% compared with the same period in 2014. Net income was €158 million for the quarter, up from €106 million a year earlier, and REBITDA rose 12% to €502 million. For the three-month period, the company’s Advanced Materials segment reported a 22% year-on-year rise in sales to €801 million, with the Silica business accounting for 16% of that total with ‘sustained solid demand’. REBITDA at €203 million was up 19% year on year. Its Performance Chemicals segment saw sales rise 5% to €754 million and REBITDA increase 14% to €195 million, while the Functional Polymers segment reported sales of €387 million and REBITDA of €30 million, down 14% and 24% respectively on 1Q 2014 figures. Contact: Solvay SA, Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 2642111, Web: www.solvay.com
A Schulman to move European shared service centre to Poland
M
asterbatch and compound producer A. Schulman, Inc is planning to move its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) shared service centre from Londerzeel in Belgium to Poznan in Poland. Plans call for this phased relocation to be completed by May 2016. The company expects the cost of this action to be approximately €7 million over the next 12 months. The move is expected to generate annual savings of approximately €5 million by fiscal 2017, when fully implemented. The decision to relocate the shared service centre is in line with Schulman’s on-going cost control initiatives and strategy
8
Additives for Polymers
‘to prudently and proactively manage the business’ by better balancing market trends and macroeconomic conditions, explains Heinrich Lingnau, VP and general manager, EMEA. ‘This organizational realignment decision was made after several months of careful consultation and a close examination of all alternatives. This action will enable us to enhance service levels to our customers and improve our cost structure; however, we understand that this decision will impact our teams and we are working diligently to support the transition of associates directly affected by this strategic decision’, he says. Schulman reports that its operations in Poland are ‘strong and growing’. ‘This action will not only benefit the region but will help to further develop our team in the country and leverage our previous success’, comments Isabel Casimiro, finance director, EMEA. The company has also recently appointed Tony Daponte as its first masterbatch R&D director for the Asia Pacific region. In this capacity, he will collaborate with the existing application centres in the region and assist in the development of an R&D facility dedicated to harnessing the technical know-how in the Asia Pacific. Daponte has served as Schulman’s R&D director Masterbatch for the EMEA region since 2001, contributing to the on-going development of ‘innovative products and value-adding properties’. In 2012, he also became the managing director of the company’s facility in Bornem, Belgium. The new appointment is indicative of the company’s commitment to advancing its R&D capabilities and innovation potential in the Asia Pacific region, says Derek Bristow, Schulman’s senior VP and general manager of Asia Pacific. According to Schulman, product innovation is ‘a critical component’ of its organic growth strategy. Through its global R&D centres, the company is able to accelerate the development of customer-centric solutions that address specific needs anywhere in the world, it says. Schulman provides customized masterbatch solutions that serve a diverse range of niche markets, including agriculture, appliances, mobility, building and construction, electrical & electronics, sports, leisure & home, and packaging. Contact: A. Schulman, Inc, Akron, OH, USA. Tel: +1 330 666 3751, Web: www.aschulman.com
Chemours completes spin-off from DuPont
D
uPont has completed the separation of its Performance Chemicals segment through the
August 2015