News From Abroad



RECOGNITION
IMCD rewarded for sales growth, business expansion in Asia-Pacific

IMCD Benelux, a distributor of speciality chemicals and foods, has won a top award for outstanding sales growth for the second year in a row. The yearly award, given out by US-based Zeeospheres Ceramics LLC, recognises the IMCD Group’s efforts in promoting Zeeospheres’ products in Europe as well as expand the Asian market for it.

IMCD’s win caps phenomenal sales growth for Zeeospheres’ products in Europe, with double-digit growth year-on-year against 2010. IMCD had record sales for Zeeospheres items in 2009, too.

Zeeospheres, a spin-off from Post-it pioneer 3M, did not have a customer base in Europe and was not familiar enough with the market’s potential when it took over 3M’s commercial activities in Europe. Its product offering were actively promoted by IMCD, which helped in record sales growth in the past few years. Besides the Asia-Pacific market, IMCD also represents Zeeospheres in Europe, Russia, Turkey and South Africa.

CLEANER TECHNOLOGY
AkzoNobel gets Dutch award for novel degreasing technology

AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals has bagged this year’s ‘Responsible Care’ award given away by the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI), in recognition of the company’s ‘sustainable degreasing and dewatering of animal hides’ project.

The hides of slaughtered animals are recycled for use as leather, food and fodder. Water and grease is removed from the hides in an environmentally-unfriendly way. AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals has developed DeMytheLDD-technology based on dimethylether (DME). The advantages of this technology are that after treatment the hides weigh less, while the process itself uses less energy, water and chemicals than traditional degreasing methods. Furthermore, far less wastewater is produced, and the grease obtained using the DME method is worth more.

MILESTONE
Evonik’s Sanford facility achieves landfill-free status

Evonik Cyro’s Sanford, Maine (US), site has achieved a major environmental milestone by becoming a landfill-free site by reusing, recycling and converting to energy all by-products generated from everyday manufacturing operations. Recently, the site implemented a new recycling process and as a result achieved the goal of becoming a landfill-free site.

“Recycling is a great way to preserve our environment and not fill up landfills. This is a remarkable improvement from not only an environmental perspective, but also an economical one benefitting all parties involved. It brings down the cost of doing business while achieving environmental sustainability goals,” said Mr. Steve Jocher, Manager of the site’s Environmental, Safety and Health Department.

FORTHCOMING EVENT
CPhI South America 2012 to be held in Brazil in August

The fifth edition of CPhI South America will take place from 21-23 August 2012 at the Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo, Brazil, informed a press note from events organiser, UBM Live. CPhI South America will be co-located with ICSE South America for outsourcing services and BioPh for companies working in biotechnical solutions. The PTX Expo for industrial powder technology will be making its debut at the show.

According to UBM Live, the 2012 show has attracted more than 250 exhibitors. The events have the support of ABRIFAR (The Brazilian Association of Distributors and Importers of Pharmaceutical Raw Materials), as well as research and information support from market intelligence provider, IMS Health.