Displaying items by tag: clariant

Lead REACH registrant Clariant is now focusing on Phase Two of REACH legislation following its successful completion of the registration of 152 substances required under Phase One by the November 30, 2010 deadline. Phase Two, which concerns more than 300 chemicals, should be completed by June 1, 2013.

For Phase One, the company held a unique position in leading 81 out of 152 (> 50%) consortia and Substance Information Exchange Forums (SIEFs). The Phase One substances covered finished products, intermediates and raw materials of 8 business units.

Due to the extensive knowledge and expertise of the toxicological, ecotoxicological and physical chemical properties of our substances Clariant took over the lead function for the majority of the respective consortia. Its commitment to Product Stewardship is highly appreciated within the industry, with its REACH registration teams comprising of Product Stewardship specialists, toxicologists, ecotoxicologists, lawyers and IT specialists.

“We are delighted to have completed the task assigned to us,“ comments Hariolf Kottmann, CEO Clariant. “Our achievement in completing Phase One registration inside the deadline required a lot of long, hard work, and an intensive use of resources. Customers have expressed their appreciation for our dedication in supporting their efforts to be REACH compliant when using our materials in their products and formulations.” Complying with REACH is a prerequisite for a company’s ability to operate in Europe. Any substances not registered by the deadlines set for each Phase will not be allowed to be produced, imported or sold, as clearly stated in Article 5 of the REACH Regulation.

Phase Two is concerned with the registration of substances supplied at ≥ 100 t/a by June 1, 2013. Clariant has another several hundreds chemicals that fall under this category.

“We gained considerable experience during Phase One of REACH,” comments Ulrich Kussmaul, Head of Product Stewardship. “However, Clariant will have to meet the challenge to get a higher amount of substances registered in Phase Two. Our Product Stewardship organization teams are ready to go ahead and to meet this challenge both as lead registrant as well as a reliable partner within consortia to complete the task in hand within the deadline.”

Increasing demand has lead speciality chemicals expert Clariant to add polyetheramines to its range of industrial and consumer speciality products. A new reactor in the company’s nitril-amine plant in Gendorf, Germany, has just started production to facilitate the portfolio extension.

Polyetheramines are used in a variety of applications such as agricultural chemical formulations, the preparation of polyurea and modified urethane resins, as intermediates for textile and paper treating chemicals and as epoxy curing agents. Polymeric derivatives can be used as dispersants in paints, concrete, fuels and lubricants. Many of these segments are currently showing significant growth.

Clariant’s initial focus will be on a small but dedicated portfolio closely related to existing customer projects in crop protection and the construction industry. The portfolio is likely to be extended after discussions with customers.

Clariant – Exactly your chemistry
Clariant is a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals. Strong business relationships, commitment to outstanding service and wide-ranging application know-how make Clariant a preferred partner for its customers.

Clariant, which is represented on five continents with over 100 group companies, employs around 17,000 people. Headquartered in Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland, it generated sales of CHF 6.6 billion in 2009. Clariant is organized into ten Business Units: Additives; Detergents & Intermediates; Emulsions; Industrial & Consumer Specialties; Leather Services; Masterbatches; Oil and Mining Services; Paper Specialties; Pigments; and Textile Chemicals.

Clariant is committed to sustainable growth, which is derived from its own innovative strength. Clariant’s world-class products and services play a key role in its customers’ manufacturing processes and add value to their end products. The company’s success is based on the know-how of its people and their ability to identify new customer needs at an early stage and to work together with customers to develop innovative, efficient solutions.

www.clariant.com

Clariant’s new initiative designed to support efforts by its customers in the paper industry to improve the sustainability of their own products and manufacturing processes will provide certified products, expertise and relevant safety data.

Clariant takes a holistic approach focused on the requirements of papermakers and addresses trends in the consumer and supplier markets. The idea of sustainability is one of the key drivers behind the development and improvement of all products, solutions and processes:

• Products: Clariant continuously innovates to make its paper dyes and chemicals more ecologically friendly and higher performing. The dyes and chemicals undergotesting by independent laboratories for external certification and are provenregarding their compliance with international standards.
• Solutions: The services of Clariant’s paper experts help customers to optimize theirmanufacturing operations in order to reduce water and energy consumption,improve machine runnability, minimize waste, and improve cost-effectiveness.
• Processes: In its internal operations and business conduct, Clariant pursues an openand clearly defined environment, health and safety focus. Focused initiatives suchas Energy2010 or AvoidingAccidents@Clariant have shown significantimprovements in energy consumption and workplace safety.
  
  

Clariant offers more than 140 dyes, optical brightening agents (OBAs) and chemicals which are in line with EU Ecolabel “EU Flower” for copying and graphic paper. A similar number of products are compliant with Nordic Swan eco-label requirements certified by ISEGA. Many products have been developed in line with standards and recommendations for food contact applications (FDA and BfR), and with the regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Adherence to safety standards and obtaining supporting certification is of particular importance for the food packaging and hygiene markets; both key focus areas for Clariant. Clariant offers many industry-leading solutions which address the sustainability issues faced by papermakers today, for example:

• Clariant’s liquid sulfur dye range Diresul® P is well known in the market owing to its enhanced ecological profile combined with economic and industrial safety benefits. The very low level of sulfide in Diresul P (less than 0.3%) prevents the danger of undesirable release of hydrogen sulfide during acidification. Waste waters are colorless despite the high coverage and light fastness.
• Leucophor® A, AF and AS liquid disulpho optical brighteners give the papermaker the convenience of a true liquid product without the need to use urea or other solubilizing auxiliaries. Clariant's disulpho liquids can be used in combination with its urea-free hexasulpho liquids such as Leucophor SAC and Leucophor VHR to enable papermakers to reach the highest whiteness levels.
• Dye fixation without the loss of brilliance or affecting the shade is a complex issue. Clariant offers a broad range of products designed to all fixation challenges. For example, Cartafix® SWE is especially designed for achieving brilliant shades and does not contain formaldehyde. This fixative has food contact compliance BfR XXXVI, offers good light fastness properties and ensures colorless process waters.
• Cartabond® MZI and KZI, certified for food packaging products, improve the wet surface strength of coated paper. They display a favorable eco-toxic profile and save time and money by reducing the cleaning needs of offset printing presses.
• The EPA-award winning product Cartaspers® PSM is a nonionic, highly biodegradable, hydrophilic polymer with high affinity for hydrophobic surfaces. It was designed by Clariant for control of "stickies" in the paper-making process. By spraying this FDA-compliant product onto wires, felts and guide rolls it keeps the machine clean and increases speed and output.

The section “Sustainability” on Clariant’s new website (www.paper.clariant.com) will give customers a further reference source regarding this key business priority and provide customers with access to the latest product safety information and news to assist their sustainability approvals and efficiency-improving measures. “We are constantly striving to help our customers meet the challenges of today’s paper market. Sustainability affects the whole sector, from raw material suppliers to the paper end user,” comments Helmut Wagner, Global Head of Business Unit Paper Specialities. “Clariant’s Sustainability Concept is our commitment towards our customers to continuously innovate and improve our products and services. Whether ensuring our own products are high performing, that our processes operate with sustainability in mind, or helping to facilitate customers’ sustainability approvals, the Sustainability Concept focuses Clariant’s efforts to create value in this important area of business.”


Clariant – Exactly your chemistry

Clariant is a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals. Strong business relationships, commitment to outstanding service and wide-ranging application know-how make Clariant a preferred partner for its customers. Clariant, which is represented on five continents with over 100 group companies, employs around 17,300 people. Headquartered in Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland, it generated sales of CHF 6.6 billion in 2009. Clariant is organized into ten Business Units: Additives; Detergents & Intermediates; Emulsions; Industrial & Consumer Specialties; Leather Services; Masterbatches; Oil & Mining Services; Paper Specialties; Pigments; and Textile Chemicals. Clariant is committed to sustainable growth, which is derived from its own innovative strength. Clariant’s worldclass products and services play a key role in its customers’ manufacturing processes and add value to their end products. The company’s success is based on the know-how of its people and their ability to identify new customer needs at an early stage and to work together with customers to develop innovative, efficient solutions.

Diresul, Leucophor, Cartafix, Cartabond and Cartaspers are registered trademarks of Clariant.

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, today announced the final conclusions of its Global Asset Network Optimization (GANO) project which impact eight sites globally. The measures are part of the company's overall 2009/2010 restructuring program and will lead to a reduction of up to 100 positions worldwide. Implementation will be finalized by 2013.

Following a reorganization of the Textile Chemicals Business Unit (BU), the BU headquarters will move from Reinach, Switzerland to Singapore. The move strategically locates the BU management at the center of the world's main textile markets. The Reinach-based application development laboratories for technical textiles and finishing will relocate to Muttenz, Switzerland. Muttenz will also remain the location for the BU's dedicated European sales and marketing operation.

Research & Development staff currently based at Reinach will transfer to Frankfurt, the global hub for Group R&D. This move supports the strategy of creating a 'critical mass' for R&D in Frankfurt, enhancing collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Recognizing the need to be close to key customers, the Paper Specialties BU HQ team will remain in Switzerland, moving from Reinach to Muttenz. Earlier this year the Reinach-based Leather Services BU staff also completed the move to Muttenz. As a consequence, Clariant will consolidate its activities in Switzerland at two locations - Muttenz and Pratteln (Corporate Center), and exit Reinach by 2013.

In France, the relocation of the Clariant French headquarters from Nanterre to Lamotte has been proposed and is being discussed with workers' representatives.

Clariant will also close production sites at McHenry (US), Delta (Canada) and Sefakoy (Turkey) in order to consolidate country production arrangements, thereby reducing costs and management complexity. In Guatemala City (Guatemala) Clariant will amalgamate three sites into a single production, warehousing and office facility. At Roha (India) and Shizuoka (Japan) individual production lines will be closed.

The implementation of these measures will lead to a reduction of up to 100 positions worldwide, of which approximately 70 are in Europe, including 27 in Switzerland. A further 60 Switzerland-based employees will be offered transfers to Germany and Singapore.

The GANO project was established in 2009 to address the structural weaknesses of Clariant's asset base and the long-term overcapacity issues of its production network. Including all transferring and receiving locations, approximately 30 sites are included in the GANO project.