Oleon takes a new step in its growth and doubles the capacity of the isostearic acid and dimer production unit
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Nathalie De Keyser, Marketing & Communication Manager - nathalie.dekeyser@oleon.com
Oleon takes a new step in its growth and doubles the capacity of the isostearic acid and dimer production unit.
As part of a new phase of a global investment plan launched in 2018, Oleon, the European leader in plant chemistry production and a subsidiary of Avril, is taking a new step in expanding its production.
The capacity of its isostearic and dimer acids production unit, based in Ertvelde (Belgium), will double by 2024 to support its growth and competitiveness in industrial markets. The new production unit will process 14,125 tons per year, doubling Oleon's share of the global market.
In 2018, €20 million had been invested in a new production unit for premium quality dimers and isostearic acid to meet the growing demand for many industrial applications, mainly in the lubricants, coatings and cosmetics sectors.
"At the beginning of 2024, Oleon will be able to handle twice the production capacity at the Ertvelde site, thanks to the installation of a new reactor," explains Eddy Feijen, Managing Director Base Oleochemicals. "With this new unit, we continue to ensure the growth of our specialties in both isostearic acids and dimer acids."
ABOUT OLEON
Oleon, a company of the Avril Group, is a European leader in Oleochemistry. Oleon specializes in processing vegetable oils and animal fats into oleochemical products such as fatty acids, glycerin, dimers and esters. These are used as building blocks or ingredients in numerous everyday products such as food, cosmetics, lubricants, soaps, coatings, etc. Oleon, headquartered in Ertvelde (Belgium), has 6 production sites stretching from Belgium, to Germany, France, the US and Malaysia. Avril specialties, of which Oleon is a part, had a turnover of € 941 million in 2021. Oleon employs some 1,000 people worldwide.
About isostearic acids and dimer acids
Isostearic acids are liquid fatty acids of 100% natural and vegetable origin.
They result from a reaction between oleic acid and a natural mineral catalyst.
Heat and odor resistant, easily transformed and with a long shelf life (thanks to its oxidation stability), isostearic acid is particularly suitable for the formulation of cosmetics and lubricants.
Dimer acids are molecules derived from vegetable oils. They are widely used in the composition of coatings: polyamides, polyesters and epoxy resins.
Thanks to their water repellent properties, they offer an interesting protection against corrosion.
They are very flexible and resistant to pressure (even at low temperatures) and allow for a uniform distribution of the pigment during the final application of the coatings.
ABOUT AVRIL
Founded in 1983 as an initiative of the agricultural world to ensure sustainable outlets for French production, Avril is the main industrial and financial player in the vegetable oil and protein sector. It is built upon two complementary businesses that are key to the strength of its model. On the one hand, an industrial business organized around plant processing, from the seed to the processed product. And on the other hand, an investment business, carried out by its subsidiary, Sofiprotéol, through the acquisition of minority holdings in support of companies in the French agricultural and agri-food sectors.
Present in sectors as diversified as consumer food, animal nutrition, and expertise, renewable energies, and green chemistry, Avril relies on a portfolio of well-known brands that are leaders in their fields both in France and abroad: Bunica (Romania), Costa d'Oro (Italy), Lesieur, Oleo100, Oleon, Puget, Sanders, and Taous (Morocco)...
For nearly 40 years, the Group has remained true to its original mission: feeding people and animals, and preserving the planet. In view of the current challenges posed by the climate emergency and the demographic growth that is putting a strain on resources, Avril has chosen to reaffirm its power to act, expressed through its purpose: Serving the Earth. Serving the Earth and the six commitments that support this purpose are a genuine driving force for the men and women of Avril on a daily basis. They reflect the Group's new ambition to become the leader in plant-based solutions for the agricultural, food, and environmental transitions.
In 2021, Avril generated revenue of €6.9 billion. Present in 19 countries, it employs nearly 7,350 people working in 73 industrial sites around the world.
For more information: groupeavril.com | Twitter @Avril_Group | Linkedin Avril