Croda Continues Investment in Latin America
Croda do Brasil, part of Croda International Plc, who create, make and sell speciality chemicals for some of the biggest and most successful brands in the world, are celebrating the opening of their new Innovation and Customer Experience Centre and Speciality Polymer Plant at their manufacturing site in Campinas (São Paulo State), Brazil.
These important investments in the region are part of a continuous improvement plan focusing on product innovation and customer service. Croda do Brasil has seen significant investment since 2013, having opened several facilities including a new distribution centre, which has improved the speed and logistics of distribution by up to 50%; a new reservoir and storage area that offers process automation and improved safety; as well as a new effluent treatment station, which enables 75% of the water used at the Campinas facility to be re-used on site. The new Speciality Polymer Plant and the new Innovation and Customer Experience Centre are the final investments as part of the site’s five year improvement plan.
Speciality Polymer Plant in Campinas
The Speciality Polymer Plant is considered one of the most important recent investments made by Croda do Brasil. The modern facility increases capacity of Croda’s Campinas manufacturing site by more than 20%, allowing the production of a range of polymeric surfactants that can be used across all of Croda’s market segments. “We have already mapped an extensive group of products to be manufactured at this state-of-the-art plant, and manufacture has started with the production of Atlox 4913, a high performance aqueous polymeric dispersant for agrochemical formulation” said Cristian Galucci, Operations Director of Croda Latin America.
Atlox 4913 is a unique product that is sold to a diverse group of agrochemical companies across Latin America. Fernando Vinagre, Crop Care Sales Development Manager in Latin America added “Aligned with our Crop Care global strategy, this investment enables us to be more agile and responsive to our customers, which in turn will ensure sustainable business growth in the region”
Innovation and Customer Experience Centre
In addition to an increase in capacity, recent investments also include a new innovation centre and training facilities to help Croda meet growing customer demand in Brazil and the wider Latin America region. These new facilities will enable Croda to work even more closely with their customers in the region, developing products to meet their specific and unique requirements.
The Innovation and Customer Experience Centre has further enhanced the Personal Care, Health Care, Crop Care and Synthesis laboratory capabilities, with two new analysis laboratories. This investment also expands Croda’s research and development in the region to include their Performance Technologies sector, and its Coatings & Polymers, Polymer Additives, Home Care & Water and Lubricants divisions.
“Our strategy for the next few years focuses on maximizing these strategic investments to ensure we promote sales growth in Brazil and in the wider Latin America region, as well as to strengthen our innovation in South America and increase export to other regions” concludes Marco Carmini, Managing Director in Latin America.