German additives maker Baerlocher has set up a new laboratory in the US to cater to the market and directly offer formulations of customised additive systems. It has also set up a 35,000-tonne/year plant for stearic acids in Brazil to cater to Latin America, while in Turkey it is building a 40,000-tonne/year facility in Akhisar, for both calcium-based and lead stabiliser additive one-packs. The plant will start-up by 2014.

The firm has had a production facility in the US for a quarter of a century now and since 2002, Baerlocher Production USA LLC has been located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm’s focus is on PVC stabilisers and metallic stearates as well as other polymer additives. The laboratory is capable of simulating customer production processes and evaluating critical raw materials, as well as further supporting the switch to sustainable additives, such as Ca-based systems. It will also undertake R&D on new lubricant and stabilisation systems.

Meanwhile, it has had a facility in Brazil since 1973 and in 1995, it set up three production joint ventures – Baerlocher do Brazil, Lestar Quimica in Argentina, and Compania Quimica in Peru. The new fatty acids plant is the third, after Lingen (Lower Saxony, Germany) and Cremona (Italy). It will not only supply fatty acids to the Latin American markets but it will also cater to captive use for the production of PVC stabilisers and metallic stearates.

Said Arne Schulle, CEO, “Baerlocher has a global network of manufacturing organisations in order to meet customer needs in all regions. At all sites, state-of-the-art production technology ensures consistent product quality.”