Clariant has strengthened its Asian presence with new regional headquarters for the Southeast Asia and Pacific region in Singapore, new headquarters for global textile chemicals in Singapore, and a new ethoxylation plant and application laboratory in Guangdong, China
Clariant’s new regional hub is the first headquarters to be shared by Clariant and Süd-Chemie. The current 200 employees based at the Singapore location will support customers in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. In the past five years, Clariant’s sales in the Asia Pacific region have grown from 17% to around 22%. At the same time, investment reached over CHF 200 million in China alone. Clariant’s acquisition of Süd-Chemie will add significantly to this growth. Süd-Chemie achieved 31.5% of its sales in Asia and the Middle East in 2010, standing at € 385 million. A third of its employees are located in this region. The Southeast Asia and Pacific regional headquarters will also serve as the headquarters for Clariant’s textile chemicals business unit.
The company has also established its first ethoxylation plant in Asia. The new 80,000 m2 Dayabay plant situated in the Southeast of Guangdong Province is the business unit’s largest plant in Asia Pacific. The plant has an initial capacity close to 50,000 tons per annum for the manufacture of surfactants. Additionally, it is equipped with an autoclave laboratory to allow fast product development and customization of products to local demands. The plant will enhance regional offering for a wide range of industries including crop protection, construction, personal care, industrial and home care. Applications from these industries will help satisfy the rapidly growing demand in China and other Asian markets.