Clariant thinks global and goes local

Thinks to global level, acts to local level. Under this lemma (Think Global. Go Local, in English), the multinational Clariant of chemical specialitys exposed this year his last developments in masterbatches in the big fair of Expoquimia, that celebrated between the 14 and on 18 November 2011 in the enclosure ferial of Big Via, in Barcelona, and that traditionally receives in parallel the living rooms Equiplast and Eurosurfas.

Clariant Masterbatch Iberian, that forms part of the international group Clariant, manufactures concentrated of colour and additives for thermoplastic, ranges with specific properties for diverse applications. The multinational in his group has 50 plants of production all over the world. The company, established in Spain from does years, employs to more than 650 people, that work in the four plants of manufacture with which explains in our country: in The Prat of Llobregat, Castellbisbal, Tarragona and Sant Andreu of the Boat. In this last produces from 45 years ago all type of masterbatches, that contain “pigments or additives highly concentrated that guarantee chromatic diversity, properties of high value added and solutions to measure”.

“The masterbatches that manufacture go directed mainly to the sector of the container and the packaging, that represents almost 50%, of the production, followed of the goods of consumption (appliances, furniture, articles of menaje...), manufacturers of polymers, automotion, the textile sector or for medical applications”, explains Laura Carrillo, responsible of market for Europe of the segment MRP/Automotive of Clariant Masterbatch Iberian.

Of between the exposed novelties in the fair of this year, stands out Mevopur, masterbatches and composed for medical and pharmaceutical applications that fulfil with strict norms like the ISO 13485 or the ISO 10993, with helps of process and antibacterianos. Another new present development in Expoquimia is the range Renol-compostable, especially contrived for the coloración of biodegradable polymers, a subsector in peak; and the new catalogue Colorforward, that collects the new tendencies of colour for the year that première.

Josep Mª Clavé

The sector of the masterbatch is a relatively young sector that has evolved a lot of in the last years, and has lived from his starts a big level of technical and qualitative improvement.

JMC

His use is now very widespread, but, inevitably, the sector goes in parallel to the market and suffers as they do it other industrial states today. The crisis of 2008 affected us to us and to the market in general, but in 2009 the packaging did reflotar the situation, although I still do not see the fortress that had the sector does some years.

JMC

Now are more active geographically speaking in markets where before were not it.

Laura Carrillo

The company follows a global strategy to strengthen his presence in emergent markets, and concentrate in the areas of business stronger and with more tradition in the company. We try to develop innovations and contribute a value to our products. Also the internal organisation of the company in Europe has adapted to focus to the new segments of market, with specialists of product.

LC

Himself, in many of them have own factories that grow and generate business. Logically, the delegations of each country are adapted to this and to his market, with the standards of quality of Clariant, of course.

JMC

Clariant Follows a line, a program from two years ago, to the that have baptised like Clariant Excellence. This strategy is based in four pillars: attain the excellence in production, in the commercial appearance, in the qualification of the personnel and in the innovation.

The program applies in all the plants to harmonise and optimise the production, improve the presence of the company in the market. The company is investing a lot of resources in the training of the personnel, from the highest levels of management until the operarios of the factories.

JMC

Himself, in these last years of crisis generalised, have centred us basically in reorganising the company and optimise our resources. Now it has arrived the moment to give him a push to the innovation.

LC

The company has not left of innovar from his creation, mainly, in small projects in local fields, but now, besides, go us to centre in big concrete projects that will go in parallel to the general tendencies of the society of our objective markets. We want to work in few projects but that have big importance.

LC

The innovation in Clariant can come by two ways. One of them is the narrow collaboration with our customers: they ask us what require and we investigate and develop a product to measure according to the specific needs. Another can come of the market in general, there where detect that there is a no satisfied need.

LC

To an international signature, for example, can guarantee him the same quality of the product there where purchase it, in any one of our plants. We can transfer the formulas and the systems of production of a factory to another. In fact, we do it constantly with customers and final users of marks like L'Oreal, Coca-Cola or Unilever. If they have a need, we are there. We are capacitados to fulfil the same standards in the local field because our network is global.

Our standards are very demanding: the security of the product and of the people and the quality are maximum.

JMC

Himself, is prioritario. No only we fulfil with the standards regarding legislation, have arrived to renounce to some business that, even respecting the valid rules, did not adjust to our standards.

The final result of an article depends on the form to work of the manufacturer, of the plastic that employ, of the place from which produce it, of the humidity that there is there, amongst other factors. We take into account all they and offer this 'know how' to our customers.

LC

The company offers also a service of value added of high level. We work, for putting an example, with designers in tendencies of colour. For this, have ColorWorks, five centres of design delivered by the world that help precisely in these menesteres. A designer, before launching a product, can support in us regarding fashionable colours, special effects…

JMC

Difficult to answer. It is necessary to use the plastic racionalmente, and think that has done an abusive use. If this type of polymers will be the plastics of the future is difficult to know, but anyway Clariant wants to be here, offering his developments.

Himself, there is some controversy around the biodegradable polymers but, anyway, Clariant is very engaged with the sustainability and, thus, have developed products that allow to our customers the reduction of the footprint of carbon. Definitely, the biodegradable are already a reality, and go to have a significant paper in the future of the plastic, although it result difficult to anticipate his real impact to half term. From our perspective, in Clariant are prepared to give solutions, direct to where direct the market.