New name on additives scene actually established supplier

When K 2007 visitors come into the materials hall 6 this autumn, they may see an unfamiliar name of a phenolic antioxidants producer that has actually been around since 1985. Songwon (Ulsan, Korea), which has just opened a new European headquarters and customer service center in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, is actually the second oldest manufacturer of the additive after Ciba (Basel, Switzerland). What many may not have realized is that Songwon previously sold its products globally via other companies such as Clariant.

The decision to withdraw from such arrangements and produce and sell product under its own name is a strategic decision, says Maurizio Butti, CEO and president of Songwon International, from the European headquarters. Today the company is the world’s leading producer of phenolic antioxidants in powder and liquid forms with a total output of 55,000 tonnes/yr. In April the company started up a dedicated manufacturing site for the production of phenolic and phosphite antioxidants, which increased the company’s output by 60%. When the market demand outpaces this plant, the company has plans to bring total capacity to 80,000 tonnes/yr, Butti told MPW during the recent Dubai Plast Pro 2007 conference in Dubai, U.A.E.—[email protected]