Russian fluoropolymer producer establishes operations in the U.S.

HaloPolymer Holding, a Russian manufacturer of fluorinated products, has set up operations in the U.S., establishing the first foreign office for the company.

The U.S. headquarters, HaloPolymer Trading, Inc., is located in Houston, TX while its warehouses are in Houston and New York, NY.

HaloPolymer CEO M.V. Doroshkevich told PlasticsToday the opening of the office is a strategic move aimed at expanding its customer base.

Historically, the U.S. market is one of the main fluoroplastic consumers worldwide, processing more than 20% of the total world output, he said.

"Despite significant production capacity in the country, a significant portion of consumption is covered by imports," Doroshkevich said.

For example, according to Doroshkevich, in 2011 the U.S. kept a dominant position in terms of total fluoroplastic imports worldwide and confirmed its position of one of the global market leading net importers.

"Not only the growth of the market and its import sector within the recovery period in 2010, but the positive changes in both values in 2011 are the key factors," he said. "That is why the U.S. is a key dynamic market for us and priority for the company expansion."

HaloPolymer is one of the world largest manufacturers of fluorinated products, primarily fluorinated polymers. The company owns 9% of the world's fluoropolymers market, and it ranks fourth in the world for the production of fluoropolymers.

The main task of the U.S. office is to increase sales of the PTFE grades as well as development of prospective fuse fluoropolymers sales to customers from North and South America, the company said.

"The opening of HaloPolymer representative office in the U.S. will provide advantages for company customers, such as a fixed price at the time of the transaction, no need to carry out customs formalities, and a significant reduction of products delivery time," Doroshkevich said.

He said the U.S. locations were chosen due to their proximity to potential clients. The company's key sectors include chemical and petrochemical, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, construction, and the oil industry.

"The opening of HaloPolymer Trading provides a competitive market presence advantage, which makes it possible to increase sales, build business relationships and to strengthen the presence in the global fluoroplastic market," Doroshkevich said. "The employees of the U.S. representative office will rely on the existing connections and will establish new partnership relations in order to provide the consumers with quality products."

He said the Houston office plans to actively participate in leading exhibitions and conferences in the region.