Rhodia boosts guar production
Chinese acquisition and US investment expand global capacity
Rhodia has announced the acquisition of a new guar derivatives production unit from the Suzhou HiPro Polymers company in Zhangjiagang in China (Jiangsu Province), complementing its existing global guar derivatives manufacturing portfolio with production units located in the US, in France and India. The company says the acquisition will enable it to meet the fast growing demand for guar–based products in Asia, particularly from the personal care market.
Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed and completion is subject to the customary closing conditions, expected to be finalised in the first quarter of this year.
Rhodia says it is also investing in its North American facility in Texas to increase its production capacity of guar derivatives and improve competitiveness. The additional capacity will help meet increasing global customer demand.
“These two investments are completely in line with Rhodia Novecare’s strategy targeting organic as well as external growth,” says Emmanuel Butstraen, president of Rhodia Novecare. “Following the recent acquisition of Feixiang Chemicals in surfactants, it also represents a further step in our drive to develop our presence in China and capture the fast-growing market in Asia-Pacific.”
Rhodia’s guar-based range is sold mainly under the Jaguar trade name and is derived from the vegetable and renewable fibres of guar beans. Natural guar-based products are used in the personal care market to provide hair and skin conditioning benefits in shampoo and cleansing products.
