Industry Europe – Issue 23.4

Page 92

NATURAL ADVANTAGE Oleon is a global leader in the development and manufacture of base oleochemicals and their derivatives. Philip Yorke talked to Dirk Mertens, the company’s global lubricant business manager about its ambitious global investment programmes and growth in the lubricants market sector.

O

leon was founded in Antwerp in 1835 and was one of the first companies in the world to engage in the chemistry of natural fats on an industrial scale. Early success with the production of candles and soaps led to the company to diversify into the production of edible oils, margarines and vegetable oils. In 1957, PetroFina in association with Ashland (USA) established Oleochim in Ertvelde in Belgium with its head office in Brussels. This enabled PetroFina to branch out from its traditional field of petrochemistry into oleochemistry. However, when PetroFina 90 Industry Europe

finally decided to step out of the oleochemistry side of its business in 2000 the management bought out the company, setting on a path to further diversification and significant global growth. Today Oleon operates two distinct divisions: Base Oleochemicals, which produces such products as fatty acids, glycerine, mono-propylene glycol and technical oils; and Oleochemical Derivatives which manufactures products like esters, speciality chemicals and vegetable oils. The company operates two major production sites in Belgium, one in Nor-

way, one in Germany as well as one in France and another in Malaysia. Oleon is a global leader in its field and employs over 800 people worldwide. In 2011 the Oleon Group recorded sales of more than €700 million.

Innovative, high performance products driving sales Innovation has always been a priority at Oleon and this is underscored by its ongoing investments in its five state-of-the-art R&D sites worldwide. There are two located in Belgium, with one in Germany and


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“We build the future together” OE Industry

4min
pages 245-248

Constant progress Hukla Möbel

4min
pages 242-244

The heart of the home Jøtul

4min
pages 238-241

Specialists in sound ASK

6min
pages 234-237

The evolution of mobility Bombardier

6min
pages 226-229

Putting a gloss on it Athlone Extrusions

5min
pages 222-225

Combined excellence in container services

6min
pages 230-233

Quantity, quality and quickness

6min
pages 218-221

Meeting all refractory needs SANAC

6min
pages 215-217

More than iron ore LKAB

4min
pages 212-214

Global leader in welding and cutting ESAB

5min
pages 195-197

Leading in sensor technology Sensirion

1min
page 194

Extreme precision Bruno Presezzi

5min
pages 198-203

Long-term solutions SHW Werkseugmaschinen

5min
pages 208-211

Unique track record for heavy engineering

4min
pages 204-207

Sensing the difference with amazing skills

6min
pages 186-189

Driving powertrain technology forward

6min
pages 190-193

Strong in steel Vlassenroot

4min
pages 184-185

A one-stop service TransAtlantic

4min
pages 181-183

APL A global partner

4min
pages 176-180

Delivering unique, heavy-haulage technology

5min
pages 166-168

Experience and innovation DEME

4min
pages 169-171

Global leaders in paper products SCA

4min
pages 158-161

Offshore innovation Bourbon

4min
pages 172-175

Double-click for success Unilin

5min
pages 155-157

Driving innovation forward BKT

4min
pages 162-165

Fast-flowing technology Logstor

5min
pages 122-124

Increasing efficiency The Hamon Group

4min
pages 134-137

Growth in wind energy Hydra Tech

4min
pages 138-141

Modern technology for energy Rafako

6min
pages 125-129

Quality and sustainability Valio

6min
pages 146-149

The natural upgrade Agrana

5min
pages 142-145

Imagine the energy Gehrlicher Solar

4min
pages 130-133

Making a marketing masterpiece Absolut

5min
pages 150-154

Solutions for the oil and gas industry

6min
pages 114-118

European power player Alstom Power

4min
pages 119-121

Arctic force of nature Lumene

4min
pages 108-110

Leading by listening Godrej

5min
pages 111-113

Lingerie for the modern woman

5min
pages 104-107

Track record of success OJSC Arnest

4min
pages 100-103

The right chemistry Perstorp

4min
pages 96-99

Natural advantage Oleon

6min
pages 92-95

The Sika spirit Sika

6min
pages 87-91

Family concrete specialist Kronimus

5min
pages 78-81

World class construction machinery Hidromek

5min
pages 70-73

Energy-efficient windows Inwido

4min
pages 74-77

High-class engineering Trimo

4min
pages 82-86

Complete construction solutions Byggma

4min
pages 67-69

Opening up new opportunities for aluminium

5min
pages 64-66

Driving automotive efficiency further Hilite

5min
pages 59-63

Keep it clean Dürr Ecoclean

5min
pages 56-58

Smart suspension parts Frauenthal Automotive

4min
pages 39-43

Specialists in cooling technology Nissens

5min
pages 52-55

Screws and metal components for cars

8min
pages 44-47

Motive power Inci Aku

4min
pages 48-51

Developing tomorrow’s specialised polymer technologies Teknikum

5min
pages 34-38

Partnerships in supply Stima

6min
pages 29-33

Good connections Eisele Pneumatics

5min
pages 26-28

Bill Jamieson End game?

4min
page 6

Winning business New orders and contracts

7min
pages 16-17

Ancient city builds future-proof new

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pages 14-15

Crisis management The money is on niche models

9min
pages 8-10

Linking up Combining strengths

6min
pages 18-19

Moving on Relocations and expansions

3min
page 20

Automotive news The latest from the industry

9min
pages 11-13

Technology spotlight Advances in technology

8min
pages 22-23
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