Displaying paraffin’s hidden talents Polwax

DISPLayInG PaRaffIn’S HIDDEn TaLEnTS

Polwax, headquartered in Jaslo, is Poland’s leader in paraffin and paraffin wax production and one of the industry’s major players in Europe. Recently, the company has invested in the world’s most modern slack wax solvent de-oiling plant, as Dariusz Balcerzyk discovers.

This year Polwax celebrates its 5th anniversary; however, the company’s history of paraffin production goes back much further, as it has been active in the industry for 15 years. Polwax was established following the separation of Lotos Parafiny from the Capital Group Lotos SA, which is well-known for its crude oil production, refining and marketing of oil products. The group is Poland’s leader in lubricants. Lotos Parafiny itself was founded in 2004 as a result of the merger of two companies: RCParafiny from Czechowice and Parafiny from Jaslo. It became Poland’s leading producer and distributor of refined and deodorised paraffin, as well as a significant producer of candles and grave lights.

Lotos SA sold its shares in the company in January 2012 and the Krokus Private Equity Fund acquired 64 per cent of Lotos Parafiny while the rest were taken over by the company’s managers and by passive investors; thus, Polwax was created. In 2014, the company made its debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In March 2015, it purchased two laboratories: in Czechowice-Dziedzice and Jaslo. In October 2016, Krokus sold all its shares in Polwax, which resulted in a large dispersion of the shareholders. At the beginning of 2017, the company was awarded the prestigious title of ‘The one who transforms the Polish industry’, awarded by the Nowy Przemysl bimonthly business magazine.

experts in paraffins

Polwax is one of the world’s leading producers and distributors of refined and deodorised paraffin, waxes and speciality industrial paraffins. Its wide range includes products designed for the candle-making industry, products for special applications, products designed to meet food standards, anti-caking agents for fertilisers, pattern waxes, speciality products used in the manufacture of candles, products designed for the manufacture of grave-lights, anticorrosion agents, wood impregnation products and hot-melt adhesives. The company owns an analytical laboratory, which carries out research in the field of oil products, water, wastewater and the working environment. In total, its annual output amounts to about 60–65 thousand tonnes of products and it employs 280 people.

“Thanks to our high-tech processes, high and stable quality of products, flexibility and cooperation with numerous research institutes, our products are appreciated by consumers and are used in various industries such as: fertilisers, investment casting, wood processing, production of varnishes and paints, rubber, paper and packaging, production of construction materials, manufacture of explosives, manufacture of candles and grave lights, and food,” says Dominik Tomczyk, Polwax CEO and president of the management board.

The company’s total sales in 2016 amounted to PLN 294.6 million (more than €70 million). Around 75 to 80 per cent of Polwax’s products are sold on the domestic market, with the remainder sold mainly in the European Union (Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Hungary and UK) and in eastern Europe.

Solvent de-oiling technology

The most important investment the company made this year was in the construction of a new slack wax solvent de-oiling plant (the socalled ‘FUTURE project’). Its total costs are estimated at PLN 160 million (more than €38 million). The installation is being built using ThyssenKrupp UHDE technology, and the German company will also supply eight key devices that have a fundamental impact on the quality of the products installed.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions is proud to serve Polwax S.A. for its new 2-stage slack-wax deoiling plant in Poland

After having performed the basic engineering package and providing the license for the hard-paraffin production facility in CzechowiceDziedzice, Poland, engineering and construction specialist thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has been awarded the second contract for the supply and delivery of key equipment to this project. The Client PolWAX S.A. is one of the largest european producers and distributers of refined and deodorized paraffin, waxes and specialty industrial paraffin compositions. The new plant with an annual capacity of 30,000 metric tons of three individual slack-wax grades will be integrated into the existing production site of PolWAX. The production of hard-paraffin with individual specifications and properties - such as oil-content, melting-point and hardness - from different sources of oil-containing slack-waxes, requires specialist expertise and specific design features, particularly with respect to the design of the crystallization-filtration section and the solvent recovery, which are crucial for proper plant operation and requested hard-paraffin quality. Based on its own process technology for lube oils and wax production, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has built several solvent based dewaxing/deoiling plants, both for lube oil refineries as well as for wax producers in Germany and eastern europe. In addition own thyssenkrupp laboratory facilities are available for pilot testing of individual feedstocks to allow tailored processes to individual needs.

About thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions:

The Industrial Solutions business area at thyssenkrupp is a leading partner for the engineering, construction and service of industrial plants and systems. Based on more than 200 years of experience we supply tailored, turnkey plants and components for customers in the chemical, fertilizer, cement, mining and steel industries. As a system partner to the automotive, aerospace and naval sectors we develop highly specialized solutions to meet the individual requirements of our customers. more than 21,000 employees at around 100 locations form a global network with a technology portfolio that guarantees maximum productivity and cost-efficiency.

“We use the term ‘FUTURE’ to design this project, as we believe that the construction and launch of this installation is the absolute future for our company in the paraffin market,” says Mr Tomczyk.

The plant’s annual capacity is estimated at 30,000 tonnes and this new investment will enable the de-oiling of light, medium and heavy slack wax, thus expanding the company’s range of products offered to include new products addressed to serve a wider group of industrial customers. “Our sales strategy envisages a much larger share of exports than is currently the case today, not only in Europe but also in Asia and America. Polwax will become one of the most modern paraffin manufacturers in Europe or even beyond Europe,” says Mr Tomczyk.

FUTURE is not the only project that is currently being implemented by Polwax. Within the publicly-funded Innolot programme, Polwax has developed a method of obtaining high quality hard moulds for precision casting, resulting in two patent applications. As a part of the

Biostrateg programme, it is creating a consortium for new packaging products using renewable materials and innovative paraffin impregnating agents (EKOPOLPAK).

All for customers

“Building strong relationships with our customers is at the forefront of our strategy. We are listening to what our partners say, then trying to solve their problems, if we can. Thus, products designed specifically for the customer or for the industry are created. On the other hand, we analyse the market and its trends, then take analytical research, create our knowhow, take our solutions to our customers and convince them to use our technology. Both processes are focused on customer relationships. Some of our clients are bigger, others are smaller, but we take them all very seriously, offering them all the same level of technological support and high quality products,” says Mr Tomczyk. n

www.polwax.pl

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