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Evonik's PU additives: unafraid of complexity in chemistry and business: relationships and experience have meaning in dealing with the PU sector, says Burkhart.

Article Excerpt
Evonik Goldschmidt GmbH of Essen, Germany, sees its polyurethane additives business as a complex one, where it can finely tune the performance of its many products to the exact requirements of a market or customer.

Some of Evonik's trademark 'creative chemistry' in polysiloxanes plays a central role here. And importantly, Evonik is "not afraid of this kind of complexity. We have the systems in place to manage it," said Georg Burkhart, head of the polyurethane additives business line.

Another significant factor for Burkhart is that polyurethanes is, "an industry where experience and relationships still have a meaning," he said.

In long-lasting relationships, customers "trust that we have the experience to fix issues ... to supply on time ... to supply high-quality products," Burkhart said.

In this global business, "the strategy is to bring production, marketing, sales and technical support as close to your customers as possible," said Burkhart. This has led Evonik to make its core silicone surfactant products globally, at sites in Germany, the US and China. The Chinese unit, set up in 2003, has become a hub for the PU additives business in Asia Pacific, and production is expanding (see box below right).

According to Burkhart, Evonik aims to offer customers "a one-stop shop, to buy all the additives needed to make foam." Evonik Goldschmidt's products cover silicone and organic surfactants, it has a strong position in metal and amine catalysts, and a major release agents business with Gorapur.

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