“Demand for glyoxal and glyoxylic acid is expected to grow over the coming years around the world driven, for example, by the polymer industry and the agrochemical sector,” said Alix Deschamps, managing director of WeylChem Lamotte. “WeylChem is one of just two European players providing these products. Given the ongoing turbulences in global supply chains and the ever-growing demand for highly sustainable precursors, we see excellent opportunities for helping customers grow globally based on a robust, reliable supply chain.”

The project will also reduce the site’s carbon footprint by about 20%. Because of the CO₂ savings, the French state will provide about a quarter of the total investment via its France Relance program, set up to relocate major industrial assets in the country after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the French Agency for Ecological Transition.

In May, WeylChem started operations at a new multi-purpose custom manufacturing plant in Lamotte. The company said its investment of about €7 million significantly enhanced the site’s flexibility and capacity in synthesizing modern, complex and corrosive molecules.

President Uwe Brunk said the group has invested about €24 million over the past two years in upgrading its custom manufacturing capabilities, with a new halogen exchange plant and a new ring chlorination plant starting up in Frankfurt, Germany.

The WeylChem Group of Companies is the fine chemicals platform of the International Chemicals Investors Group (ICIG), providing custom development and manufacturing services for customers in the agrochemical, pharmaceutical and other industries. It operates 11 companies across Europe and the US, employing about 1,700 people and creating an annual turnover of approximately €650 million.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist