Freiburg, August 6th, 2014 --- Solvay Acetow has signed a global cooperation agreement with Accsys Technologies PLC to develop Accoya®, a solid, high performance wood, ideal for outdoor use and challenging applications, achieved by acetylation of sustainably sourced timber.
Under the terms of this agreement, Solvay will obtain a non-exclusive option to take up licenses to produce and market Accoya® outside Europe. In addition, Accsys will have an option to invest into all production projects that Solvay may develop.
As part of this agreement, Solvay has finalized its plan for a 63 000 m3 plant in Freiburg, Germany, with start of operations foreseen by mid of 2016.
The final approval of this global cooperation agreement as well the decision on the plant’s construction will be taken by the end of 2014.
Solvay already has an initial 15-year exclusive licensing agreement with Accsys to produce and sell Accoya® in 42 countries belonging to the Council of Europe. Accsys retains its manufacturing and sales rights in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
"This agreement with Accsys is an opportunity for Solvay to build a new product line with great market potential," said Olivier Ferrary, President of Solvay Acetow.
As an international chemical group, SOLVAY assists industries in finding and implementing ever more responsible and value-creating solutions. Solvay generates 90% of its net sales in activities where it is among the world's top three players. It serves many markets, varying from energy and the environment to automotive and aeronautics or electricity and electronics, with one goal: to raise the performance of its clients and improve society's quality of life. The group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 29,400 people in 56 countries and generated 9.9 billion euros in net sales in 2013. Solvay SA is listed as SOLB.BE on NYSE Euronext in Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB:BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR).
SOLVAY ACETOW is a cellulose acetate tow leader in filtration applications for consumer goods as well as in plastic and textile. Acetow is a worldwide producer with five production sites and has almost a century of experience in his core competence acetylation. Its innovation strategy is based on two pillars: improving core business and diversification.
