Innovation

Through innovation, investment, research and technology, we can help customers all around the world, on the path to a more sustainable future. Our scientists have invented and developed many of the proprietary technologies that have now become the benchmark for a variety of industries. This is because we continually invest in Research and Development. We focus activities on a business-prioritized basis:

• Anticipating customer requirements
• Identifying and responding to market-influencing developments
• Understanding the opportunities created by advances in technology.

As a business, we continually invest in our infrastructure to ensure we always have the research and technology (R&T) resources and manufacturing capacity to fulfil our customers’ product and service needs. In 2023, we increased our investment in these vital areas, spending US$41.7 million on R&T, a rise of 8% on 2022.

During the year, we were pleased to move into a completely renovated and updated customer technical services center in Newark, US. Work also continued expanding production capacity for our key surfactant products in Salisbury, US. A new pastillation plant was opened in Leuna, Germany, to enhance our wax production line and manufacture new compounds for this expanding market. All these projects are enabling us to work more effectively.