Evonik Industries has announced an expansion of its specialty silica capacities in Ako, Japan through a holding in DSL Japan Co. Ltd. (DSL).
Evonik holds 51 per cent of shares in DSL, a joint venture with the Japanese Shionogi & Co. Ltd. The expansion is scheduled to become operational in 2015. Silicas of particularly high quality are used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, for example in toothpastes or in beer filtration.
“This capacity expansion in Japan will continue to strengthen the specialty character of our silica business. We are a leading global provider of highly developed inorganic materials for resource efficient applications, and we accompany this attractive growth market with targeted investments,” said Patrik Wohlhauser, member of the Evonik Industries Executive Board and chief operating officer.
Customers in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry have particularly high demands for product quality, in part based on legal mandates. “We want to specifically supply this market segment and project higher than average market growth,” commented Dr Johannes Ohmer, head of the Inorganic Materials Business Unit.
