Univar Builds State-of-the-art ‘White Room’

Univar Inc., a leading global chemical distributor, announced today that it is building a new facility to expand its white oils handling and distribution capabilities. The investment will enable Univar to better service an extended agreement to distribute ExxonMobil’s white oil brands Marcol and Primol across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

4/13/2011 --- Univar Inc., a leading global chemical distributor, announced that it is building a new facility to expand its white oils handling and distribution capabilities. The investment will enable Univar to better service an extended agreement to distribute ExxonMobil’s white oil brands Marcol and Primol across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The plant is scheduled to open in Lieusaint, France in mid-2011 and will include a €600,000 ‘White Room’ development that complements the existing facility, which is licensed for packaging by the French Medicinal Authority. The white room will operate in line with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines. A central feature will be the actual White Room which will have a filtered and pressurised air supply to provide the atmosphere required for maintaining “clean” filling conditions.

The production warehousing of incoming FDA-approved packaging and finished materials will be in Univar’s state-of-the-art, 8000-bay, narrow isle warehouse. To maintain the highest standards of quality assurance Univar will also introduce an in-house analytical department.

Thanks largely to the new facility, which has been designed and built in line with the stringent standards of the company’s U+ management system, Univar's relationship with ExxonMobil has been expanded. U+ sets a benchmark for SHEQ standards in the chemical distribution sector, going beyond local regulatory requirements for site safety, health and environment management and operational best practice.

White oils are highly refined hydrocarbon products which are used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical, food and personal care products, as well as having a number of industrial applications. These are currently produced at the Esso France refinery, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil in Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France.

Sheila Mowatt, Vice President, Supply Chain Operations EMEA, said, “The new white oils contract has been signed at a time when we are looking to reduce our reliance on outsourced providers. We have first class facilities and people at Univar and we are actively looking to give our customers and suppliers added value by using our extensive asset base.”

“We have been impressed with Univar’s sales and marketing efforts which have resulted in steady sales growth in our medicinal white oils over the last few years,” says Nicolas Berthiaux, Base stocks and Specialties Sales Manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical. “Their strategy to introduce these products into new areas such as the Middle East, as well as a major investment in their own ‘White Room’, clearly shows their long term commitment to our business.”