Univar Named Distributor of GE Water Treatment for Italy and Southern Europe

The new range of products has applications in almost all industrial processes and will be very relevant to Univar’s existing customer base, from food and pharmaceutical companies to coatings and energy businesses.

7 Dec 2010 --- Univar, a leading global chemical distributor, announced that it has signed an agreement with GE Water & Process Technologies to become the company’s official distributor of their water treatment products, starting initially in Italy and Southern Europe, but planned to extend throughout Europe.

The new range of products has applications in almost all industrial processes and will be very relevant to Univar’s existing customer base, from food and pharmaceutical companies to coatings and energy businesses. Univar will be distributing products across five categories: boiler treatment, membrane separation, odour control, dust control and closed loop internal treatment.

Nearly 20% of global freshwater consumption occurs in industrial processes that include cooling, cleaning, chemical processing, wastewater treatment, power generation and manufacturing operations. GE Water & Process Technologies has developed cutting-edge proprietary technologies that enable companies to re-use wastewater, reduce water and energy consumption, reduce disposal costs and achieve regulatory compliance.

Water treatment is one of the key strategic sectors Univar is focusing on to drive growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Adding water treatment products to its portfolio opens up significant new opportunities for Univar’s business and reflects the company’s commitment to sustainability and the environment. Increasing the proportion of ‘greener’ products in its portfolio is a key pillar of Univar’s pioneering U+stainability programme and the opportunity to partner with companies that have strong track records in sustainability, like GE, is very important.

“Almost every industrial process requires water at some stage, but it is a rapidly dwindling natural resource that for too long has been taken for granted,” says Cristina Lorenzetti, Univar’s recently appointed Supplier Director, Water Treatment Applications, EMEA. “Businesses across all sectors are coming under increasing pressure to use water sparingly and efficiently, whether through internal sustainability initiatives or external governmental regulation. Products like those developed by GE Water & Process Technologies will play an important part in helping companies achieve these goals.

“At current levels of increasing consumption, water demand will exceed supply by 470 trillion gallons (1780 trillion litres) in 2020. We are creating advanced technologies that help develop new innovations for water purification and conservation that allow customers to run more efficient and responsible businesses,” explains Andrea Natali, Regional Manager Italy, GE Power & Water. “It has been great to work with a company like Univar which has a focus on sustainability that mirrors our own and I am confident that we will do a great job together.”