26 Mar 2003
Univar appointed exclusive distributor by BASF Fine Chemicals
New agreement provides wider and improved product portfolio for detergent, personal care, food and pharmaceutical customers in Nordic markets
Univar, a global leader in the distribution of chemical products and related services provider, has been appointed exclusive distributor for Sweden, Norway and Finland for the detergent, personal care, pharmaceutical and food ingredient products manufactured by BASF Fine Chemicals. The deal follows an earlier agreement with Univar for the UK and Ireland and demonstrates Univar’s comprehensive ability to support leading manufacturers as a pan-European distribution partner.
Under the agreement, which came also covers Iceland and the Baltic region, the specialised Univar company, Fiske Food Ingredients, will handle all products supplied to the food processing and preparation sector.
The partnership between BASF Fine Chemicals and Univar brings together a manufacturer of a range of high quality products with a leading distributor characterised by a strong presence in these markets and excellent logistical capabilities. It considerably enhances the ranges of products available from Univar, adding a large number of vitamins for human nutrition and food ingredients, and a more comprehensive range of pharmaceutical actives and excipients.
As a result of the new distribution agreement, Univar has increased its’ warehouse capacity in Helsingborg, Sweden, to meet product demand and ensure security of supply to customers. This is operated accourding to the GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards and complements three existing Univar warehouses in Sweden (in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö), two each in Norway and Denmark and one in Finland. “This is a win-win deal for our customers in these key market sectors,” says Bengt Hugo Larsson, Univar’s Nordic business manager for detergents and personal care.
According to Stefan Borgas, Group Vice President of BASF Fine Chemicals Europe: “We believe the appointment of Univar to distribute our products in the Nordic and Baltic region will improve our position in the market and provide a better service for our customers. Univar has a strong, local presence, comprehensive logistics and a skilled staff who are technically proficient in our products and in customers’ processes.”
“Univar is now market leader for the detergent and personal care industry in the Nordic area with a complete portfolio of chemicals, including both commodity and speciality products,” explains Bengt Hugo Larsson. “Additionally, we can provide added value to our customers with our application knowledge and resources in areas such as the formulation and testing of personal care products.”
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About Univar
Univar is the leading independent chemical distributor in the world. Univar is engaged in the chemical distribution business throughout both North America and Europe. Univar sells and delivers chemical, polymer and food ingredients products, the majority of which are “specialties”, to some 250,000 industrial end-users. In addition, Univar provides a number of related services to its customers, such as blending, managing customer inventories, providing technical support and packaging and labelling.
Univar operates a network of 195 distribution centres, spread across the United States, Canada and 14 European countries. In 2001, Univar generated net sales of EUR 4.8 billion and group operating income (including income from equity participations) of EUR 81.6 million. Univar has approximately 7,000 employees based throughout North America and Europe. The company is headquartered in The Netherlands, with North American offices in Bellevue, Washington. For more information: www.univarcorp.com.
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Bengt-Hugo Larsson
Univar EMEA