11/06/2012 |

Kuraray Europe GmbH and Leschaco open new distribution warehouse in Groß-Gerau

Kuraray Europe GmbH (KEG) and Leschaco today held the official opening ceremony for a new distribution warehouse in Groß-Gerau, Germany. Distribution of the plastics polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylbutyral (PVB), which were previously shipped from Hanau and Griesheim, will be bundled at this warehouse from December 1, 2012.

"We are delighted that this new distribution warehouse gives us sufficient capacity for the planned expansion of our production facilities and for future growth," said Dr. Matthias Gutweiler, Managing Director of Kuraray Europe GmbH. "In collaboration with our partner Leschaco, we will be integrating and optimising our logistics processes." Leschaco is a global logistics service-provider that specialises in handling products of this type. "Our specially trained teams of employees have extensive knowledge and experience of the transportation, storage and handling of such products," stressed Jörg Conrad, owner of the Leschaco Group.

The modern warehouse, located at Wassserweg 2, Groß-Gerau, Germany, has around 19,000 m2 storage space and was built in just twelve months. A variety of locations were considered. Stefan Sauer, Mayor of Groß-Gerau, expressed his pleasure that it was possible to integrate buildings formerly used by Fagro, providing a lasting reminder of this traditional company. The decision to build the warehouse in Groß-Gerau was based on its good transport connections: "The Wasserweg business park is an optimal location, close to the motorway and to Frankfurt airport. There are already many logistics companies here."

The KEG products PVA (Mowiol®) and PVB (Mowital®) will be shipped from this warehouse to customers in manufacturing industry, mainly in Europe. Both products are classified as uncritical for storage and transport. They are used in many areas of daily life: in the production of paper, textiles, packaging, printing inks, coatings, adhesives, cosmetics and ceramics.

Kuraray Europe GmbH

Kuraray Europe GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the global speciality chemical company Kuraray Co., Ltd., which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Kuraray was founded in 1926 and now has around 6,800 employees and annual sales of about EUR 3.4 billion. It is one of the largest suppliers of polymers and synthetic microfibres and an international leader in the development and use of innovative highperformance materials. Kuraray Europe GmbH is based in Hattersheim am Main, Germany, and has around 650 employees. It is the leading European producer of PVA, PVB and PVB films. The company’s product portfolio also includes chemical specialities, activated carbon, thermoplastic elastomers, industrial fibres, man-made leather and dental products. For further information please visit www.kuraray.eu.

Leschaco Group

About Leschaco: The Leschaco Group is a global service-provider active in the fields of air and sea freight, contract logistics and tank containers. Leschaco is a reliable partner of leading companies in the machinery and plant engineering industry, automotive industry, chemical industry and associated sectors, consumer goods and pharmaceuticals. Comprehensive logistics services from a single source supported by a uniform IT framework ensure high process transparency. The company was founded as Lexzau, Scharbau in Hamburg in 1879 by Wilhelm Lexzau and Julius Scharbau. Today it has 42 subsidiaries and more than 1,700 employees in over 20 countries. This network is strengthened by carefully selected agents. The company’s owner and managing director Jörg Conrad insists on sustainable business development. The company is based in Bremen, Germany.

Contact: Henrike von Oehsen – Corporate Communications | LESCHACO | Lexzau, Scharbau GmbH & Co. KG Tel. + 49 421 6101 289 | E-mail: vonoehsen_henrike(at)leschaco.de | www.leschaco.com