Prayon opens new Engis unit

Prayon has opened a new sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) production unit at its Engis complex in Belgium. The €30 million investment is designed to strengthen the company’s position in the food and technical phosphates market. The new 10,000 tonnes per annum (t/a) capacity Engis unit complements Prayon’s existing SHMP unit at its Les Roches-de-Condrieu site in France and will double the company’s SHMP’s output capabilities.

The new state-of-the-art SHMP plant is built to high environmental standards with, for example, a closed-loop water circuit that guarantees zero process water discharge. Prayon said the investment reaffirmed its commitment to “industrial performance, excellence in customer service and environmental responsibility”, as well as a consolidating its role as a global leader in phosphorus chemistry.

“In a European environment with high energy and labour costs, we can’t be a cost leader. With this new unit, we are strengthening our reliability for our customers and continuing our growth strategy in high value-added specialty phosphates,” said Geoffrey Close, Prayon’s CEO. “This objective is fully in line with our Solution Provider approach, which is centred on our customers, offering them not only greater reliability but also solutions that meet their needs for their specific applications.”

Prayon’s continuing investment in the region and its job creation efforts were praised by Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Vice-President and Minister for the Economy, Industry, Digital, Employment and Training.

“Excellent news to see Prayon strengthen its foothold in Wallonia. This industrial flagship represents 1,500 jobs worldwide, more than half of them in our region. We must continue to proactively support ambitious projects,” Jeholet said. “With Wallonie Entreprendre, our strategic partner and 50% shareholder, we are proving that together, public authorities and companies can facilitate and accelerate investment, and seize opportunities to prepare for the future.”