Building on their existing collaboration for speciality esters in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and eastern Europe, Krahn Chemie (Hamburg / Germany; www.krahn.de) and Oxea (Dallas, Texas / USA; www.oxea-chemicals.com) on 1 February extended the distribution agreement to France (see also Plasteurope.com of 12.03.2010). For that purpose, Krahn is setting up a local sales team that will initially operate at its sister company Albis Plastic (Hamburg; www.albis.com). In the “near term”, the company then plans to set up its own subsidiary in France.

Under the agreement with Oxea, Krahn will be marketing the US group’s plasticisers – specifically “Oxsoft” GPO, Oxsoft DOA, Oxsoft TOTM, Oxsoft 3G8, Oxsoft L9TM, Oxsoft DUO 1, Oxsoft DUO 2, “Oxblue” ATBC and Oxblue DOSX – in the country. Jacco de Haas, Oxea commercial director Specialty Esters, called the expansion of the cooperation to France “a logical move”.