AkzoNobel Retains
DJSI Number One
Ranking
AkzoNobel has again been
ranked in the number one position on
the influential Dow Jones Sustainability
Indices (DJSI), heading the newly named
Materials industry group (previously the
Chemicals supersector).
According to the firm, the latest listing
underlines the company’s commitment to
continuous improvement and represents
the eighth consecutive year of top three
rankings.
“We are delighted and extremely
proud to once again be placed first in
such a prestigious and influential rank-
ing,” said AkzoNobel CEO Ton Büchner.
“Sustainability is fundamental to our
strategy of connecting value creation to
resource efficiency and maintaining our
DJSI leadership status underscores our
belief that sustainability is business and
business is sustainability.”
He added that the company’s em-
ployees deserve huge credit for helping
to make sustainability an integral part of
AkzoNobel’s business activities and com-
pany culture. “Everyone should be proud
of what we have achieved in being ranked
first for the last two years,” he said.
“Together, we are working hard to bet-
ter understand the changing needs of the
global marketplace, which in turn drives
the development of innovative technolo-
gies that meet our customers’ needs.”
Büchner went on to say that despite
the success, more improvements are
needed because the company is deter-
mined to accelerate the pace of its com-
mitment in order to take advantage of
sustainable growth opportunities. “This
will involve entering into even closer
partnerships with customers and suppli-
ers to help drive sustainable innovations,”
he explained. “We must also remain fully
focused on further improving our perfor-
mance in order to take the next major
leap forward on our journey to creating
more value from fewer resources.”
Regarded as one of the world’s fore-
most sustainability indices, the DJSI
World Index benchmarks the sustain-
ability performance of leading compa-
nies based on environmental, social and
economic performance, including for-
ward-looking indicators.
It assesses various criteria, including
supply chain management, operational
eco-efficiency, product stewardship, human capital development and occupational health and safety.
Advent International Sells
Deutek to Axxess Capital
Private equity firm, Advent International
has sold Deutek, Romania’s largest manufacturer of decorative paints and coatings to Emerging Europe Accession Fund
(EEAF), the third private equity fund
managed by Axxess Capital. The value of
the transaction was undisclosed.
Advent acquired Deutek in July 2005
and under its ownership has become a
market-leading player in Romania by
expanding its product offering, brand
portfolio and distribution channels. The
company is headquartered in Bucharest
and has a strong presence in all of the
major national construction materials and decoration stores and a significant regional presence in neighboring
countries such as Ukraine, Bulgaria and
Moldova. Advent’s shared vision of sustainable growth over the last nine years
successfully shaped Deutek and positively influenced the Romanian competitive
decorative paints industry.
Founded in 1993, Deutek originally imported its paints from Germany,
switching to local production in 1998.
Since then, leading brands such as
Danke!, Oskar and Superweiss continuously imposed new quality standards
driven by innovative research and the latest technological updates.
Eitzen Chemical to Use
Jotun’s Hull Performance
Solutions on Two of it
Chemical Carriers
Eitzen Chemical A/S will use Jotun’s
Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) on
two of their largest chemical carriers.
The first vessel, Siteam Discoverer, applied SeaQuantum X200 to the hull at
the COSCO Dalian Shipyard in China in
May, while the next vessel will dock in
October later this year.
“Through several years of measuring
our vessel’s performance, we recognize
that the correct choice of antifouling is
one of the low hanging fruits when it
comes to increasing our vessel’s energy
efficiency,” said Rasmus Kjaer, general
manager technical for Siteam Discoverer
at Eitzen Chemical.
“Eitzen Chemical is aware of its environmental responsibility and we strive
to comply with and maintain high standards in order to reduce the environmental impact from our operations. We
are therefore excited to see the first hull
performance measurements on the two
vessels and the effect the coating has had
on their fuel consumption, emission and
operating efficiency,” Kjaer added.
In 2011 Jotun launched its Hull
Performance Solution (HPS) - consisting of a top of the range antifouling
(SeaQuantum X200), a reliable and
transparent method for measuring the
impact of the antifouling on vessel energy
efficiency as well as a no-cure-no-pay
business model.
Jotun’s Hull Performance Solution
with its SeaQuantum X200 antifouling
has been designed to maximize vessels’
hull performance and thereby optimize
their energy efficiency. According to the
company, the technology gives both an
optimized initial smoothness and long
term performance, enabling shipping
companies to reduce their fuel consumption and emission of green-house gases.
Compared to market average antifouling,
SeaQuantum X200 is expected to deliver
an improvement in propulsion efficiency
by 15 percent on a ship that maintains its
speed over 60 months.
“With HPS we can confidently state
that Jotun has the market’s best value
proposition to companies operating deep
sea vessels. The effect of any vessel’s hull
performance will directly impact our
customer’s profitability and emission of
greenhouse gases. We are committed to
deliver excellence across the value chain
to our customers enabling them to operate more effectively and thereby become
more competitive,” said Geir Boe, vice
president Jotun Marine Coatings.
