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SIGNATURE OF THE BUILDING LEASE FOR THE SNF FLOERGER COMPANY
3rd june 2019

After officially announcing its decision to locally invest in March 2018, the French international chemical group SNF Floerger signed a building lease with Dunkerque-Port on 22 March 2019, with a view to installing a production plant on the industrial port area of Dunkerque.

The SNF group is a French company and world leader in polyacrylamides, with 46% of the market share. Polyacrylamides are water-soluble polymers that are used in every sector where water is present, such as drinking water production, wastewater treatment, sludge dewatering, oil and gas extraction, mining, agriculture, the manufacture of paper, textiles or cosmetics. With more than 1,000 products, SNF helps preserve natural resources by promoting recycling and improving the efficiency of industrial processes.

From its headquarters in France, near Saint-Etienne, SNF has now spread in a strong and sustainable fashion to every continent. With 23 plants in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, SNF has the largest polyacrylamide production capacity in the world. The group has subsidiaries in more than 40 countries that allow it to market its products in 130 countries and in every sector of the economy. The group has a headcount of more than 6,000 employees for a turnover of nearly 3 billion euros.

Opting for the chemical and industrial-port platform of Dunkerque, within the municipal district of Gravelines, represents an initial investment by the group of 160 million euros. The commissioning phase alone will create approximately 160 direct jobs. The development of the site will then be continuous.

Stéphane Raison, President of the Executive Board of Dunkerque-Port welcomed the signature and new step forward: "This new business will have a significant impact in terms of export shipping for the Port and will create significant outsourcing orders for all the industrial services companies in the surrounding region. The positioning of the unit on the port of Dunkerque was a key criterion in the analysis of the SNF group. The position close to the port terminals means a significant reduction in the transport costs of its finished products as well as its raw materials. With this choice of location, the SNF group proves that the Dunkerque industrial-port platform is able to help the 21st century chemical industry meet the challenges it faces and provide optimal conditions for a successful set-up on-site. Implementing solutions for siting new production plants, chemicals in particular, is one of the priority areas for the development of the Major Seaport".

Patrice Vergriete, President of the Dunkerque Metropolitan Authority, was equally pleased with the announcement:
"The establishment of this major player confirms the economic attractiveness of the Dunkerque region. The future activity will create a large number of jobs and grow at a steady pace. Our region has once again demonstrated its ability to attract industry leaders and meet their expectations in terms of manpower and services to industry".

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