The Kolb Group has had an extremely modern manufacturing plant at its disposal since the Dutch subsidiary of Kolb BV was founded in 1992. As this lies directly between the key industrial and port areas of Rotterdam and Antwerp, the amenities and availability of both ports can be used to the full. The production site, based in the industrial and port area of Moerdijk, is equipped with a direct pipeline connection for the supply of key raw materials, thanks to its proximity to the major chemical manufacturing plants. The industrial area provides good opportunities for the use of all modes of transportation and an excellent connection to the rail, road and sea network.
The Kolb site in Klundert has modern production facilities for the batch production of alkoxylates. The products that are developed for our customers in the headquarter in Hedingen (CH) can be produced round-the-clock here on an industrial-scale and then distributed. The different basic processes are carried out in multipurpose reactors. These are fitted with the latest software to guarantee the trouble-free control and monitoring of a safe working environment.
The Kolb engineers developed a tailor-made heat recovery system: the reaction heat resulting from the alkoxylisation feeds a heat exchanger system that in turn heats the raw materials and thereby initialises the next batch reaction. This means that up to 30 % of the total energy consumption in Moerdijk can be conserved. The system that came into operation at the end of 2008 was patented and received the "Responsible Care Award 2010" from the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry.
The large variety of products requires suitable storage facilities. These range from storage in large-volume storage tanks to the storage of products in drums or IBCs. The storage of different materials results in the operation having to comply with the strictest safety requirements. These are specified in the BRZO regulations in the Netherlands. The logistics terminal of a large transport company nearby, specialised in the bulk transportation of chemicals, is used for internal and external logistics. The port facilities of Rotterdam and Antwerp can also be used to the full via this terminal.
In the past few years the operation has experienced steady growth with the implementation of a comprehensive expansion project. This resulted in the production capacity rising from 60,000 tons in 2006 to over 100,000 tons in 2010. The number of employees has almost doubled in the same period. The available reserves of land in Moerdijk and the good infrastructure provide excellent opportunities for the expansion of Kolb Netherlands BV in years to come.
The company is ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and also GMP+ certified and is an active participant in the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry's Responsible Care © Programme.