Officials said the plant will enable it to expand production volumes as well as product offerings.

“With this new facility, the [lube oil additives and chemicals] business will have more room for growth and potential development of new offerings,” BRB CEO Ralph Pinckaers said.

First announced in March 2021, the project involved construction of a production facility, warehouse and headquarters in Echt, about 12 kilometers south of BRB’s existing headquarters and main European factory. The existing plant, located in Ittervoort, previously produced lubricant additives as well as silicones used in a variety of applications. The plant in Echt now produces lube additives and chemicals such as automotive coolants, while the Ittervoort plant now focuses on silicones, in particular specialty emulsions.

The Echt facility incorporates sustainable practices in BRB’s production of its Petrolad drive line oil additives, which uses lower energy consumption and reduces its overall carbon footprint in the making of its products.

BRB has not disclosed the cost of the investment or the amount of production capacity for the plant in Echt.

In a speech at an opening ceremony at the Echt facility, HE Dato’ Nadzirah Osman, Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands, commended Petronas Chemicals Group for expanding its operations in the Netherlands. “The opening of this facility is very much in line with the Malaysian government’s endeavors for Malaysian companies to grow their presence in the European market through the strategic location of the Netherlands,” HE Dato’ Nadzirah said.

Ir. Mohd Yusri Mohamed Yusof., CEO and managing director of Petronas Chemicals, said BRB’s expansion was in line with Petronas Chemical’s strategy of diversifying into derivatives, specialty chemicals and solutions to meet growing and changing customer demands in the region. Petronas, which is Malaysia’s state-owned oil and chemical company, acquired BRB in 2019.