Axel France SAS last week said its new industrial and food-grade grease plant in Niort, France will have capacity of 8,000 metric tons per year after a pressurized cooker is delivered to the facility this spring.
This will enable Axel France to grow further domestically and extend the export opportunities, the company stated in a March 23 news release about a March 11 grand opening.
Last December, Axel said the dedicated food-grade production facility at the plant had made its first batch of industrial grease.
Specialties produced at the location include biodegradable railroad greases and a full range of food-grade lubricants for the whole Axel Group.
In July 2006, Axel acquired Shells Christol Grease SAS, located at another site in Niort. The company said the old plant was limited in capacity and that over time its technology became outdated and did not meet modern technical and safety requirements. The company acquired the new site in early 2014 and completed the relocation process earlier this year.
So when setting the frames for the project, modern standards, the latest technology and also environmental measures were very important parameters, Axel France stated last week. The launch of the plant also serves the interests of bolstering regional production, and because of one of our specialties – food-grade (H1) products – it will also be a benefit for the Axel Group.
Nol, Sweden-based Axel Christiernsson has production sites in Sweden, the Netherlands, France and the United States. The company acquired U.S. grease manufacturer Jesco Resources in 2011, gaining access to two grease production facilities with a combined capacity of 16,000 tons per year.