Singapore venture INVENTA TECHNOLOGIES successfully started-up a state-of-the-art surfactant production facility for a major Brazilian industrial group In Coatzacoalcos, Mexico.
The manufacturing facility, owned and operated by the OXITENO Group, is located in proximity to a Petrochemical complex at the Mexican Gulf coast. The facility receives its raw material, ethylene oxide, from PEMEX.
The Brazilian investor selected INVENTA’s proprietary process technology for the production of specialty surfactants, so called Ethylene Oxide Derivatives. The Singapore originated know how allows chemical companies to produce value added surfactants for a broad range of uses. Consumers find these products in applications ranging from shampoos, detergents, food emulsifiers or even drug delivery systems.
State-of-the-art green technology was applied when the Singapore engineering team developed the blue prints for the industrial facility. It deploys latest energy recuperation concepts, which reflect INVENTA’s commitment to provide sustainable manufacturing processes only. Energy saving concepts with minimum carbon foot print is one of the areas INVENTA is heavily engaged in. A substantial part of its research & development activities is dedicated to green programs.
Swiss entrepreneur and inventor, Ralf Lange, decided decades ago to operate his technology ventures out of Singapore. The modern city state provided an infrastructure and political framework which suited his passion for research and development. Late Member of Parliament, Dr Ong Chit Chung, was co-founder of this upcoming reaction technology company. Operating out of Biopolis, Singapore’s global showpiece for innovation, INVENTA advanced to a globally recognized name in various process technology fields. Biopolis is an ideal place for INVENTA’s team to network and collaborate. While Biopolis initially focused on supporting the pharmaceutical industry, it is now diversifying to leverage new areas which are fast-growing, such as personal care, food and nutrition.
“Our clients and projects are global and not limited to Asia. Inventa’s team thinks out-of-the- box and innovates to compete in the global market. We are well located at Biopolis to serve our clientele”, co-founder and CEO, Ralf Lange, summarizes.
The business of developing and licensing main process technologies for the specialty chemical, personal care and pharmaceutical industry is demanding and historically dominated by large Western corporations. Smaller and self-funded innovation companies typically go through challenging times. “Our Singapore team needs to work smart to put technologies onto the world map”, Ralf Lange pointed out.
100 working industrial process plants worldwide, the start-up of OXITENO’s manufacturing facilities in Mexico represents another important milestone in the Singapore Technology Venture strategy to convert its business from an engineering company to a full fledged technology and R&D driven enterprise. 2016 will be an important year in INVENTA’s transformation.
INVENTA can look back to a game-changing year where specific technologies developed in-house finally got global market recognition. Recently, INVENTA concluded an agreement with German Industrial Conglomerate ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions covering Technology and Know How Transfer for a specific chemical reaction portfolio. The technology platform converting Ethylene Oxide to valuable surfactants deployed in Oxiteno’s manufacturing plant in Mexico was part of the recent technology acquisition by ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions. The market considers this collaboration a direct endorsement of INVENTA’s capabilities.
“Our R&D pipeline contains some patentable technological game-changers, ready to convert into yielding global license agreements in the near future”, Ralf Lange discloses without elaborating details. According to INVENTA, several license deals and strategic collaborations are currently in negotiation. A restructuring with a foreign strategic investor is in progress and will allow the company to strengthen its position in specific undertakings. On the location of the technology driven company, its CEO noted: “Networking with globally operating industry players in Singapore is highly efficient.”
Inventa’s global industry recognition is a validation of its vision to generate more Swiss/Singapore originated know how for the Specialty Chemical, Oleochemical and Pharmaceutical Industry. Inventa in cooperation with well-known industry players is considering Singapore as potential location for novel, industrial prototype manufacturing facilities.
To promote its global reach, INVENTA is planning to set-up two offices overseas to leverage on close customer contacts and industry or academic collaborations.
INVENTA intends to promote Singapore’s role in becoming a global hub for modern process technologies. For that purpose INVENTA decided to further build-up and strengthen its local team of experts in a flexible and out-of-the-box working environment. With INVENTA operating its own Research & Development laboratories and pilot plants in Singapore, Biopolis has served again as an example of interdisciplinary innovation hub with global reach.