Rhodia seeks 40% growth by 2015
Will reorganise into eleven global business units
Specialist French chemicals producer Rhodia has revealed ambitious growth plans for the next three to five years, with the aim of generating an annual EBITDA of more than €1bn.
To achieve this 40% growth, the company will focus on: organic growth in promising business areas and markets; product and process innovation committed to sustainable development; and external growth following the example of the acquisition of Feixiang Chemicals in June.
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, chairman and ceo of Rhodia said the company would expand from six Enterprises to 11 Global Business Units (GBUs), which he said would make it ‘more responsible and more agile’.
The GBUs focused on the life sciences industries include:
• Aroma Performance, headed by Dominique Rage, which produces aromas for the food market and intermediates for the perfumery, agro-food, electronics and life sciences markets;
• Novecare, headed by Emmanuel Butstraen, which develops specialist surfactants and polymer-based solutions for the cosmetics, detergents, agrochemicals, coatings, oilfield and industrial applications markets; and
• Polyamide and intermediates, headed by Martin Laudenbach, which produces intermediates and polymers of the Polyamide 6.6 value chain.
To drive the Group’s strategy and supervise the GBUs, Clamadieu will be assisted by three executive vice-presidents: Gilles Auffret, chief operating officer; Pascal Bouchiat, executive vice-president and chief financial officer; and Pascal Juéry, executive vice-president.
The Rhodia Group employs around 13,600 people worldwide and generated sales of €4.03bn in 2009.
