PRESS RELEASE
Monheim, February 1, 2010
Innovation Award 2009: Cognis recognizes employees for groundbreaking thinking
German version
At the end of January, global specialty chemicals supplier Cognis presented its internal Innovation Award for the ninth year. The award recognizes the creative thinking and outstanding achievements of the four winning teams. All of them were responsible for exceptionally innovative and successful projects that improved the sustainability and performance of Cognis’ products and solutions.
The Gold Award went to a team from the Functional Products strategic business unit (SBU) for Emgard FE, a fuel-efficient axle lubricant for heavy-duty trucks. The Silver and Bronze Awards went to two teams from the Care Chemicals SBU. Silver was given to the employees behind Plantapon LGC Sorb, a new environmentally sound anionic surfactant based on alkyl polyglycosides (APG) technology. Bronze went to the developers of a customized Euperlan pearlizer concentrate. Finally, the Special Category Award which was presented for the first time this year was won by a team that implemented a package of measures to improve the ether sulfate production process.
Cognis CEO Antonio Trius presented the winners with their prizes at a gala ceremony. In his speech, he praised the employees’ commitment to Cognis. “Innovation is at the heart of Cognis’ business strategy,” he said. “For us, innovation is all about being quick to identify market needs, and developing appropriate products and solutions that will benefit consumers. It is a way of using our expertise to create commercial value for ourselves and for our customers. The Innovation Award gives public recognition to our employees’ efforts in this area. It highlights how important innovation is to the success of Cognis as a company, and encourages all of our employees to think in creative ways. The number, variety and quality of projects entered for the award this year reflect the strength of our innovation strategy. Cognis has once again proved its ability to generate new ideas and solutions that fit with the wellness and sustainability trends – something that is more important than ever in the tough economic times that we currently face.”
The winning projects
Gold Award: Emgard FE – a fuel efficient axle lubricant for heavy-duty trucks
In today’s lubricants market, customers are looking for products that are both sustainable and high-performing. The Emgard FE team has successfully developed a new proprietary formulation and launched an innovative next-generation axle lubricant for heavy-duty trucks that is ideal for meeting these demands. Emgard FE Fuel Efficient Axle Lubricant (Emgard FE) is the first product of its kind to offer proven fuel efficiency without compromising on performance. Tests carried out in laboratories and on the road have shown that it reduces fuel consumption by one percent, resulting in lower CO2 emissions and significant cost savings for truck owners. Emgard FE is fully approved by major NAFTA heavy-duty axle OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for extended drain applications. It achieves maximum drain intervals of up to 800,000 kilometers, which reduces waste oil disposal. The lubricant is fully compatible with all oils on the market, does not affect the validity of axle component warranties, and reduces the maintenance costs and downtime of trucks. Emgard FE has set new standards in the lubricant market, and has achieved great market success: it is currently sold to all major truck manufacturers in the NAFTA region, as well as many major truck fleets and other companies.
Silver Award: Plantapon LGC Sorb – a next-generation APG
In today’s personal care market, consumers are looking for naturally sourced ingredients that have minimal environmental impact. Plantapon LGC Sorb is a new anionic surfactant based on Cognis’ APG technology that fully meets these requirements while not compromising on performance: it is free from ethylene oxide dioxane and sulfate, and combines the mildness of Cognis APG with excellent foaming properties. Plantapon LGC Sorb is produced in an economically and ecologically sound way. It is mainly based on natural raw materials and is prepared at low temperatures using no organic solvents. Furthermore, the amount of emissions released and waste being caused during the production process are minimized. Plantapon LGC Sorb has been widely accepted by the personal care market for use as a primary surfactant in the latest green rinse-off formulations. It can also be used as a surfactant for personal care wipes and shows promising results for use in the home care sector.
Bronze Award: Euperlan wax dispersion – a customized pearlizer concentrate with global appeal
Reducing costs and complexity without compromising performance has become a key issue for many of Cognis’ customers in recent times. A customized Euperlan wax dispersion is an ideal example of a product that meets these requirements. The product was developed as a result of a complexity-reduction program that Cognis carried out in partnership with one of its key customers, a leading global manufacturer of consumer products. The customized Euperlan wax dispersion was the only solution that delivered the required performance combined with adequate profitability: Cognis proved its global technological excellence by providing reproducable dispersion quality – based on a special manufacturing practice and improved process design. As a result, excellent pearlizing effects can be achieved even at economical dosages and consistent end product performance is guaranteed by even particle size distribution.
Special Category Award: Improving the ether sulfate production process
To optimize process and product quality in the field of ether sulfates, a project team from Cognis implemented a range of innovative initiatives. Some of these innovations not only replaced standard procedures that had been in place since Cognis first started producing ether sulfates in the 1970s, but also challenged the standard assumptions found in scientific literature on sulfation. The project team improved the quality of the process and the product while at the same time reducing waste water emissions and increasing process efficiency – an achievement which is in line with the company’s sustainability strategy. The new technologies and concepts developed by the project team are being rolled out to all of Cognis’ sulfation plants, and will make a significant contribution to the success and sustainability of the company’s ether sulfate business.
About the Cognis Innovation Award
The Cognis Innovation Award was first presented in 2001. Since then, a total of 203 innovative projects have been entered for the competition, and 27 teams have been honored. The Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards recognize the development of innovative new products, processes and other improvements. Entries are judged by a panel of experts and members of Cognis’ Management Board, using a set of criteria that includes not only their economic and market value, but also their sustainability in production and use as defined by the 24 Principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering – that is, among others, energy consumption, yield, emissions, safety and biodegradability. The Special Category Award was introduced this year. It rewards unconventional ideas that are already contributing to Cognis’ success, but were not previously eligible for an Innovation Award, in such diverse areas as marketing, cost management, sustainable manufacturing and supply chain efficiency. In 2009, 22 projects were entered for the Innovation Award. The four winning projects were run by interdisciplinary international teams from Europe, the USA and Asia.
Cognis CEO Antonio Trius (front row, center) honored the winners of the company’s internal Innovation Award 2009
Note: A printable version of the image is available on request or can be downloaded from the Cognis Media Center: www.cognis.com -> Media Center -> Images (Search by folder: Cognis Company/Press Releases/PR Corp Innovation Award 2009).
About Cognis
Cognis is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 5,600 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities to a high level of sustainability and delivers natural source raw materials and ingredients for food, nutrition and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants, as well as agriculture and mining.
Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2008, Cognis recorded sales of about 3 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (operating result) of 351 million euros.
Contact
Mareike Klein, Communications Manager
Cognis GmbH
Phone: +49-2173-4995-307
Email: mareike.klein@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com