Exwold hopes to reap the rewards

Dec 2 2009 By The Journal

A CHEMICAL company is poised to open its fourth North East plant and is considering opening a Brazilian factory as it looks to double sales in the next few years.

Exwold, in Hartlepool, is a manufacturer of crop protection chemicals and serves some of the world’s chemical giants such as Dow and Dupont. It is expecting to double its turnover within five years as it expands worldwide.

Business development and finance director James Robson, who established the business in 1997, says it is now casting an eye on the South American market.

"Brazil has recently overtaken the United States as the world’s biggest crop grower and there are huge opportunities available for a company such as ours.

"While we have two or three American competitors there is little other competition and we are looking at joint-venture partnerships with Brazilian companies.

"While we are still at a very early stage in the process, it is a market we are looking to explore further."

The company, which employs 60 staff, has its head office and manufacturing facilities in Brenda Road, Hartlepool, as well as a factory on the town’s Toft Farm industrial estate. It also has a manufacturing facility in Billingham.

The business has identified a further site on the Queens Meadow Business park in Hartlepool were it intends setting up an 8,000 sq ft facility for the manufacture of crop granules, and other supply contracts in a hi-tech pharmaceutical-style environment.

It has just completed a £250,000 investment at its Brenda Road site making a new manufacturing facility for non-crop rubber-based chemicals, which will add up to 10 staff to its workforce.

Exwold handles about £45m of work every year but with most of its work being done using raw materials belonging to the chemical giants its recorded sales are in the region of £4.5m. Exwold produces up to 100 chemical products and has around 15 major customers across the globe with Europe being its major market.

More than 70% of its output is for the agricultural market to which it sells powder granules for pesticides and other crop protection chemicals.

The company says that its unique selling point is that it is able to react quickly to changes in market conditions.

It says it is flexible which means it is cost-effective for many of the chemical giants to use for fulfilling some of their smaller contracts.

In 2006 Exwold merged with Surrey-based Crack Processing with the Southern company moving its production facilities to the North.

The company says it had taken a close look at the Indian market with a view to establishing a manufacturing presence, but believes that this market is not sufficiently developed yet for its products.

Mr Robson went on to say he anticipates sales doubling at the business in the next five years.