Brzeg Dolny, Poland — Polyol producer PCC Rokita had record sales and earnings before interest and taxation and depreciation in 2017. New and higher added value products helped the numbers.
In 2017, the company's polyurethane segment recorded sales of PLN 639 m ($187 m). That is up 13.6% on PLN 562m in 2016.
Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation were up buy 22.3% to PLN 69m in 2017 from PLN 56m in 2016.
The company said it had been able to pass on rising raw material price rises to customers and it had also moved into higher added value products.
Higher added-value product sales increased from 64% of the total in 2016 to 68% in 2017.These included polyester polyols. Additionally, the company increased sales into export markets in Lithuania, Turkey, Denmark and Italy.
Europe will remain the main destination for polyol sales. The company claims to be the 'only producer of this kind in Poland and currently the largest in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the second half of 2017, the company launched a range of polyester polyols under the Rokester brand. The company said it is one of three polyester polyol producers in Poland.
The move into polyester polyols was designed to differentiate its product offering from other, larger global players.
'Currently,' the company said it is, 'working on extending its market.' Rokita has 13 kT/year capacity for these materials and is considering increasing this by 30kT/year.
It has also introduced plant-based polyols for flexible and rigid foams as well as polyols for scorch-resistant visco-elastic foams.
Rokita said that the 'most important 2017 event in the segment was the acquisition of 25% of the shares of IRPC Polyol.'
This is a polyol production company based in Thailand. It purchased more shares in IRPC in February and will have more than 50% of the firm.
This will give Rokita at least 5 kT/year additional polyol production capacity.
Back in Europe, Rokita said that it opened a 1000 m2, technical centre at its head office. This is designed to test production processes, and applications of polyurethane for a range of industries.
