Cognis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cognis | |
|---|---|
| Type | GmbH |
| Founded | August 1, 1999 |
| Headquarters |  Monheim, Germany |
| Key people | Antonio Trius, CEO |
| Industry | Chemicals |
| Revenue | €3.518 billion (2007) |
| Employees | 7,600 (2007) |
| Website | www.cognis.com |
Cognis is a worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, headquartered in Monheim, Germany. The company employs about 7,600 people and operates production or service centers in almost 30 countries.
Cognis 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. The subsidiary Pulcra Chemicals offers products to customers in the fiber, textile, and leather industries. Cognis also holds a 50-percent stake in the joint venture Cognis Oleochemicals, a manufacturers of oleochemicals.
Cognis has been an integrated part of Henkel, a leading German consumer products company, until 1999, when it became an operationally independent business unit. In November 2001, Cognis was bought from by private equity funds Permira, GS Capital Partners and SV Life Sciences. In 2007, Cognis recorded sales of about 3.52 billion euros and an operating result (adjusted EBITDA) of 410 million euros.
[edit] Product portfolio and markets
Cognis is divided into three strategic business units.
- Care Chemicals is a leading global producer of specialty chemicals and surfactants for manufacturers of hair, skin and body care products, as well as makers of household and industrial detergents and cleaners:
- Hair/Body/Oral Care: hair cleansing, hair treatment, facial and body cleansing, oral care
- Skin Care: facial, body and baby care, sun care, deodorants and antiperspirants, color cosmetics, personal care wipes
- Home Care: hard surface care, fabric care
- Industrial & Institutional Cleaning: hard surface cleaners, textile hygiene
- Skintex: natural ingredients for cosmetotextiles
- Silicates.
- Nutrition & Health develops and produces natural-source ingredients for the food and healthcare industries:
- Food Technology: food emulsifiers, specialty compounds and functional ingredients from baked goods to ingredients for ready-to-eat desserts
- Functional Food: functional lipids, phytosterols, botanical specialties, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and functional products such as antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, natural-source vitamin E and natural-source carotenoids
- Dietary Supplements: natural-source nutrients including vitamin E, mixed tocopherols, mixed carotenoids, botanical specialties, lutein esters, alpha lipoic acid, phytosterols, and omega-3 fatty acids
- Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare: excipients for the pharmaceutical industry, such as high purity oleochemicals and derivatives, drug delivery agents, active ingredients, building blocks, botanical ingredients, antioxidants.
- Functional Products provides integrated solutions to enhance performance and cost efficiency of manufacturing processes for a variety of industrial markets:
- Polymers, Coatings & Inks: additives, binders and hardeners for many kinds of coatings, printing inks, adhesives and polymerization products
- Synlubes Technology: products to formulate hydraulic and transmission fluids, automotive, aircraft and refrigerant lubricants, as well as additives for fuels and metalworking fluids
- AgroSolutions: additives and adjuvants for plant protection formulations as well as nutrients, emulsifiers and defoamers
- Mining & Ion-Transfer Technology: products for environmentally sound metal extraction, metal recovery and recycling, and for the elimination of heavy metals from wastes.
The subsidiary Pulcra Chemicals offers chemical products and process expertise to customers in the fiber, textile, and leather industries. The company holds a 50-percent stake in the joint venture Cognis Oleochemicals, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of natural-source oleochemical basestocks.
[edit] Strategy and core competencies
- Cognis is focused on the global growth trends of wellness and sustainability
- Having descended from a brand manufacturer, Cognis is as aware of consumers’ demands
- About 50 percent of the resources processed by Cognis are renewable. As base materials, Cognis uses natural oils and fats, or plant extracts
- Cognis is aiming to strengthen its presence in high-growth regions, especially the Asia-Pacific and US markets. In 2007, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 16% of Cognis’ sales, North America was representing 22%, and Central and South America 5%.
