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PQ Europe specialises in the manufacture of inorganic industrial products essentially derived from sand.
By combining silicate chemistry with imagination, we have created a full range of silicates and speciality chemicals. These product lines serve a multitude of applications and industrial uses.
From our headquarters in the Netherlands, our operation extends throughout Europe, with strategically located production sites. We are the leading supplier of silicates in Europe.
PQ Europe is a subsidiary of PQ Corporation, which is headquartered in Valley Forge near Philadelphia, PA, USA.
PQ Corporation, recently acquired by JPMorgan Partners, is a leading producer of silicate, zeolite, and other performance materials serving the detergent, pulp and paper, chemical, petroleum, catalyst, water treatment, construction, and beverage markets. It is a global enterprise, operating in
19 countries on five continents, and along with its chemical businesses, includes Potters Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary, which is a leading producer of engineered glass materials serving the highway safety, polymer additive, metal finishing, and conductive particle markets.
PQ Corporation was founded in 1831 by Joseph Elkington as a family soap and candle business. It began producing sodium silicate for soap manufacture in 1861.
Then, as now, sodium silicate was formed by fusing sand and sodium carbonate in a high-temperature furnace.
Since those early days, PQ has used its expertise in silicate technology to introduce more product lines. Today PQ, in combination with its affiliates around the world, is the largest global producer of sodium and potassium silicates. It markets more than 40 distinct silica-based chemical and performance products, and also supplies them in a wider variety of forms than any other manufacturer. Through a combination of joint ventures and acquisitions, it continues to consolidate its position of leadership.
Over many decades, PQ Corporation has expanded into a worldwide organisation.
Its European presence was initiated through its 1990 alliance with the Dutch chemical producer Akzo Nobel, which formed Akzo-PQ Silica, with production locations originally located in 4 European countries.
In 2001, PQ Corporation bought the Akzo Nobel share of Akzo-PQ Silica and became the full owner of its European operations. Renamed PQ Europe, the new organisation will follow its strategy of continued growth.
As the only European-wide supplier of silicates, the company has the flexibility to supply its customers from a variety of locations. We also offer a wider variety of silicates than any other manufacturer, and have the technology to manufacture each silicate via the optimum production processes. In addition, the organisational structure of PQ Europe has been geared to make us accessible to our customers while providing responsible, effective solutions to satisfy their demands. These considerations are also paramount for all of our employees.
Individually, these advantages provide significant benefits to our customers. Together, they’ve made PQ Europe the leading European supplier of silicates.
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