ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) today celebrated the opening of a manufacturing
plant and distribution center in Taicang, China, as part of an expanding
company presence within the country. The facility is Ecolab's
third-largest in the world and the company's largest in the Asia Pacific
region.
The 546,000 square-foot (166,600 square-meter) property has 141,000
square feet (43,000 square meters) of floor space and the capacity to
produce 150,000 tons of product annually. Initially, the facility will
have 55 employees, and by 2017, more than 350 employees will work at the
facility.
The Taicang plant will be capable of producing all of the Ecolab
products sold in China; a complete portfolio of cleaning, sanitation,
food safety and infection prevention solutions for customers in a wide
range of growing industries, including: food and beverage production,
food retail, hospitality, healthcare, and dairy, meat and poultry
processing.
"According to the 12th Five-Year Plan put forward by the Chinese
government, improving food quality and ensuring food safety will
continue to be a major focus in China," said Douglas M. Baker, Jr.,
Ecolab chairman and CEO, at today's grand opening ceremony. "This plant
shows our commitment to providing innovative and sustainable products
and services to support food safety and public health solutions in
China."
In addition to creating products that help improve food safety and
public health practices, the plant has been designed for environmental
sustainability. It operates using features that reduce energy and water
consumption while minimizing waste production. The facility will not
discharge industrial wastewater. The facility's wastewater treatment
plant will convert process wastewater into distilled water for re-use
on-site.
Ecolab entered China in 1987. Since 2008, Ecolab has invested $150
million in Chinese markets. In addition to the new Taicang plant, Ecolab
currently operates five other plants in Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai,
Guangzhou and Taiwan.
"Together with our other plant locations, our newest Taicang facility
will be a main driver of continued Ecolab growth in China," said Tim
Wang, vice president and general manager of Ecolab Greater China. "As we
grow, we will continue to promote food safety and public health
awareness and best practices."
About Ecolab
With 2011 pro forma sales of $11 billion and more than 40,000 employees,
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy
technologies and services that provide and protect clean water, safe
food, abundant energy and healthy environments. Ecolab delivers
comprehensive programs and services to the food, energy, healthcare,
industrial and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. For more
news and information about Ecolab, visit www.ecolab.com.
(ECL-C)
Ecolab
Roman Blahoski, 651-293-4385
MediaRelations@Ecolab.com
Source: Ecolab Inc.
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