Houston – May 28, 2020 – Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a worldwide supplier of specialty and high-performance Carbon Black, today announced that it is building a new logistics center at its largest manufacturing plant in Cologne, Germany. Upon completion, the central warehouse will be 8,850 square-meters, equaling a capacity of approximately 12,400 pallets. 

“We produce 160,000 metric tons and more than 100 differentiated grades of carbon black at this facility each year which must be treated and handled very carefully. The new, modern distribution center will enable us to further grow our business in a location where we have deep roots,” said Dr. Sandra Niewiem, Senior Vice President Specialty Carbon Black and EMEA Region. 

The new building, a turnkey project of Goldbeck construction company, will have eight truck docks. It will equalize plant traffic – with about one hundred trucks passing through the plant gate every day. In addition, the new warehouse will eliminate internal logistics, with consolidation into one location. Orion will lease the warehouse from Grieshaber. 

“With a space-optimized shuttle warehouse system and the connection to the warehouse via an automated material conveyor system, we will be able to guarantee a smooth and even more efficient flow of goods,” said Grieshaber Managing Director Mr. Gregor Schnell. 

Construction of the new distribution center will start in the next few weeks with the shell construction. The topping-out ceremony is planned for the end of June, with the handover and commissioning scheduled for December. 

About Orion 

Orion is a worldwide supplier of Carbon Black. We produce a broad range of Carbon Blacks that include high-performance Specialty Gas Blacks, Acetylene Blacks, Furnace Blacks, Lamp Blacks, Thermal Blacks and other Carbon Blacks that tint, colorize and enhance the performance of polymers, plastics, paints and coatings, inks and toners, textile fibers, adhesives and sealants, tires, and mechanical rubber goods such as automotive belts and hoses. Orion runs 14 global production sites. The group has approximately 1,450 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit our website www.orioncarbons.com. 

About Grieshaber 

GRIESHABER Logistik GmbH is an internationally active logistics service provider with its headquarter in Weingarten, Germany. Its range of services includes conventional and combined transport in Germany and abroad as well as comprehensive warehousing and packaging services. GRIESHABER is a specialist in the design and implementation of individual logistics solutions (contract logistics) for industrial and commercial customers, for example with a specially designed assembly plant in Slovenia for a leading global manufacturer of carbide tools. 

In addition to small parts logistics, the main focus of contract logistics is on pharmaceutical, food and automotive logistics. The portfolio is supplemented by, among other things, temperature-controlled transports, sea and inland waterway transport, hazardous goods transport, heavy goods transport as well as deadline and CEP transport. GRIESHABER is represented at seven locations in Europe. In addition to the German branches in Weingarten, Ravensburg, Kerpen, Grevenbroich/Pulheim, Singen and Mettmann, the company also has a location in Krsko, Slovenia. GRIESHABER Logistik GmbH 

emerged from Grieshaber GmbH, which was founded in 1951 by Heinrich Grieshaber the elder. The company, which is managed by the managing directors Roland Futterer (CFO), Gregor Schnell (CTO) and Alexander Tesch (COO), currently employs over 700 people and, together with GR Logistik GmbH, generates a turnover of almost 100 million euros. 

About Goldbeck 

Goldbeck is a construction company operating throughout Europe with a wide range of services. The main focus of its services is on the design, construction and management of industrial and logistics halls, office buildings and car parks. In addition, the family-owned company realizes schools, sports halls, senior citizens’ properties, day-care centres and solar plants. The range of services also includes facility management, re-construction in existing buildings and parking-lot management. Goldbeck relies on the concept of elementary construction with industrially prefabricated systems. These are mainly manufactured in the company’s own plants in Bielefeld, Treuen, Ulm and Hamm (all in Germany) as well as in the Czech Republic. This principle enables reliable quality, fast construction times and a particularly economical implementation. Goldbeck is a partner for medium-sized businesses as well as for large companies, investors, project developers and public clients. The company realized more than 470 projects with a total output of € 2.73 billion in the 2017/18 financial year. Goldbeck currently employs around 6,200 people. Goldbeck is represented at 48 locations in Germany and Europe. 

Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. 

Investor Relations
Wendy Wilson, +1 281-974-0155
[email protected]

Coordinated by the leading global tyre manufacturer Michelin and uniting 7 industrial partners, 5 Research & Technological Organizations (RTOs) and an innovation cluster into a European consortium in 5 countries, the BlackCycle project aims to enable a massive circular economy of tyres by designing world-first processes to produce new tyres from end-of-life tyres (ELTs). 

BlackCycle project information
BlackCycle project information

Officially launched in May 2020, the BlackCycle project involves 13 organisations1 in a unique European public-private partnership that will demonstrate the technical, environmental, and economic viability of world-first circular processes. The consortium will develop specific solutions to produce sustainable raw materials for tyres: ELT collection and feedstock selection, pyrolysis2 optimisation, oil refining and valorisation, furnace process optimisation, and sustainable tyre performance assessment. As early as 5-6 years after the project, close to 1 out of every 2 European ELTs will be incorporated into the only virtuous cycle of this magnitude amongst all industrial sectors for the recovery of end of life products. 

Funded by the Horizon 2020 program, BlackCycle benefits from an overall budget of about 16 M€ with an allocated European funding of about 12M€ (75% of project costs, see Fig. 1). About 35% of the project funding is allocated to SMEs, 15% to RTOs and 34% corresponds to the personnel costs. The consortium covers 5 European countries: France, Spain, Germany, Greece, and Switzerland and includes 7 industrial partners, 5 RTOs and an innovation cluster. Coordinated by Michelin, the consortium has designed an effective governance system involving a steering committee, a cluster synergies board, and a technical support committee. 

Context 

1.6 billion new tyres are sold worldwide each year, representing more than 26 million tons, and just as many fall into the category of end-of-life tyres (ELT) providing a large and partially tapped potential for material recovery. Today’s ELT treatment processes are not circular and do not result in many raw materials that can be reused in the tyre industry. Furthermore, as there is not enough solution to valorise materials from ELT in the EU, more than half of EU end-of-life and second-hand tyres are exported to far-off countries. 

A Circular Economy of Tyres in Europe as a goal 

The BlackCycle project aims at creating, developing, and optimising a full value chain form ELT feedstock to Secondary Raw Materials (SRMs), with no waste of resources in any part of the chain and a specific attention for the environmental impact. These SRMs will be used to develop new ranges of passenger car and truck tyres, which will be sold commercially in European and global markets. As a result, the BlackCycle value chain as a lower carbon footprint (see Figure 2), emitting 0.93 kg/CO2/kg tyres less and a lower using of fossil resources, using 0.89 kg fossil/kg ELT less. BlackCycle Press Statement at Project Kick-off 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 869625. 

By offering an economically and environmentally viable alternative, BlackCycle will reduce the export of end of life tyres. By relocating end-of-life tyre management and transformation within the EU, BlackCycle is expected to create sustainable jobs inside the EU. 

Communication contacts 

Michelin
Hervé Erschler | Press Relations Michelin Group
+33 6 70 47 85 04 | [email protected]

Orion Engineered Carbons
Dirk Rechenbach | Vice President Marketing Business Line Rubber
+49 151 120 28 200 | [email protected]

Pyrum Innovations
Pascal Klein | MBA
+49 6831 95948 0| [email protected]

Quantis
Christina Papadimitriou | Sustainability Consultant
+41 21 35 35 910 | [email protected]

CSIC-Instituto de Carboquimica (ICB)
Ramon Murillo | Scientific Researcher and leader of the Environmental Research Group
+34 976 733 977 | [email protected]

CPERI/CERTH
Elli Heracleous | Associate Professor
+30 2310 498 345 | [email protected]

Sisener Ingenieros SL
Pablo Gonzalez | Thermal Department Manager
+34 91 658 68 38 | [email protected]

Aliapur
Stéphanie Lafond | Communication Director
+33 6 14 48 15 42 | [email protected]

Estato Umweltservice GmbH
Alexander Prokein | CEO
+49 9 61 3 06 52 27 | [email protected]

HERA Holding
Javier Lacoma | International Business Manager
+34 932 051 010 | [email protected]

AXELERA
Laura-Mia Grevon | Communication & Event manager
+33 7 72 00 67 89 | [email protected]

Ineris
Karine Grimault | Press & media relations officer
+ 33 6 49 33 49 60 | [email protected]

Fundacion ICAMCYL
Santiago Cuesta | General Director
+34 987 440 481 | [email protected]

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 869625. 

2 The pyrolysis process is used to depolymerise organic products and to obtain new raw materials for other processes.