Water treatment outlook not dampened by downturn - Kemira

29 June 2009 14:22  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--The effects of the economic downturn are encouraging businesses to pay more attention to water treatment and reassess their working practices, a company executive said on Monday.

Harri Kerminen, CEO of Finnish specialty chemicals company Kemira, acknowledged that many companies were suffering lower sales volumes because of the recession, but said the upside was that many were now focussed on optimising their water use to cut expenditure and improve efficiency.

“Certainly this kind of industrial downturn is bad news for everybody but on a positive note this pushes us as a supplier, and our customers, to find new products and practices,” he said.

“Even in this recession we are putting a lot of effort into research and development activities that I hope in the longer term will bring more effective water treatment processes” added the CEO.

Kemira provides services for both municipal waterworks and industrial customers, said Kerminen. Although the former was performing well and remains a stable market, the industrial side has particularly felt the impact of the credit crunch.

The downturn has seen many operations cut back or shut down, meaning that water treatment companies have in turn been affected.

Looking ahead, however, Kerminen remained upbeat.

“There will always be a need for clean water so if you’re in the water business, then in principle, in the longer term you should have a positive outlook. The question for the industrial side of the business is just how long this recession will last.”

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By: Andy Brice
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