FocusBrazil’s Braskem expands global footprint with new offices

14 October 2010 21:53  [Source: ICIS news]

By Hellen Berger

SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Brazilian petrochemical major Braskem is opening offices in Colombia and Peru amid plans to become a more global company, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

The new office in Bogota, Colombia, was scheduled to open its doors this month while operations in Lima, Peru, were planned to begin by the end of this year, said Braskem spokesperson Nelson Letaif.

Braskem recently announced that it was inaugurating in 2010 a new office in Singapore to operate as the company’s commercial bureau in Asia.

According to the company, operations in Colombia would be responsible for negotiating resins deals with markets in Central America as well as the Andes region.

Braskem said it considered the region “strategic” as a result of the proximity to other markets and tax-free zones.

A stable economy in the region would also contribute to making business and creating a favourable scenario for trade.

Braskem said it planned to increase its share in the region by offering local supplies of resins as well as services and technical assistance due to the proximity to its customers.

Meanwhile, Braskem’s office in Lima, Peru would be responsible for developing petrochemical projects in the region, including a major integrated complex that would produce polyethylene (PE), the company said.

The office in Peru would also coordinate Braskem’s businesses in other neighbouring countries such as Bolivia and Venezuela.

Regarding the role of its Singapore office, which would initially be involved with basic petrochemicals, Braskem said the region was the most important in Asia in terms of logistics. The bureau would manage business in Asian markets for future operations in the region and deal directly with customers in Singapore, China, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.

Braskem operates an office in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which was recently expanded to commercialise not only thermoplastic resins, but basic petrochemicals, olefins and aromatics in an effort to reach other markets throughout Europe.

Also, Braskem said its Houston office now manages business throughout the entire US.

Braskem’s first office abroad was opened in Argentina in 2002.

Braskem, which plans to be among the top five global petrochemicals firms by 2020, did not say how much it has invested in the new offices.

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By: Hellen Berger
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