FDBusiness.com

The Ravago Group (Belgium) and Barentz Europe B.V. (Netherlands) decided to combine their chemical distribution activities in a new 50/50 joint venture Barentz Ravago Chemical Specialist SA.  The new company will be operational as of 1 January 2012 and aims to become one of the leading chemical speciality distributors in Europe.

EMEA coverage of chemical distribution activities
The new joint venture will have total consolidated sales of over 160M€ with an excellent geographical spread covering Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and several CIS countries as well as the Middle East and Africa. Additionally the new Joint Venture will cooperate with the Campi y Jové group, a joint venture held 50% by Ravago, which covers Iberia and North Africa and having sales of 250M€. Together this results in a very attractive distribution footprint for chemical producers with combined, non consolidated sales of over 400M€.
Solid basis for further growth
Ravago and Barentz are convinced that the combination of these chemical activities provides the joint venture with the required scale to become one of the leading chemical distributors with a strong focus on chemical speciality, thanks to the expertise of the teams, the pan-European and EMEA coverage and the strong relationships with principals and customers.  Barentz Ravago Chemical Specialist SA will focus more and more on Pan European new business  with current and new Principals. The new joint venture will employ about 100 professionals spread over the different countries.  Hidde van der Wal, CEO of the Barentz Group, will be the CEO of Barentz Ravago Chemical Specialist SA. 
About the Ravago Group
Ravago is a privately owned multinational company, based in Belgium and founded in 1961. The Ravago Group offers an extensive product portfolio of plastics, rubbers and chemicals. They provide distribution, resale, compounding and recycling services for plastic and elastomeric raw materials and have a broad network of 200 regional sales offices and production locations. Total consolidated sales in 2010 amount to 4.3 Bn Euro and the group employs over 3900 persons.

About Barentz Europe B.V.
The Barentz Group is a privately owned company founded in 1953 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Today Barentz has a leading Pan European position distributing ingredients and additives for the food, pharmaceutical & cosmetic, chemical and animal nutrition industries. The group has built long term relationships with worldwide suppliers and European producers and shows solid financial results.
Barentz has its presence in 26 countries in Europe and employs more than 400 employees with an estimated turnover of more than 600 MIO Euro in 2011. Barentz’ drive is to further expand its positions within all four divisions all over Europe. This growth must be attained by providing innovative and creative solutions based on in depth knowledge of the markets, products and applications. Barentz owns 2 Centres of Excellence, 3 production locations, different laboratories and a sourcing office in Asia.

About Campi y Jové
Campi y Jové  distributes ingredients for the food, feed, pharma and chemical industries. Founded in  1923 in Spain and now serving Spain, Portugal and North Africa, Campi y Jové ranks within the top 20 European distributors with a yearly turnover of over 250 Mio Euro.  The Ravago Group has a 50% part in Campi y Jové .

Theo Roussis, CEO of the Ravago Group : “ This new family owned group of companies offers a very powerful true Pan European alternative for the chemical industries. It enables us to grow faster with our principals and customers.”
Hidde van der Wal, CEO of Barentz Europe B.V.: “It is fascinating to see that we create a new leader in the Chemical Distribution. A tremendous amount of knowledge and experience is bundled to create value and solutions for all our partners. It is a new start to create much more opportunities, including direct access to the Middle East and Africa. “