UBE Europe GmbH (UEG) markets nylon, fine chemicals and other advanced technology products to Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America and the Middle East.
Bridges spoke with Jeronimo Porras, president of UEG (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and vice president of UBE Corp. Europe, on the Japanese company’s recent expansion, sustainability efforts and the historical significance of Duesseldorf to the group.
Bridges: What achievements were met in the last two years despite the pandemic?
Porras: First of all, our main priority was to ensure the health and safety of our staff at all times.
We were satisfied and pleased with our results last year as we provided very good communication, service and support to all our UBE customers despite the challenging conditions created by the pandemic. The good economic results obtained were the natural consequence of our capacity to reshape and adapt our business activities together with our partners.
Establishing a liaison office in Istanbul, Turkey, was one of our achievements. It will enable us to engage with customers in developing markets and expand our main products of nylon resins, fine chemicals and other added-value materials.
We are also strengthening our activities in Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States in Eurasia, Russia and South America to reinforce our position as a global company.
Contributing to sustainability through our business is also an essential focus of our activities. For example, we held a virtual conference to discuss the environmental benefits, especially in terms of sustainability and recyclability, of nylon used in food applications and packaging with more than 1,000 attendees from leading companies and competitors worldwide.
What are the advantages of using nylon in food packaging?
Food waste and current packaging options are both causing environmental problems.
As e-commerce continues to thrive, flexible packaging solutions are needed. As a leader in nylon technology, we work closely with our customers to develop solutions that result in environmentally oriented solutions.
Our nylon products incorporate high mechanical strength and puncture resistance as well as other valuable barriers, thermal and optical properties. In addition, the weight and volume reduction achieved with higher-performing nylon-based packaging contribute to reductions in our customers’ carbon dioxide footprint.
How important is Duesseldorf to the group’s global operations?
The operation of UBE Corp. started in 1964, here in Germany, even before establishing a presence in Spain and South America. Japan and Germany share many cultural and social similarities and Duesseldorf plays a significant role in the UBE story.
We are proud of our history here as the industrial founders and initiators for UBE Corp. in Europe. The company’s global expansion is founded on our business development here and our commitment to Germany.
