New Distribution Center In Rotterdam - PS Translation

02_08 Year 19 www.brenntag.com
North America
New Personal Care
Applications Lab
El Salvador
30 Years Of
Ongoing Growth
Oil & Gas
Global Contract
For Shell
Refineries
FECC Annual Congress
“Partnership
For Success”
Netherlands
New Distribution Center
In Rotterdam

Published by:
Brenntag Holding GmbH
Hubertus Spethmann (V.i.S.d.P.)
Stinnes-Platz 1
D-45472 Mülheim an der Ruhr
Email: hubertus.spethmann
@brenntag.de
What’s New
Photo: bisonrallyteam.nl
8
Editor:
Simone Jähnel
Tel.: +49 (0) 208/7828-
7702
Email: simone.jaehnel
@brenntag.de
Brenntag Specialties
uSA opened a
new personal care
laboratory in New
Jersey.
16
Brenntag Latin
America focuses
on specialty chemicals
and aims to
remain the partner
of choice in the
region.
25
The Brenntag iT
team recently
brought the business
processes in
Switzerland into
top form using the
ARIS platform.
31
Jean-Pierre
Jacobs, Brenntag
sales engineer from
the Netherlands,
put the pedal to
the metal in the
Central Europe
Rally 2008.
What’s New
Netherlands – New Site In Rotterdam 3
ukraine/Russia – Brenntag Expands Network With Dipol 4
Netherlands – Brenntag Acquires C. N. Schmidt 4
uK/ireland – Albion Supplies Water Purity Chemicals To Scottish Water 5
Belgium/Sweden – Brenntag acquires Yara chemical supply activities 6
FECC Annual Congress – Partnership For Success 7
Slovakia – Brenntag Acquires Chemical Distribution Activities Of Centralchem 7
uSA – New Personal Care Applications Lab 8
Netherlands – Food Seminar With Gourmet Chef 8
Oil & Gas – Contract To Supply Shell Around The Globe 9
Specialties Europe – Interview With Dr. Christian Ohm 10
Companies in Focus
Specialties Europe – Image Project 12
El Salvador – 30 Years Of Ongoing Growth 14
Latin America – Concentrating On Specialties 16
Partners And Products
Norit NV – 1,001 Applications For Activated Carbon 19
Personal Care – Customer Day Dedicated To Naturalness 22
inside
Brazil – Salespersons Of The Year Honored 23
Germany – Brenntag Teams Participate In Local Fun Run 23
Spain – Plant Kiosk Closes Technological Gap 24
Switzerland – ARIS Platform Improves Workflow 25
uSA – Leading The Way In Customer Service 26
uSA – Brenntag Committed To Safety 27
Belgium – Fire Department Drill With 150 Participants 28
Poland – Brenntag Receives Award From Forbes 28
Poland – Seminar: Getting Down To The Meat Of Things 29
Germany – Emergency Drill At Brenntag GmbH 30
Germany – Safety Training For Professional Drivers 30
Employee Profile – Jean-Pierre Jacobs: Full-Throttle Through Central Europe 31
Puzzle 32
Editorial Partners:
Christoph Wennekers (CvD),
Sebastian Arackal,
VVA Kommunikation Essen
Tel.: +49 (0)201/8 71 26 57
Email: c.wennekers@vva.de
Title image: Official start of operation of the distribution center in Rotterdam (from left
to right): Jan Joop Alberts (General Manager Sourcing Industrial Chemicals Europe),
Carl Blomme (Managing Director Brenntag Benelux), Harry van Baarlen (Commercial
Director Industrial Chemicals) and Steve Holland (Chief Executive Brenntag Europe).
Picture desk:
Jens Peters, Frank
Schuberth
VVA Kommunikation Essen
design:
Sonja Komander,
VVA Kommunikation Essen
Publishing House:
VVA Kommunikation Düsseldorf
Photos:
Brenntag (unless otherwise specified)
Translation:
PS Translation, Germersheim
Brenntag together is published in German, English and Spanish with a circulation of 14,700 copies and online on www.brenntag.com.
The Netherlands
New Distribution
Center In Rotterdam
On June 13, 2008, Brenntag officially opened a new site in the “Chemiehaven”
port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in the presence of numerous guests.
“Thanks to the efficient set-up and
the flexibility created through the
connection with the Vopak terminal,
this new site will support the further
development of Brenntag in the Netherlands
in terms of the distribution
of solvents and chemicals as well as
our service and quality for customers
and suppliers,” said Steve Holland,
Chief Executive Brenntag Europe, at
the opening. At the new facility, which
replaces the former location opposite
of the Chemiehaven, Brenntag will
store, handle and distribute a broad
range of bulk and packed solvents
and other products.
The new facility features an ultramodern
area for loading solvents into
trucks. Drums are filled at one of the
drum-filling stations, automatically
palletized and subsequently transported
to a warehouse for storage.
Another warehouse was built to store
packed products. Both warehouses
have a capacity of 6,300 pallets each.
The site also has extensive mixing and
blending facilities and a new office
building. The new facilities comply
with the strictest regulations and gui-
delines regarding safety, health and
environment (SHE). More than 30%
of the total investment was earmarked
for SHE expenditures.
The new site is built on an area of
30,000 m² adjacent to the Vopak terminal,
together with which Brenntag
has developed an innovative and efficient
integration of the new facilities:
Solvents are stored in Brenntag’s
own underground tanks of 50 m³ each
as well as in high-volume tanks of 800
m³ to 1200 m³ at the Vopak site. The
two sites are connected via pipeline,
which allows Brenntag to handle the
products at its own site. “Also other
partners can take advantage of this
cooperation; for example by storing
their products at Vopak and using the
Brenntag facilities for handling and
distribution,” says Carl Blomme, Managing
Director Brenntag Benelux.
Brenntag Nederland B.V., a leading
distributor of chemicals in the Netherlands
with more than 240 employees,
belongs to the Brenntag Group. Royal
Vopak operates more than 76 tank
terminals in 31 countries. The Dutch
company is the international market
Numerous guests joined Brenntag to celebrate the
opening of the new ultra-modern distribution center
in Rotterdam.
leader in independent storage and
handling of liquid petroleum products,
chemicals, vegetable oils and
liquid gas.
u
Contact: Marja Kooijman
mjkooijman@brenntag.nl
FACTS ANd FiGuRES
Total area: 30,000 m²
12,600 pallet spaces
4 filling stations for drums and IBC containers
1 filling station for canisters
40 underground double-walled tanks
2 mixing tanks
12 tanks (800 - 1200 m³, connected to Vopak) to store
deliveries from ships (inland and seagoing vessels)
10 km of stainless steel pipeline
4 tank truck filling stations with integrated weighbridge
8 tank truck unloading stations

What’s New
Brenntag Acquires
Chemical Distributor in
The Netherlands
AMSTERdAM C. N. Schmidt B.V. is focused
on the distribution of specialty
chemicals in the Netherlands and Belgium
and was acquired by Brenntag
in August 2008. Founded in 1921, the
company works primarily in the food,
pharmaceutical, rubber and water
treatment sectors. Carl Blomme, Managing
Director Brenntag in the Benelux,
comments: “Together with C. N.
Schmidt we expand our existing product
portfolio, our services and our
know-how in the specialty chemicals
market. With the joined forces Brenntag
will be the most attractive partner
for customers and suppliers in the
Benelux region.”
Steve Holland, Chief Executive Brenntag
Europe, sees this acquisition as
the ideal complement to Brenntag’s
distribution network in the Benelux
region: “In C. N. Schmidt we have
found a strong and experienced distributor
of specialty chemicals. This
acquisition enables us to strengthen
our position in the important Benelux
markets as well as our business in
Europe.”
Contact: Marja Kooijman
MJKooijman@brenntag.nl
The upcoming UEFA Euro 2012 soccer championships
are providing additional stimulus to the Ukrainian
economy: new streets and stadiums (photo: Donezk)
are being built and airports are being expanded.
Dipol’s expertise and distribution capabilities are in
high demand in related industries.
Foto: actionpress
ukraine/Russia
Brenntag Expands
Network With Dipol
Brenntag further expanded its distribution network in the ukraine,
Russia and the Baltic states with the acquisition of dipol Chemical
international inc. in early August 2008.
Steve Holland, Chief Executive Brenntag
Europe, says: “With Dipol Chemical International
as our partner, Brenntag
takes a further important step in
strengthening the distribution network
in Central and Eastern Europe. We
would like to extend a warm welcome
to both employees and management of
Dipol.”
Founded as a chemical consulting
company in the US in 1994, Dipol is now
a leading distributor of polymers and
specialty chemicals in the Ukraine, Russia
and the Baltic states and also provides
services in Belarus and Moldavia.
The company posted external sales of
US$ 100 million in 2007. Dipol operates
a well-established distribution network
via offices and warehouses in Kiev, St.
Petersburg, Moscow and Riga and acts
as a distributor for such renowned companies
as Arkema, Clariant, DOW, DSM,
DuPont, Huntsman, Ineos and Ineos
Nova. The Kiev site is ISO 9001:2000 certified.
Dipol supplies a variety of industries,
typically as a single-source supplier.
Helmut Struger, Managing Director
Brenntag CEE GmbH, says: “The acquisition
enables Brenntag to enter the market
in the Ukraine and substantially in-
creases our presence in Russia. We see
huge potential in this area and want to
participate in the growth of this region.
Furthermore this cooperation is an
ideal foothold to enhance Brenntag’s
attractiveness for suppliers and customers
in fields such as food, cosmetics,
construction, paint & varnish, automotive
and oil & gas. We are very excited
about this acquisition and we are looking
forward to future development.”
Dipol estimates demand for polymers
in the Ukraine alone at 850,000
tons per year with above-average
growth rates. The majority of specialty
polymers for the booming construction,
automobile, packaging and household
goods industries there are imported,
primarily from Western Europe. The
upcoming UEFA Euro 2012 soccer championships
to be held in the Ukraine and
Poland are additionally stimulating market
demand. These are excellent starting
conditions for the distributor Dipol,
which like Brenntag is well-known
among its suppliers and customers for
outstanding consulting services and
expertise.
u
Further information:
www.dipol.net
FACTS ANd FiGuRES
BRENNTAG CEE
With sales of EUR 680 million in
2007, Brenntag Central and Eastern
Europe (Brenntag CEE) is the leading
chemicals distributor in the region.
Brenntag CEE is established in
14 countries with 1,400 employees.
Brenntag CEE supplies 32,000
customers from 50 locations.
uK/ireland
Albion Supplies Water Purity
Chemicals To Scottish Water
in early May 2008, Albion Chemicals signed a 1.3 million euro
contract with Scottish Water for the storage and supply of water
purity chemicals.
Albion Chemicals installed a dedicated
customer storage facility at its Glasgow
site to provide on-demand delivery
to Scottish Water. Kim Connor,
Quality Manager at Albion Chemicals,
is pleased about the future cooperation:
“We are delighted to be the
supplier of choice for Scottish Water.
Albion remains committed to providing
localized customer service in Scotland
and that is clearly a priority for
Scottish Water.”
Steven Carvel, Commercial Contract
Manager at Scottish Water, comments:
“Albion Chemicals will now be
engaged in our supplier development
program where innovation and efficiencies
are eagerly pursued. Working
effectively together we aim to
provide the best in class value proposition
for all our customers.” Scottish
Water provides high-quality drinking
water to over two million households
across Scotland. Every day the company
supplies 2.3 billion litres of clear,
fresh drinking water and treats nearly
one billion litres of wastewater.
Leading The Way With Comprehensive
Services
The Albion Chemicals Group is the
leading chemicals distributor in the
UK and Ireland and a member of the
The headquarters of
Albion Chemicals in
Glasgow.
Brenntag Group. Albion Chemicals has
more than 850 employees and supplies
18,000 customers from 18 strategically
located sites. The company offers
both industrial and specialty
chemicals as well as an extensive portfolio
of services for a variety of customers
in a diverse range of market
sectors.
It supplies 35% of the total coagulants
and inorganic liquids required
in the water treatment industry, thus
contributing to the safe provision of
water for 80 % of the UK population.
Part of the agreement involves storing
ultra-low bromate sodium hypochlorite,
a new addition to the
already extensive range of water
treatment chemicals stored at the
Glasgow site.
u
Albion Chemicals installed a
dedicated storage tank for water
treatment chemicals to ensure ondemand
delivery for Scottish Water.

Belgium/Sweden
What’s New
Brenntag acquires Yara
chemical supply activities
in late April, Brenntag acquired the chemical supply activities of Yara inter-
national ASA, Oslo, at the sites in Köping (Sweden) and Tertre (Belgium).
New members of
the Brenntag team:
André Detiège and
Evelyne Willaert in
Tertre (upper photo)
and Carl Norell and
Agnetta Ahlkvist in
Köping.
This means Yara fulfills the conditions
imposed by the European Union for
approval of the acquisition of Kemira
GrowHow Oy, a Finnish manufacturer
of fertilizers and industrial chemicals.
Brenntag will take over industrial
sales of ammonium nitrate solution,
aqueous ammonia and weak nitric
acid in Köping as well as ammonium
nitrate solution, aqueous ammonia,
and weak and concentrated nitric acid
in Tertre. These products are used as
raw materials or intermediates in a
variety of chemical applications, including
plastics and fine chemicals.
They are also employed in the manufacture
of non-military explosives and
to reduce nitrogen oxides in power
plants, combustion facilities and the
glass industry.
Brenntag Nordic took over responsibility
for activities in Köping in early
June 2008, while the Tertre site has
belonged to Brenntag NV, Belgium
since July 1. In both cases, the purchase
package included the related
loading and distribution facilities. The
new sites are located in the middle of
important industrial countries, allowing
Brenntag to secure significant
markets in the Benelux countries,
France, Germany, Sweden and Northern
Europe.
“With the acquired business Brenntag
Nordic will strengthen its leading
position and become even more
competitive in serving their customers,”
says Michael Pieters, Managing
Director Brenntag Nordic. Pierre
Claeys, Sales and Marketing Manager
Distribution, Brenntag NV, comments:
“We supply our customers throughout
Europe via truck and rail and offer
additional interesting synergies with
respect to the existing Brenntag product
portfolio.” Steve Holland, Chief
Executive Brenntag Europe, adds:
“We are proud of the addition of the
activities in Sweden and Belgium to
our international network and look
forward to strengthening and growing
the businesses of our customers
with the unique service Brenntag provides.”
Products For Environmental
Protection
Brenntag is Yara’s distribution partner
for AdBlue, an ultra-pure urea
solution used as a reducing agent in
the Selective Catalytic Reduction
(SCR) technology. As the top international
producer of mineral fertilizers,
technical gases and nitrogen oxide
products, Yara helps provide food for
the growing world population.
The industrial product portfolio
includes environmental protection
agents to safeguard air and water
purity and products to ensure food
quality. The tremendous diversity
and ongoing knowledge exchange
of the company’s workforce of more
than 8,000 employees worldwide
make Yara a leading performer in its
industry.
u
Contact: Michael Pieters
michael.pieters@brenntag-nordic.com
Pierre Claeys
pierre.claeys@brenntag.be
FECC Annual Congress in Hungary
“Partnership For Success”
300 members of the European Association
of Chemical distributors (FECC)
gathered at the annual congress in Budapest
in early June 2008, this year with
the theme “Partnership for Success.”
The participants from Western and
Eastern Europe, the US, Mexico, Brazil,
India, China and South Africa discussed
the role of partnerships and
cooperations between chemical distributors,
their suppliers and customers
in improving the supply chain.
Otto Linher, representative from
the EU Commission, reported on the
current guidelines of the REACH Initiative
regarding “only representatives”
(ORs). ORs are companies or
individuals that pre-register or register
chemicals on behalf of non-EU
manufacturers. Because non-EU manufacturers
without a subsidiary in the
European Union are legally forbidden
from registering their chemicals under
REACH, they are allowed to appoint
an exclusive representative
(“OR”) for this purpose if they want
to continue to export to the EU. In
addition to REACH, talks at the con-
gress addressed such important issues
as the increasing importance of
private equity investors in the chemicals
industry and developing the
markets of Eastern Europe, especially
Russia. Steve Holland, member of the
Executive Board of Brenntag Holding
GmbH and head of European business,
touched on the opportunities
for the industry in these regions, stating:
“Companies that invest in their
employees, in infrastructure and in
the international standard for health,
safety and the environment can
achieve sustainable growth in the
countries of Central and Eastern Europe.”
He used the success story of
Brenntag CEE (Central and Eastern
Europe) to illustrate his informed and
detailed lecture.
The number of FECC members has
been continuously increasing for
years and currently comprises all of
Western Europe as well as Hungary
and the Czech Republic. Numerous
national associations and companies
from Eastern and Southeastern Europe
are applying for membership,
which was one of the reasons for selecting
Budapest as the venue for this
year’s event.
During meeting breaks and the
gala dinner in particular, countless
experiences, strategies and of course
business cards were exchanged,
making this year’s FECC Congress
the ideal networking event for all
those involved.
u
Further information:
www.fecc.org
Brenntag Acquires Chemical Distribution Activities Of Centralchem
SLOVAKiA On January 9, 2008, two
years of purchase negotiations between
Brenntag and Centralchem were
successfully concluded. As part of the
purchase agreement, Brenntag will
take over one of Centralchem’s two
chemical distribution units in Slovakia.
The company will retain the other division,
the distribution of laboratory
chemicals, under its original name and
continue these activities in an agreedupon
volume.
Rudolf Bezák, Managing Director
of Brenntag SK, says: “This acquisition
means a long-range strengthening of
Brenntag’s position in the Slovakian
market. It also brings with it an increase
in sales, an increase in internal
operating profit and a significant
growth in production.”
Centralchem started distributing
chemical products in the central Slovakian
market in 1995 – about the
same time as Brenntag. Centralchem
originally operated as a sales channel
for the products of its parent company,
Detox. On the basis of these
products, in particular organochlorides/chlorinated
hydrocarbons, the
company was quickly able to supply
an extensive, practically exhaustive
range of chemical raw materials. By
gradually adding new raw materials
to its product lines and massively expanding
its sales area, the company
established itself as a distributor of
chemical products throughout Slovakia.
Centralchem opened a branch
office in Bratislava in 2003.
As part of the agreement, Brenntag
in Slovakia also took over three employees
who were a major factor in the
success of the company. Rudolf Bezák
adds: “Within just a few months of the
acquisition, it was evident that we
made absolutely the right decision.
The results look promising and initial
synergies are being established.”
Further information:
www.brenntag-cee.com
Centralchem’s site in Bratislava
In his talk, Steve
Holland described
opportunities for
growth for chemical
distributors in
Central and Eastern
Europe as well as
Russia.
Foto: FECC

What’s New
North America
New Personal Care Applications Lab
In the new personal
care applications
laboratory (from left to
right): Kailas Patel
(chemist), Michele
Margherita (Personal
Care Marketing
Director), Karl Gordon
(Manager Technical
Services) and Christina
Morgan (Research and
Development,
Formulations)
Brenntag Specialties inc. (BSi) is
pleased to announce the opening of
the new personal care applications
lab at its headquarters in South Plainfield,
New Jersey.
“Personal Care is a focus market for
us, as more and more customers are
reducing in-house lab capabilities,”
says Michele Margherita, Brenntag
North America Personal Care Marketing
Director. “We believe we can grow
profitably by investing resources of
value to our customers.”
Future projects for the new applications
lab will include improving customer
formulations and creating additional
prototypes for specific customers.
The lab will also test new
formulas, including lip balms, sunscreens,
foundations and pressed
powders. New ingredients will be incorporated
as BSI’s product line expands.
Exceptional Formulation Skills
Karl Gordon, Manager Technical Services,
will oversee this new facility in
addition to the existing color and analytical
laboratories, also on site. New
chemist Christina Morgan, Personal
Care Applications Specialist, brings
with her more than ten years of hair
and skin care formulation experience
and has exceptional skills and knowledge
in creating prototype formulas
and customer formulation solutions.
The Netherlands
Food Seminar With Gourmet Chef
The Food division in the Netherlands
has teamed up with renowned and
innovative dutch celebrity chef Ron
Blaauw.
Brenntag is the leading supplier of
food additives in the Netherlands. Ron
Blaauw runs a two-Michelin-star restaurant
near Amsterdam. Frank Haven,
Managing Director of Brenntag Specialties
in the Netherlands, is very pleased
with the new cooperation, commenting:
“Ron Blaauw, being so innovative
in his work, fits perfectly with our strategy
and way of thinking. We are proud
to be working with him and are certain
it will help to bring the Brenntag customer
event up to the next level.” In
October, Ron Blaauw took part in the
Brenntag workshop at the Higher Agricultural
School (HAS) in Den Bosch
(Netherlands), discussing innovative
food concepts with customers from the
food industry and preparing a selection
of delicious dishes.
BSI has been supplying the cosmetics
industry with high-quality
inorganic pigments and minerals for
more than 30 years. The services of
the company include modifying material
characteristics through different
types of surface treatment. “This
allows us to enhance the reactivity
and adhesion of the treated pigments
and materials or to provide other important
characteristics from the domain
of surface chemistry,” explains
Thomas Grunstra, BSI Director Marketing
Personal Care. Pigments and
minerals most frequently used in the
cosmetics industry include iron oxides,
ultramarine blues, manganese
violets, chrome hydrate, chrome oxide
greens, talc, colloidal kaolin,
sericite, mica, bentonite, titanium
dioxide and zinc oxide. These raw
substrates are further enhanced to
improve skin feel, texture, adhesion,
dispersibility and water repellency.
BSI Technical Services operates a total
of three labs focused on quality control
and applications chemistry, and performing
services such as quality assurance,
product inspection, testing, identification,
traceability and recommendations
for correcting and improving processes.
The 8-member team consists of
two managers, three chemists, two sample
room clerks and one administrative
secretary .
The analytical laboratory is the most
Brenntag believes that there is significant
potential for growth in food
additives within the Dutch hotel & catering
industry.
Innovative Ingredients
Culinary professionals are looking further
for innovative ingredients and are
beginning to see the world of opportunities
that lies ahead. Ron Blaauw for
instance was searching for a quality
sweetener with an improved taste for
extensive of the three labs and performs
the broadest range of tasks. It is responsible
for the quantitative and qualitative
analysis of all incoming materials. This
lab also provides product support for
sales and marketing and ensures that
product quality meets specifications.
The analytical lab also performs testing
and certification procedures on selected
USP/FCC products that are marketed
under the BSI private labeling program.
The color lab has been utilized for
many years to support the industrial pigments
business, including, but not limited
to ultramarine blue and iron oxides.
The recent addition of Sun Chemical’s
organic and pearlescent pigments for
the Industrial Market, and BASF’s pearlescent
pigments for the Personal Care
Market, will generate significant activity
in this area. The color lab has also been
expanded to include the evaluation and
development of new and competitive
colors for cosmetics applications, enabling
us to develop lab blends to match
existing customer’s shades.
u
Contact: Michele Margherita,
Thomas Grunstra,
mmargherita@brenntag.com,
tgrunstra@brenntag.com
Further information:
www.brenntagspecialties.com
use in his beverages and desserts. Brenntag
experts suggested their product
Sucralose, which turned out to be the
perfect fit. The professional chef was
also impressed with the binding agent
Methocel (HPMC), which is used to stabilize
food preparations. Willem van
Dam, Business Manager Life Sciences,
is convinced that both sides benefit
from this partnership: “At Brenntag we
are extremely good at finding solutions
for specific food requirements. For example,
we know how to thicken an oil
dressing and how to make a mousse
that keeps its texture and stability. However,
we are not professional chefs and
Brenntag Supplies Shell With SulfrZol® 54 Sulphiding Agent
BRENNTAG OiL & GAS signed in May
Photo: Shell
2008 a global contract to supply Shell
with SulfrZol® 54, a sulphiding agent
used in the fuel company’s refineries.
Shell has been using SulfrZol® 54, a
di-t-butyl polysulphide chemical, for
catalyst pre-sulphiding at various European
sites since 2004. Examples of
successful projects include refineries
in Stanlow (UK), Pernis (the Netherlands)
and Godorf (Germany). As part
of the agreement, Brenntag Oil & Gas
supplies a total of 30 Shell refineries
worldwide, of which 10 are based in
Europe. This makes Brenntag one of
the leading distributors in the market
of sulphiding chemicals.
Baijan Azimzadeh, Product Manager
at Brenntag Oil & Gas Europe, was assisted in closing the agreement
by Will Bridges from Brenntag subsidiary Coastal Chemical in the US
and by the Lubrizol Corporation, manufacturer of SulfrZol®. Together
they convinced Shell that catalyst pre-sulphiding using SulfrZol® 54
has a number of safety advantages. SulfrZol® fulfills stringent environmental
standards and saves both costs and energy. With its high
flash point of 100ºC, the product is safe and easy to handle. No special
measures are required with respect to production, packaging,
transportation, storage or clothing. Moreover, SulfrZol® 54 does not
have an unpleasant odor.
Brenntag is the official distributor and service provider on behalf of
Lubrizol. “The numerous visits, projects and promotions around
SulfrZol® are finally paying off,” says Azimzadeh. “When I started in
my position, the product was hardly recognized in the market. Both
clients and catalyst manufacturers were very skeptical and tended to
go with traditional sulphiding products, such as DMDS (di-methyl
di-sulphide). Fortunately, Shell has now recognized the safety advantages
of SulfrZol® 54.” Brenntag Oil & Gas anticipates that many other
refinery operators will follow Shell’s example.
Contact: Baijan Azimzadeh
bazimzadeh@brenntagoilandgas.com
therefore Ron Blaauw creates culinary
solutions for our customers. This is
where our relationship with Ron Blaauw
is so helpful.”
u
Contact: Willem van Dam
wvandam@brenntag.nl
Further information:
www.ronblaauw.nl/english
The Shell refinery in
Port Arthur, USA
Front row, from left to right:
Ron Blaauw (celebrity chef and
owner of the 2-Michelin-star
restaurant of the same name),
Frank Haven (Managing
Director of Brenntag Specialties
in the Netherlands) and Willem
van Dam (Business Manager Life
Sciences (Food, Feed & Pharma)
in the Netherlands). Back row,
from left to right: Dietmar and
Joris (cooks at Ron Blaauw’s
restaurant), Stephan Paul (sales
engineer at Brenntag) and
Menno Post (sous-chef at the
restaurant)

10 What’s New 11
Brenntag Specialties in Europe
“Our employees are the key
to our success”
Since June 2008, dr. Christian Ohm has been Marketing director of Brenntag Specialties
in Europe. He talks to together about how he sees his new role and what he deems to be
important for ensuring the long-term success of Brenntag in the specialties market.
What are your impressions of
Brenntag after your first few
months?
I was very impressed by the sheer variety
of Brenntag’s international specialties
business and, needless to say,
by the people who are so committed
to the success of the company. In addition
to this, I see Brenntag as a very
dynamic business that has the potential
for significant future growth. In
short: my first impressions and experiences
have been extremely stimulating
and positive.
And how do you rate the company’s
prospects in the specialties business?
I think that we are already well positioned
on the international market.
We have noted that our suppliers and
customers are gearing their activities
more and more towards the European
or even the global market. Above all,
I see significant potential in helping to
drive forward the development of their
business, by ensuring that Brenntag is
iN PROFiLE: dR. CHRiSTiAN OHM
a flexible and highly competent partner.
is this also how Brenntag is seen on
the market?
Not quite, in my view. In Europe, Brenntag
is seen above all as a major player
in the distribution of industrial
chemicals. The fact that Brenntag is
now also the European number one in
specialty chemicals is not yet known
throughout the market. However, we
are working hard to rectify this.
Can you give a few examples of how
you are going about this?
By ensuring that Brenntag is seen as a
partner that genuinely adds value to
the supply chain, and by actively increasing
the awareness of our range
of products and services.
Suppliers and customers essentially
expect the same things from us:
They want access to the market knowledge
and expertise of our technical
specialists and expect us to enhance
their credibility and competitive edge
Dr. Christian Ohm was born in Leverkusen-Opladen, Germany, in 1955. In
1981, he graduated from the University of Bonn with a degree in
chemistry, followed by a doctorate in organic chemistry three years later.
Dr. Ohm began his career at Bayer in Leverkusen in 1984, where he
headed the Polymer Development laboratory in the Rubber division. In
1991, he moved to Bayer subsidiary Polysar Rubber Corporation in Sarnia
(Canada), where he was department head in the area of Research &
Development. In 1994, Dr. Ohm returned to Leverkusen to assume a
managerial position in the area of Rubber Marketing. In 1996, he took
responsibility for the regional coordination of North America/Mexico for
Bayer AG. Having been appointed head of Marketing & Sales for
“Inorganic Basic Chemicals” in 2000, he took over as manager of the entire IBC area the following year.
Since June 2008, he has been Marketing Director of European Specialties at Brenntag.
Christian Ohm is married and has three children.
by offering a range of innovative products
and services, backed-up by a
world-class logistics network. For
Brenntag, being competitive means
providing not just the right price, but
the right overall service package. I
have every confidence that this approach
will enable us to extend our
leading position within the European
specialty chemicals market even further
in the future.
I am also very enthusiastic about our
new image brochures for Personal
Care, Food, Pharma and ACES. We will
be using the core messages and motifs
of these brochures for our international
trade fair activities, which in turn will
help hone the profile of our company.
is “distributor” still an accurate
description of what Brenntag does?
Not really. I see the term “distributor”
as being too narrow a description of
the wide range of services we provide
in the specialties business. In actual
fact, we are a very important link in
the value chain, involved in all stages
from new product development,
through logistics, consulting and active
support, all the way to final
processing.
does the creation of the new
Marketing director position signify
a major structural change within the
company?
No, I would be more inclined to say
that it signifies a new departure and
an increased focus on further developing
this growth business. As I mentioned
earlier, Brenntag also aims to
continue enhancing its profile – both
internally and externally – as a European
company in the field of specialty
chemicals. In this way, we can lay the
foundations for achieving our goal: to
outpace market growth in Europe. In
this regard, the creation of the new
position of Marketing Director of European
Specialties is a clear indication
of where the company wishes to go.
You mentioned honing the company’s
profile on the European
specialties market. is the organizational
structure suitable for this?
In my opinion, the structure has proved
its worth but still has much potential
to develop further. In the specialties
area, the national organizations can
turn to “European” colleagues – EBDMs
(European Business Development Managers)
and EMMs (European Marketing
Managers) – for support in the increasing
pan-European nature of their business.
The EBDMs or EMMs of the eight
specialty segments – Food, Pharma,
ACES, Personal Care, Feed, Polymers,
Cleaning and Water Treatment – preside
over the European panels for the
segment in question. Represented in
the panels themselves are the specialists
from within the individual countries
who are responsible for the segment.
In other words, we bring together all
of our international expertise in order
to develop strategies that will drive our
European business forward and deliver
our key objectives.
However, everyday work has shown
that there are overlaps that need to be
managed efficiently. My goal is to
make greater use of the transfer of
knowledge at a European level, above
and beyond the individual segments.
A prime example of how successful
this can be is the cooperation between
the Food and Pharma areas in Nutraceuticals.
In addition to the existing
committees featuring national managers
from each country, the EBDMs/
EMMs will be coming together on a
monthly basis, as of September 2008.
The objective of these meetings is to
share new developments and opportunities
and, following this, to discuss
together with colleagues and employees
new ways in which our goals can
be successfully implemented. I firmly
believe that we are in an excellent position
with this “individual country/European”
organizational set-up.
And motivated employees are an
absolute must.
Quite right. For me, our employees are
the key to our success; they are the
company’s most important asset.
I see that more and more responsibility
is being transferred to employees
and that their workload is increasing.
Communication is playing an ever
more important role. I believe that
providing ongoing training and keeping
employee know-how up-to-date is
the only way to meet the high requirements
that exist in this business. After
all, their motivation is the key for the
quality of our services and, at the end
of the day, the satisfaction of our business
partners.
Another key success factor in my
view is mutual trust. In other words,
agreements must be honored and the
“door should always be open”. I deal
with problems as soon as they arise
and try to solve them by means of personal
interaction. This is how I wish
for my performance to be judged.
How do you find the people at
Brenntag?
To answer this question, I would
need to get to know more people in
the company and find out exactly what
they do. For this reason, but also to
gain a better understanding of how
things work in each individual country
and region, I am currently visiting all
European countries. This is a very exciting
and interesting process. I have
rarely seen so many colleagues and
employees all fired up to “do business”.
The goal of not only keeping the
standard high, but working together
to make it even higher, is something
that I have sensed everywhere. u
Contact: Dr. Christian Ohm
christian.ohm@brenntag.de
Dr. Christian Ohm (l.),
Marketing Director
Brenntag Specialties
in Europe, talking to
Hubertus Spethmann,
Head of Corporate
Communications
Brenntag Holding

1 Companies in Focus 1
Brenntag Specialties Europe
„Shared Values, Shared Success“
Brenntag Specialties Europe has positioned itself for success by initiating a
broad image project.
An example of the new fair stand
design: here we see the Brenntag
Personal Care stand at InCosmetics
2008.
For several months now, Brenntag
Specialties Europe has marketed
itself with the slogan “Shared
Values – Shared Success.” Could you
explain the key messages of this
project?.
Hubertus Spethmann: In this project,
we highlight for our business partners
what Brenntag is today in the
European specialty chemicals business
and our performance edge: definitive
market leadership in specialty
chemicals distribution, outstanding
teams of experts and a unique network
allow our customers and suppliers
to achieve long-range profitable
growth. Brenntag also offers application
consulting services, individual
solutions and innovative marketing
strategies across all country borders
and product segments.
Corporate Communications together
with Brenntag Specialties Europe
was commissioned with communicating
and marketing the advantages
of this highly successful model
for the respective industries – making
the most of our talents, so to speak.
That sounds complex…
Susanne Schnaufert: It is indeed. Authenticity
is an elementary factor in
identifying and successfully establishing
a common image for the European
specialty chemicals business.
And this is a character trait that can
be found in our employees. Some 200
European colleagues in Specialty and
Industrial Chemicals helped initiate
and shape the project from the bottom
up. This is the only way we can
ensure that an internally developed
image manifests itself externally, with
respect to our business partners.
Special thanks are due to the European
Business Development managers
and all the colleagues who
participated in the workshops with
such dedication and intensity. We
could not have achieved such a high
quality without the tremendous support
of the entire team.
What does the image involve in
concrete terms and what were the
next steps you took?
Claudia Barian: Initially, we were looking
to develop a common image for
Brenntag Specialties in Europe to unmistakably
communicate Brenntag’s
expertise as market leader. Over the
course of various workshops with approximately
200 employees from all
eight industries, in other words ACES,
Personal Care, Food & Nutrition, Feed,
Pharma, Cleaning, Water Treatment
and Polymers, we identified three
common values as cornerstones of
the subsequent communication concept:
Passion – People – Performance.
Using these values as a guideline, we
teamed with our business development
managers to develop concrete
content for the respective industries
and implemented this content in the
form of brochures, advertisements,
product lists, websites and at fair
stands.
And how did “Shared Values –
Shared Success” emerge as the
slogan of the project?
Susanne Schnaufert: The slogan
“Shared Values – Shared Success” is
the culmination of our common values
of “Passion – People – Performance”
and our core strengths in the
domains of sourcing, technical expertise,
sales and logistics. This slogan
reflects all of these aspects: it is the
declaration of a common goal uniting
Brenntag Specialties Europe and helps
eliminate the patchwork image we
are often perceived to have in the
market.
Why does every publication feature
a Brenntag Specialties logo?
Claudia Barian: The Brenntag Specialties
logo has already been deployed
in the United States with great success.
It thus made sense to use it in
the image project for Europe. It visu-
ally emphasizes the position of Brenntag
Specialties within the company
and makes a distinctive impact in the
market.
What kind of challenges does one
face in this type of project?
Hubertus Spethmann: Sharpening the
brand image of Brenntag Specialties
Europe and achieving consistency
within Europe are pretty much the
greatest challenges. We work on this
project daily, developing the next brochures,
fair presentations, websites,
advertisements and trade press interviews
in a step-by-step manner, in
close co-operation with the teams
from the eight industries. Ultimately
the image is defined by the people
who transport the messages to the
market on a daily basis.
u
Claudia Barian, Corporate
Communications
Susanne Schnaufert,
Project Manager
Hubertus Spethmann,
Head of Corporate
Communications

1 Companies in Focus
1
Grounds for
celebration (from
left to right):
Salvador Paredes,
Operational
Manager Brenntag
El Salvador, Juan
Gómez de la Torre,
General Manager
Central America,
Julia Emma Granada,
Commercial
Manager Brenntag
El Salvador and
Federico García,
Financial Manager
Brenntag El Salvador.
El Salvador
30 Years Of Ongoing Growth
Brenntag El Salvador has enjoyed 30 years of successful business. The latest
highlight in its ongoing development: the expansion and modernization of its
site in Soyapango, San Salvador.
“The cooperation with internationally
renowned suppliers, a regional pool
of regular customers and a commitment
to continuously improving safety
have helped establish Brenntag as
one of the leading distributors in El
Salvador,” remarks Julia Emma Granada,
Commercial Manager Brenntag
El Salvador.
Since acquiring HCI in 2001, the
Brenntag subsidiary is organized under
Brenntag Latin America with
headquarters in Houston, Texas. Brenntag
El Salvador complies with all current
standards and is strongly committed
to plant safety, which is recognized
and appreciated not only by customers
but by the authorities as well. On
February 10, 2008 for instance, Brenntag
received a public award from the
fire department of El Salvador. A key
element in promoting quality, safety
and environmental protection is Brenntag
Latin America’s CASA program
(further information available online
at brenntagla.com). A current statistic
indicates 901 days without a plant accident
– an indication of how effective
the safety programs are. Brenntag El
Salvador has been ISO-9001 certified
since 2006 and currently employs a
workforce of 24.
Broad Product Portfolio
The history of the El Salvador subsidiary
began on February 15, 1977
SELECTEd SuPPLiERS
OF BRENNTAG
CENTRAL AMERiCA
Ajinomoto · ANSAC · Arch Chemical ·
Celanese · Cognis Mexicana ·
Degussa México · Dow Chemical ·
ExxonMobil · Jungbunzlauer ·
Quimpac Silicatos y Derivados ·
Solvay · Stepan · Wacker
The team from Brenntag
El Salvador with
commercial managers
from Brenntag Central
America: Julio Campollo
(Guatemala), Delmi de
Romeró (Honduras), Denis
Barria (Panamá), Norma
Roldán (Costa Rica), Juan
Gómez de la Torre
(General Manager
Brenntag Central
America), Gus Oorthuys
(Manager Brenntag
Export, Netherlands) and
Sweder van Rijckevorsel
(Brenntag Latin America,
Houston).
with the establishment of the Chemical
Center. The company began with
six employees in a rented warehouse
in the city center of the capital San
Salvador. The Center then constructed
its own building in the district of Soyapango
in 1982, with total storage
space of 3,060 m². Solvents were the
main product at the time and continue
to play an important role today,
currently accounting for more than
45% of sales. Today the product portfolio
of Brenntag El Salvador also includes
a diverse range of products
Guatemala Honduras
Pacific Ocean
San Salvador
from nearly all the business divisions.
The chemicals distributor expanded
and modernized its site in July
2007. Brenntag El Salvador supplies
customers throughout the country
(see also INFO) from its base in Soyapango,
where the distribution center
boasts an area of 4,385 m² since expansion.
The new facilities were officially
inaugurated in November 2007.
Brenntag made major investments in
all areas of the site. Tank capacity for
instance increased 67% to reach
345,000 liters. Dry goods storage was
increased 34%, while storage for flammable
products was expanded by
38%. Juan Gómez de la Torre, Regional
Manager Brenntag Central America,
comments: “A number of challenges
had to be overcome over the years,
but they all ultimately contributed to
the success of Brenntag in El Salvador.”
u
Contact: Julia Emma Granada
jgranada@brenntagla.com
iNFO: EL SALVAdOR
The new tank
installation in
Soyapango
El Salvador, which means “the Savior” in Spanish, is the
smallest country in Central America (21,000 km²) with the
highest population density (6.7 million inhabitants). It
borders Guatemala, Honduras and the Pacific Ocean. El
Salvador is characterized by a range of volcanoes that divide
the country into three regions: the southern coastline, the
central plateau and valleys, and the northern mountains.
The highest mountain is El Pital (2,730 m) on the border to
Honduras. The highest volcano is Santa Ana in the west,
with an elevation of 2,365 m. El Salvador’s main exports are
coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, cotton, gold and chemicals.
The country imports primarily machinery, food, textiles,
vehicles and crude oil.

1
Latin America
Partners Companies And in Products Focus
1
Polymer Additives And
Elastomers In Latin America
Brenntag Latin America is increasingly
concentrated on specialty chemicals.
The new field of polymer additives and
elastomers has already proven highly
successful.
Brenntag Latin America conducted a
market study in late 2006. The 2005
figures indicated a distribution volume
of some $100 million for polymer
additives and elastomers and strong
growth in Latin America. At 11,000
km long and 5,000 km wide however,
the dimensions of this market are immense,
with gigantic forests and long
mountain ranges. Manufacturing is
relatively limited in the area from
Mexico to Chile and from Ecuador to
Brazil. A large share of articles of
daily use must be imported. The varying
laws from country to country
also hinder business activity. But it is
amazing what Brenntag LA has
achieved despite these difficulties.
Michael Hansson, Director of Strategic
Sourcing for Brenntag Latin America,
explains: “By providing thorough
marketing intelligence to principals
and customers supported with an unmatched
and proven logistics network,
we are certain that we will be
able to outperform the growth expec-
tations of our suppliers. We are committed
to being the partner of choice
for the distribution of specialty chemical
products.”
Outstanding Employee Training
A key component in this strategy is a
sales force with outstanding training.
Regional managers have been assigned
responsibility for local sales
structure and strategy at Brenntag
Latin America, including Carla Castro
(Mexico and Central America), John
Penuela (Andino Norte) and Marcelo
Nacif (Cono Sur). They all have many
years of experience in these markets
and have succeeded in attracting numerable
renowned customers and
suppliers within a short period of
time. These managers and their sales
teams convince local customers
through meticulous lead management
including product samples,
sales literature and comprehensive
product information in close cooperation
with suppliers.
Brenntag is establishing itself in
the market as a full-service supplier.
Mark van der Meulen, Development
Manager for Polymer Additives &
Elastomers, reports: “As a result of
Brenntag’s ongoing commitment to
improving quality and safety, we are
the leading distributor in Latin America.
As such, we target the top end of
the market and offer an added value
package, to both customer and producer.
Our value proposition is based
on selling branded products, in com-
Foto: DOG-Chemie
Brenntag Latin America promotion (from
left): local trade fairs Expoplast in Peru and
Plastimagen in Mexico, customer visit, and
reception for customers.
bination with service.”
In addition to distributing topquality
products, Brenntag offers outstanding
technical support to ensure
that it achieves its ambitious goals.
On the basis of this philosophy, Brenntag
Latin America sought and found
suppliers with similar goals. “In the
meantime top-quality manufacturers
actively pursue us to have their products
placed at Brenntag,” Mark von
der Meulen is pleased to report. In
distributing polyolefins and PVC ad-

1
On-site with customer PROINSUELAS in Colombia. Brenntag Polymer Additives & Elastomers Team Andino Norte
captures the Latin American market.
SELECTEd SPECiALTY CHEMiCALS
SuPPLiERS
The laboratories, offices and production facilities of DOG-
CHEMIE have been based at the Port of Hamburg since
1902. DOG-Chemie is internationally active as a specialist in
additives for the rubber, lubricant and coating industries.
Brenntag Latin America works closely with its sales and
technical customer support departments.
SILBERLINE is a world leader and global supplier of highquality
special effect and performance pigments that
dramatically enhance the visual appeal of coatings, paints,
inks, plastics and textiles. Brenntag serves as Silberline’s
distribution partner in Mexico.
SONGWON Industrial Co., Ltd. is the world’s second-largest
manufacturer of phenolic and phosphite antioxidants. The
range of products distributed by Brenntag includes
Songnox® phenolic and phosphite antioxidants, Songstab
stearate, Songsorb® UV absorber and Songlight hindered
aminic light stabilizers.
Further information:
www.dog-chemie.de
www.silberline.com
www.songwonind.com
Companies in Focus Partners And Products
ditives, Brenntag Latin America works
for example with Songwon, the second-largest
producer in the world in
terms of both product range and capacity.
For rubber additives, Brenntag
partners with Sinorg, Kemai and Deutsche
Oelfabrik (DOG). The cooperation
with DOG was recently established,
thanks to an introduction from
Brenntag Nordic which had several
years of good experience. Other partners
of Brenntag in Latin America
include Sekisui, Rhodia, Silberline and
Wacker (see also: “Selected Specialty
Chemicals Suppliers”). Michael Hansson
adds: “Every partner is analyzed
with respect to potential synergies
and common objectives.”
Transparency In Communication
Brenntag is in the process of branching
out into additional specialty fields
outside the traditional Latin American
domains of Agro and Oil & Gas. The
main focus will initially be on Personal
Care, Paint Inks, Coatings, Adhesives
and Polymer Additives & Elastomers.
It is essential to keep close track of
the developments of all product lines
involved. In order to make communication
between all parties as transparent
as possible and facilitate mutual
understanding of priorities, Brenntag
recently introduced a web-based Sales
Efficiency Tool (SET). It gives selected
partners in the supply chain online access
to relevant information on current
projects. This enables Brenntag Latin
America to provide transparency,
which is essential in marketing specialties.
“The combination of technical development,
logistics security, quality
suppliers and open communication
made possible for instance with SET is
the key to growth,” comments Michael
Hansson. “The transparency we provide
by giving our strategic partners
access to a web-based tool will definitely
be a very important component
of our future success.”
u
Contact: Mark van der Meulen
mvandermeulen@brenntagla.com
Further information:
www.brenntagla.com
Photo: Norit
Norit NV
1,001 Applications For
Activated Carbon
Norit 'leading in purification' is a strong, well-known brand in the market for activated
carbon. The company’s cooperation with Brenntag dates back to 1926.
It was nearly a century ago that Norit
'leading in purification' began the
production of activated carbon on an
industrial scale. Company founder A.
Wijnberg developed a method for
decolorizing sugar syrup in the refining
process to produce white sugar.
Headquartered in Zenderen, the Netherlands,
the company has been one
of the leading producers of activated
carbon ever since. Today Norit is a
global company, leading the way in
purification solutions based on activated
carbon technology. The Norit
group supplies consumables, components,
systems and solutions for every
step of the water and beverage
value chain. Some eight percent of
the world’s population for instance
consumes water purified by Norit
technology – more than 15 million
cubic meters daily. The activated carbons
needed for this are produced or
reactivated in a multitude of sites in
the Netherlands, Italy, the UK and the
US, with company participation in
Mexico and Brazil. Norit 'leading in
purification' is also an active member
in a number of initiatives dedicated
to meeting the growing demands for
1

0 Partners And Products
1
Photo: Norit
sanitation equipment and clean water.
René Kuipers, CEO of Norit NV,
says: “The development and application
of high-quality purification technologies
allows us to find the ideal
balance between ecological, sanitary,
safety and economic considerations
and work toward our goal of a sustainable
future.”
Broad Spectrum Of Raw Materials
A wide spectrum of raw materials,
including peat, wood, lignite, coal,
coconut shells and even olive pits, are
used to produce a vast array of activated
carbon types. The portfolio of
products available for delivery is accordingly
diverse. By controlling variations
in physical nature (powdered,
broken granular or extruded), particle
size (from extremely fine powders to
4-mm extrudates), degree of activation,
purity, and through specific aftertreatments
such as impregnation,
Norit 'leading in purification' can offer
a carbon type for every application.
“You never need to force fit a Norit
carbon.”
Purification by activated carbon is
a proven, modern, state-of-the-art
technology with a long tradition for
a multitude of purification needs. The
Ancient Greeks used charcoal to ease
the symptoms of food poisoning. And
during the time of Columbus, sailors
used to blacken the insides of water
barrels with fire, having observed that
the water would stay fresh much
longer by doing so. This beneficial
behavior of carbonized materials has
to do with the phenomenon that contaminants,
typically organic compounds,
tend to accumulate on surfaces
– a process commonly referred
to as adsorption. It was the adsorption
of organic compounds from the
water that impeded the growth of
bacteria in the sailors’ barrels. Likewise
it was adsorption of the toxins
emitted by ingested bacteria that reduced
the effects of food poisoning
in Ancient Greece.
A Spoonful For A Soccer Field
It is the physical nature of the surface
that makes adsorption occur. In the
case of activated carbon, it is primarily
the sheer size of the surface that
makes it so effective; a single spoonful
of activated carbon can easily contain
the equivalent surface area of an
entire soccer field. This surface area
is created during the activation process.
The most common process is
steam activation, in which steam molecules
at approximately 1000°C selec-
tively burn holes in the carbonized
raw material to create a multitude of
pores inside the carbonaceous matrix.
In chemical activation, phosphoric
acid is used to generate a similar
porous system at lower temperatures.
Purification is the primary field of
application for activated carbon. The
vast porous structure of the carbonaceous
matrix allows activated carbon
to eliminate unwanted contaminants
from all types of streams (both liquid
and gas) in a cost-effective manner.
But the unique porous structure lends
itself to many fields of application
outside of purification, for instance
as a catalyst carrier or in gold extraction.
Exciting new fields of use continue
to be discovered today.
Brenntag Supplies Numerous
Customers
Brenntag assists Norit 'leading in purification'
with its state-of-the-art
distribution network. For instance
Brenntag Nordic acts as a distributor
of Norit products in the four Nordic
countries of Sweden, Finland, Norway
and Denmark. Applications for Norit
products lie primarily in pharmaceuticals,
food & beverage, drinking and
waste water, chemicals, mining, catalysts,
and gas & air. Bengt Unnefors,
Brenntag Product Manager, comments:
“Brenntag Nordic supplies
Norit’s more than 200 different grades
of activated carbon to numerous customers
in all fields of application.
Many customers receive deliveries
from our distribution warehouses,
but we sometimes also ship bulk or
packed goods to customers directly
from the factory.”
Bengt Unnefors adds: “The ambition
of Norit in Brenntag’s Nordic region
is to be the market leader in the
next four to five years.” The prospects
certainly look good: “Norit 'leading
in purification' is a reliable partner
with outstanding expertise that can
help us develop the market and give
us more opportunities to grow our
business. The name Norit 'leading in
purification' itself is a unique selling
proposition. Additional quality features
include secure and reliable deliveries,
custom support, special
equipment and a well-trained sales
force.”
Photo: Norit
Additional Opportunities For Growth
In Environmental Protection
Increasingly stringent environmental
legislation is another factor that could
stimulate business. Bengt Unnefors
remarks, “Activated Carbon is a long
established, well known product.
Norit Activated Carbon is introducing
new and improved grades to meet the
latest market needs.” Demands on
wastewater treatment for instance
have increased both at the municipal
level and in the pharmaceuticals industry.
Wastewater must be carefully
treated to remove hormones, drug
residues, pesticides, herbicides and
other substances. The corresponding
regulation has already been included
in an EU Framework Directive for water
scheduled to come into force in
2015. Affected companies are beginning
the necessary preparations much
earlier. The new European HACCP
(Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points) guidelines for food and pharmaceuticals
will also lead to an increased
use of activated carbon for
purification purposes.
Brenntag provides support for
Norit’s own sales force. Backed up by
a team of application specialists, it
ensures that customers in more than
150 countries around the world are
adequately served in meeting their
purification needs. “Wherever you are,
there is always a Norit representative
at hand” – and this is also true for its
sister companies providing membranes,
valves, CO2 recovery and analytics
under the umbrella of Norit.
u
Contact: Bengt Unnefors
bengt.unnefors@brenntag-nordic.com
Further information:
www.norit.com
A PERFECT TEAM:
BRENNTAG ANd NORiT
The initiative of Hanne Geiger, Sales Executive at
Brenntag Nordic, landed a lucrative new customer for
Brenntag’s partner Norit 'leading in purification'. After
reading an online article from the Norwegian environmental
agency, she quickly established contact between
Norit and a potential new customer, manganese producer
RDMN. Norwegian daily newspaper “Rana Blad” even
reported on this development, excerpted here:
RDMN Stops Mercury Emissions
On Friday, Rio Doce Manganese Norway (RDMN)
tested the newly installed equipment from Dutch
manufacturer Norit… The pilot plant will run until a
permanent solution for removing mercury is found.
Managing Director Svein Are Olsen from RDMN says
that this plant will be used as a fully operational
pilot plant to test how efficient this solution is in
the longer run. The process is based primarily on
the addition of activated carbon…
According to the manufacturer, this should remove
97-99% of the mercury in the flue gas from the
sinter plant … Process Metallurgist Johan Eilertsen
from RDMN explains that the pilot plant injects
activated carbon into the airflow from the sinter
plant. Mercury in the air stream binds with the
activated carbon and is then collected in filter
bags...
Contact: Hanne Geiger
hanne.geiger@brenntag-nordic.com
The photo was taken during a joint product seminar May 20-21, 2008
in Stockholm, attended by 20 sales representatives from Brenntag
Nordic and Norit. Martin Fisher, Area Manager at Norit (left) and
Bengt Unnefors, Brenntag Product Manager (right).

The Personal Care
division of Brenntag
Specialties in France
(from left): Christelle
Berthelot, Rola
Mahbouba, Elodie
Jean-Louis, Maelle
Guillot, Caroline
Fouillaret, Anne
Giraud, Anne
Thomasson
Partners And Products
Personal Care
Customer Day Dedicated
To Naturalness
This past March, the Personal Care division of Brenntag Specialties in France staged a
highly successful customer day dedicated to the theme of Naturalness. Anne Thomasson
and Elodie Jean-Louis, managers of the project, gave us a glimpse behind the scenes.
What are the advantages of a
customer day?
One meets participants in an informal
setting at this kind of event, which
makes it possible for customers and
suppliers to interact on a very direct
basis. Another advantage is that we
can concentrate on presenting a selection
of products from a very specific
area. This further strengthens our image
as a cosmetics specialist.
What preparations were necessary
and how much work was involved?
It was a full time job during 2 months
for Elodie, our Marketing assistant, to
organize this event.
Why did you choose the theme of
Naturalness?
The decision reflects current demand
and an overall trend in the market.
We selected carefully within our product
portfolio the “natural” based ingredients
fitting the best with the
trend and we invited the suppliers
concerned who all answered very
positively.
Whom did you invite and what was
the reaction?
We wanted to attract our largest but
also our most loyal customers to our
customer day. We sent then an invitation
via email to 82 of them. In the
end, 31 customers attended the event
who represents about 40% of positive
answers, which is very successful.
What is the appeal of the customer
day for participants?
The main advantages for the customer
are the concentration on a specific
theme, the variety of presented products
and the large number of suppliers
present.
What kind of feedback did you get
from customers?
More concretely, we had to send more
than 150 samples to the attendees. So
we expect quite a lot of new developments
and new business in the end.
do you plan to hold another
customer day?
Definitely. An event with the theme
“Sensorics” is already planned for next
year. We also send out electronic mailings
in which we present a new ingredient
to our customers every four to
five weeks. This program allows us to
highlight new chemicals in our product
portfolio or selectively promote
raw materials from our catalog that
would be of particular interest to our
customers.
u
Contact: Anne Thomasson
athomasson@brenntag.fr
Elodie Jean-Louis
ejeanlouis@brenntag.fr
Aline Serre
aserre@brenntag.fr
Foto: mauritius images
Brazil
Salespersons Of The Year Honored
Prize winners Ederson Botjuk (2nd from left) and Cristiane Freitas (right) with their managers
Cidro Basseto Junior and Christiano Costa
For the first time, Brenntag Brazil has
selected two employees as “Salespersons
of the Year.”
Brenntag Brazil is active primarily
within the two major economic and
industrial areas of Brazil, namely the
southern region and the southeast
region (including São Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro and Minas Gerais). Ederson
Botjuk was honored as the best salesperson
from the south (state of Santa
GERMANY The “Mülheimer Firmenlauf,”
a fun run held in Mülheim is
becoming increasingly popular every
year. More than 100 company-sponsored
teams participated in 2007,
while this year there were 127, including
three from Brenntag.
Recreational runners from various
companies throughout North Rhine-
Westphalia, Germany’s most populous
state, took part in this year’s fun run
on June 15. Teams consisted of 4 members
and included men’s, women’s
and mixed divisions over five and ten
kilometers. Participants were allowed
to do both runs if desired. The company-sponsored
fun run is part of the
Tengelmann Run, which has been held
for 13 years and is open to anyone.
1,833 individual runners and 508 company-affiliated
runners took part in
this year’s event.
This sporting event was initiated
by Karl-Erivan Haub, a businessman
from the food industry. Since 1994,
proceeds from the entry fees as well
as company donations go to benefit
disabled children and youth. In 2007
for instance, the German Special Olympics
association used the proceeds
from the run to organize a Germany-
Catarina), while Cristiane Freitas won
the award in the southeast region (São
Paulo sales territory).
Cristiane Freitas has worked at
Brenntag since 1997, when she started
her career as a chemist trainee. Today
she provides service to customers in
the paint segment and remarks: “It
was very important to participate in
this competition as it stimulates one
to fulfill one’s dreams, employing
Brenntag Teams Participate In Local Fun Run
wide swimming competition which
attracted 250 athletes. A school used
money it received from the run to purchase
electronic aids to facilitate communication
for students unable to
speak. And for years now, a local
group promoting health sport and
movement therapy has used the proceeds
from the event to provide a
transportation service for disabled
children and youth. More than EUR
165,000 in total have been raised for
charitable causes in the past twelve
years.
inside
creativity and especially team work.
Thanks Brenntag!” Ederson Botjuk has
been with the company for twelve
years and adds: “The award is an incentive
for all of us to keep doing even
better business for Brenntag.” And the
two sales specialists are certain that
they could not have won this award
without the support they received
from their colleagues from internal
sales, administration, finance and logistics.
The criteria for this award included
increasing gross profit margin and
sales volume as well as teamwork, attitude,
dedication and professionalism.
As a prize, the winners will each
receive a trip to Houston, including a
visit to Brenntag Latin America headquarters.
Brenntag Brazil is again
sponsoring a competition and trip for
the best salespersons in 2008… u
Contact: Frederik Laumans
flaumans@brenntagla.com
Alejandro Fernandez
afernandez@brenntagla.com
Despite its status as a fun run, competition
is intense and times are recorded
with ultra-modern technology.
Microchips attached to runners’ shoes
transmit the identification code of
each individual runner to the timing
system. As the fastest runner of the
three Brenntag teams, Jessica Sonnberger
also placed 3rd in her age
group in the 10-km distance and 20th
overall, with a time of 47:01 minutes.
Congratulations Jessica! Participation
is anticipated to be even higher in
2009…
Left photo: the
participants shortly
after the start…
Right: Brenntag
sponsored three
teams in the fun run,
with an age range of
21 to 44 years

inside
Brenntag iberia
Plant Kiosk Closes
Technological Gap
Employees who do not have their own PC can now use the plant kiosk to access
the interactive corporate portal of Brenntag iberia.
Felipe García, IT manager at Brenntag
Iberia, states: “Brenntag Iberia is a
modern organization with a growing
interactive portal, which offers our
employees a broad range of updated
services and information on what is
happening in the company.” Up to
now, access to the corporate portal
by our employees in Spain and Portugal
was only possible via company
computers. But because production
employees typically do not have their
own computers at work, they were
unable to use the portal. “The larger
the portal became, the farther these
workers lagged behind their office
colleagues,” says Felipe García.
The electronic kiosk, promoted by
Human Resources, is designed to
close this technological and informational
gap. Now all employees have
access to the system and can find out
about the latest developments in the
Brenntag group, inform themselves
about company policies and quality
standards, print out pay stubs and
manage emails.
The kiosk is equipped with a magnetic
card reader, so that employees
only have to swipe their ID cards and
enter their 4-digit PIN. The system
recognizes the user and customizes
the content it displays.
The plant kiosk looks like an ATM
and is operated in a similar
manner.
Frédéric Pierre, President Brenntag
Iberia, comments: “We hope
that introducing this new information
system will help motivate and
integrate all employees and better
consolidate corporate culture.” New
services are planned for the portal,
including an e-learning platform to
allow production employees to easily
participate in training courses (e.g.
in safety).
u
Contact: Felipe Garcia
felipe.garcia@brenntag.es
Switzerland
ARIS Platform Improves Workflow
The new ARiS Platform software helps Brenntag Schweizerhall
streamline business processes and improve workflows.
Launched in December 2007, the extensive
IT project was concluded in
late May 2008 with workshops for
employees in purchasing, sales and
production. Ludger Kruse from Corporate
IT in Mülheim, Germany was
very pleased with the results: “The
team achieved a lot in just a short
time and successfully modeled the
processes. All employees who participated
were very enthusiastic
about the workshops.” This was confirmed
by Beatrice Del Principe, who
was responsible for the Swiss project
together with Christian Messmer and
Ludger Kruse. “Employees submitted
more than 200 suggestions for improvement
to the project,” she noted.
She finds it “typically Swiss” that employees
not only discuss concerns
and suggestions internally; they also
manage to persuade external consultants.
Integrating Brenntag Schweizerhall
in the business group was only one
reason for the complex IT project.
Messmer explains: “Our IT group was
also interested in tapping synergies
and using the models for SAP tests.”
Integrated Modeling Of Business
Processes
Brenntag has used the program
from the well-known software and
consulting company IDS Scheer for
three years, with the goal of consistently
modeling, standardizing and
optimizing business processes in the
European subsidiaries. The sophisticated
ARIS tool allows detailed modeling
and thorough analysis of business
processes and provides answers
to such questions as: Who works on
a task in what order, what activities
are carried out and what software
systems are used? “This makes it possible
to identify organizational, structural
and technical weak points and
develop strategies for improvement,”
explains Ludger Kruse. “In the end,
the best process solutions prevail and
can be standardized."
In addition to Germany and Switzerland,
the subsidiaries in France,
Belgium and Central and Eastern Europe
(Brenntag CEE) rely on the ARIS
software. Brenntag hopes to improve
its organization and management in
Europe and have better control over
cross-national business processes. In
June 2007, Ludger Kruse and his team
were awarded the Business Process
Excellence Award from IDS Scheer
(see together 3/07).
u
Contact: Ludger Kruse
ludger.kruse@brenntag.de
Beatrice Del Principe
beatrice.delprincipe@brenntag.ch
Further information:
www.ids-scheer.de
The ARIS project
team (from left to
right): Beatrice
Del Principe,
Christian Messmer
(Project Manager),
Markus Näher,
Ralph Deuster,
Urs Salvisberg and
Philipp Winter.

North America
Leading The Way In Customer Service
Many of the
Customer Service
Managers from the
eight US subsidiaries
had never met
before, but by the
end of the third day
strong and lasting
relationships had
been forged
inside
At Brenntag North America’s Customer Service Summit in June 2008, the focus was on
best practices in customer services and how, as a team, to raise customer service to a
higher level.
Superb customer service is a priority
at Brenntag, and participants Melisa
Steinruck (Northeast), Jamie Smith
(Southeast), Brenda Hill (Southwest),
Amber Hayward (Great Lakes), Linda
Bovee (Pacific), Ramona Smolder/Donna
Hewitt (Specialties), Tiffany Snodgrass
(Mid-South) and Jay Senterfitt
(Coastal Chemical) brought high expectations
and great enthusiasm to
the meeting. As a team, the managers
worked together to define a range of
superior customer service practices
involving phone etiquette, business
and system process improvements and
enhanced product knowledge.
Facilitators Todd Stewart, North
American Director MIS, and Chet Murphy,
North American VP Market Development,
kept each day packed with
wide-ranging topics such as customer
stratification, order confirmation,
product safety, inside sales, “selling
up,” sample requests, e-commerce,
employee motivation and much more.
Group exercises and individual role
playing helped to emphasize and reinforce
various parts of the agenda.
Additional management team members
Gary Critser (Mid-South), Kevin
Bagin (Great Lakes), and Nina Basile
(Headquarters), provided additional
input and feedback related to their
respective areas of responsibility.
By the conclusion of the summit
meeting, participants had developed
an impressive list of specific, executable
goals to be completed in the following
months. They will now pass this
information on to the customer service
employees in the subsidiaries, the goal
being to provide customers not only
with exceptional service but with “service
that will pleasantly surprise.” It is
planned to continue the summit meetings
in the years to come. The idea is
to maintain momentum as we pursue
our vision of making Brenntag the recognized
leader in customer service
excellence within our industry. u
Contact: Chet Murphy
cmurphy@brenntag.com
The Customer Service Summit expanded
upon parts of the “Brenntag University”
training program, in accordance with the
motto: “It’s never too late for professional
development.”
North America
Brenntag Committed To Safety
More than seven years of safe operations are certainly grounds for celebration.
To mark the occasion, Brenntag treated its Portland employees to grilled steaks and
baked potatoes.
Brenntag Pacific President Steve Pozzi
took time to help highlight the accomplishment
and reminded employees
that safety is everyone’s responsibility,
from the top down: “People
are our most important asset and the
quality of our team sets us apart from
the competition.” Troy Bangs, Operations
Supervisor, and Joe Mesa, Warehouse
Supervisor, have been at the
plant in Oregon for more than 20
years. They take the time at the start
of each day to make a quick safety
statement, followed by various reminders
throughout the day. “Always
have the proper personal protection
gear, especially eye protection,” says
Bangs. Forklift safety is a particular
concern.
Portland Operations Manager
Kevin Hutchinson holds weekly safety
meetings, while Tom Bajema, Vice
President Operations for Brenntag
Pacific and his team of Safety, Regulatory
and Quality Managers have developed
a prevention program to
record and analyze near misses. Brenntag
also invested in a major safety
improvement project, which involved
replacing older storage tanks in Portland
and a complete overhaul of the
electrical system. David Garner, Vice
President of Operations for Brenntag
North America, states: “The health
and safety of our workers and the
communities in which we operate are
a principal concern of Brenntag.”
The Portland facility, acquired in
the Quadra Chemicals purchase, is a
packaging and distribution hub for
the Pacific Northwest. Custom blends
of cleaning and sanitation products
To celebrate 2,500 days of operation without an accident,
Brenntag Portland treated its employees to a barbecue.
are also produced here. The customer
base includes the paper and pulp industry,
chemical manufacturing, agriculture
and food processing. u
Contact: Steve Dallman
sdallman@brenntag.com

The simulated
accident at the
Brenntag
site involved several
trucks loaded with
liquid and solid
hazardous materials.
inside
Forbes Honors Brenntag Investments
POLANd On March 6, 2008, Brenntag Polska
garnered an illustrious award from financial
and business news magazine Forbes. Forbes
awards its “swallow” statues to outstanding
companies that have had a positive influence
on the economic development of the
region.
Brenntag Poland received the award as
the most important company in its region.
The company’s investments were
cited as “Achievement of the Year,” in
particular the new warehouse and
ultra-modern production facility
for dry and liquid feed additives
built last year at its distribution
center in Kedzierzyn-Kozle. The
new facility has an annual capacity
of some 25,000 tons. The pro-
in May 2008, the local fire department
conducted an emergency drill at Brenntag’s
site in deerlijk.
A total of 150 firefighters took part
in the drill with the approval of on-site
security. The simulated accident involved
several trucks loaded with liquid
and solid hazardous materials. At
duction process complies with all safety and
hygiene standards and conforms to current
quality norms including ISO 9001:2000, Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control
Points (HACCP) to ensure food
safety as well as national and
European environmental regulations.
Forbes also publishes a ranking
of the world’s fastest growing
companies, which listed Brenntag
Polska as a “Forbes Diamond”
in 2007.
Further information:
www.forbes.com
Belgium
Fire Department Drill With 150 Participants
least five people were trapped in vehicles
and had to be freed by the fire
department.
The purpose of the exercise was to
practice correct procedures for dealing
with hazardous materials, including
potentially poisonous gases, under
realistic conditions. The main issues
Zenon Maslona, Managing Director of Brenntag
Polska, was pleased to personally accept the
prize on behalf of Brenntag.
for the emergency crews were: What
must be done first in this type of situation?
What protective measures are
available for the fire department?
What equipment is needed? All these
questions were addressed in detail in
the follow-up discussion. And it was
clear to everyone that emergency drills
consistently provide valuable new insights.
Kurt Blomme, Health and Safety
Officer at Brenntag NV Belgium,
says: “After all, not all emergency situations
can be addressed in advance in
the theory. Practical exercises are absolutely
necessary.”
u
Contact: Kurt Blomme
kurt.blomme@brenntag.be
2008 Meat Seminar in Poland
Getting Down To
The Meat Of Things
At an internal workshop in Kalisz, Poland, 20 Brenntag employees from the Food
divisions in Germany, italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands gained knowledge of many
food topics, including about the production of meat products.
The meeting was opened on March 10
by Urszula Danczyszyn, Food Product
Manager, who gave an interesting talk
and presentation on the products and
general background of Givaudan, the
leading producer in the flavor and
fragrance industry. Givaudan offers
solutions for nearly all food segments,
including beverages, dairy and wellness
products. Anna Diowksz from the
Technical University of Lodz then informed
seminar participants about
the Elena company. Elena’s product
portfolio includes freeze-dried fruits,
vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, spices
and meat. Its main customers are primarily
food manufacturers, especially
of dairy products, but also in the
sweets industry, meat and fish processing,
and hotels & restaurants.
Hands-On Experience With Baked
Goods
On the second day of the seminar, a
visit to the Vitpol meat processing
plant near Kalisz took place. During a
variety of workshops, participants prepared
their own baked goods, sausages
and ham. Recipes were provided
for the products, but participants
could add spices and flavors as de-
sired. After a final check of the appearance
to truly whet the appetite, the
participants tasted their own creations
and compared the costs of the ingredients
and additives used.
High-Quality Carrageenan Products
On the third day of the seminar, Erik
Andersen from the Spanish Ceamsa
company gave a presentation on various
high-quality carrageenan products.
He described how these additives
are produced and primarily used. As
an extract from red algae, carrageenan
is used in the food industry for in-
stance as a gelling agent in light products
and meats (sausage) and as a
thickening agent in cold-mixed jams,
baby food, milk products, milkshakes,
ice cream and desserts.
u
Contact: Cezary Kowalski
cezary.kowalski@brenntag.pl
The seminar was an
outstanding
opportunity to learn
more about meat
production and share
valuable experiences.
After a final check
of the appearance to
whet the appetite, the
participants tasted
their own creations.

0 inside 1
Germany
Emergency Drill At Brenntag GmbH
The protective suits
have positive pressure
inside, making it harder
for chemicals to
penetrate.
Monitoring the drill
(from left to right):
Hans-Joachim Poesch
(Brenntag), Bernd Eckard
(TÜV Technical Control
Board), Bernhard Kiefer
(factory inspectorate),
Dr. Anita Löbbert
(factory inspectorate)
and Peter Lukas (squad
leader, fire department).
Safety Training For Professional Drivers
GERMANY At the suggestion of truck
fleet managers, Brenntag GmbH sponsored
a safety course for truck drivers
in November 2007. The course was
organized by a road traffic vocational
training center based in Nordhausen
in case of emergency, it is imperative
that everyone knows exactly what to
do. Together with the municipal fire
department, Brenntag Kaiserslautern
simulated a chlorine gas accident on
its premises in december 2007.
To make the drill as realistic as possible,
the fire department arrived with
flashing lights and wailing sirens.
Representatives of the local factory
inspectorate and control board were
also on hand. Squad leader Peter Lukas
first identified the danger and
cordoned off the site. Then two firefighters
with full protective gear ap-
Skidding in the training truck
and took place at a training facility in
Obermehler. Andreas Frank, head of
logistics in Germany, comments, “The
goal of this training was to increase
drivers’ awareness of dangerous situations
on the road and for drivers to
proached the actual cause of the
simulated emergency: a defective cylinder
of chlorine gas. Just like in a real
accident, they were confronted with
billowing clouds of smoke, generated
in this case by a fog machine. The fire
department closed the gas cylinder
with an emergency cap and dispersed
the artificial cloud of gas with water
spray. The gas cylinder was then enclosed
in a special container and
safely transported away. Finally, measurements
indicated no danger in the
ambient air of the site, and the emergency
drill concluded.
The fire department was very
pleased with how the two-hour exercise
turned out. "Communication with
Brenntag GmbH was outstanding,”
praised the squad leader. And the fire
department will be conducting another
drill on-site in 2008, because,
as Lukas puts it: “An inspection is certainly
a good thing, but nothing can
replace a practical exercise.“
u
Contact: Hans-Joachim Poesch
joachim.poesch@brenntag.de
experience and recognize their own
limits.” Participation was mandatory
for Air1 tank truck drivers and voluntary
for all others. Interest in the program
was so great that an additional
two courses have been held, one in
Obermehler and another in Eisenach.
The program involved a theoretical
section and a considerable amount of
practice, under the watchful eye of
two certified driving trainers. Behind
the wheel of a special tip-resistant
tank vehicle with stabilizing equipment,
the professional Brenntag drivers
were able to experience how
quickly the limits of stability were
reached, even at low speeds of only
20 to 50 kilometers per hour.
Contact: Andreas Frank
andreas.frank@brenntag.de
Jean-Pierre Jacobs
Full-Throttle Through Central Europe
This man is unstoppable: Brenntag employee Jean-Pierre Jacobs from
the Netherlands, who as together readers will recall has participated
twice in the dakar Rally, competed in the Central Europe Rally 2008 in
late April. We hope you enjoy his exciting report.
“As a result of international political
tension and direct threats against
the race from terrorist organizations,
the 2008 Dakar Rally had to be completely
cancelled for the first time in
its history. This was a major disappointment
for the Bison Rally Team,
especially considering that the race
car bearing the number 1, in which
I ride as navigator, had already been
approved for start by FIA experts.
The Bison Rally Team consists of ten
persons, two race cars, one service
truck and an additional all-terrain
assistance vehicle.
We decided to participate in the
‘Central Europe Rally 2008’ through
Hungary and Romania instead. The
technically demanding route leads
from the Hungarian capital of Budapest
to Lake Balaton, occasionally
crossing over into Romania. Nearly
half of the total distance of 3,000
kilometers was run in special stages.
After the first stage we arrived in
Romania, where weather and road
conditions were much more extreme
than in Hungary. Stone pavement
alternated with mud along the narrow
roadways, and we even encountered
snow. We also faced technical
problems, including two flat tires,
electrical problems and, of greatest
concern, serious issues with the
brakes. Due to the continuous problems
with our brakes, we landed in
a river on day three of the rally. It
took us until 8 p.m. to recover the
car and return to camp. We worked
the entire night repairing the car and
finished just one hour before the
next day’s start!
The following three days our performance
was above average. During
the six specials we consistently finished
among the top amateurs. This
is a strong indication of how competitive
the team and our car are.”
Preparing For Dakar 2009
The team will work very hard in the
coming months to prepare the car, a
Desert Warrior with a BMW diesel
engine, for Dakar 2009. In contrast
to previous years, the 2009 event
(January 3-18) will take place along
an alternative route in South America
(Argentina & Chile). The start and
end will be in the Argentinean capital
of Buenos Aires. Drivers must negotiate
a distance of some 9,000 km,
including a crossing of the Andes.
The return trip will then lead them
across the Atacama Desert and
through the Argentinean provinces
of Catamarca, Rioja and Córdoba.
The together editorial team looks
forward to the next edition of this
report and wishes good luck to Jean-
Pierre and his team!
u
Contact: Jean-Pierre Jacobs
jpjacobs@brenntag.nl
Further information:
www.bisonrallyteam.nl
Brenntag engineer Jean-
Pierre Jacobs in his racing
suit.
The Bison Rally Team put
the pedal to the metal in
the Central Europe Rally
2008.

inside
The together Puzzle
Win a legendary 4GB iPod Nano!
Photo: Apple
Are you an expert in the field of chemistry? Then the new
version of the together puzzle is just the thing for you.
From all correct solutions received, the editors will again
draw a winner at random to receive a 4-GB Apple iPod
Nano. To participate, simply answer the following ques-
tions and use the specified letters to form the solution.
Hint: the solution is the name of an American chemist
who won both the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the Nobel
Peace Prize.
Please email your solution together with your complete mailing address,
phone number and email address, with the email subject “together puzzle”,
to together@brenntag.de, or send your solution via postcard to the editors
at the following address: Simone Jähnel, Brenntag Holding GmbH, Stinnes-
Platz 1, D-45472 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2009. From all
correct solutions received, winners will be drawn at
random to receive additional attractive prizes. The organizers’
decision is final. The editors hope you enjoy this puzzle!
Solution to the puzzle from the 1/2008 issue: Paul Ehrlich
1 An investigation of the component parts of a chemical sample (4th letter of the answer)
2 An alkaloid; component of various stimulating foods and beverages (6th letter o. a.)
3 Compounds of this element form the molecular basis of all life (6th letter of the answer)
4 A closed pressurized device (2nd letter of the answer)
5 A process in which one substance permeates another (3rd letter of the answer)
6 Positively charged particle in the nucleus of an atom (1st letter of the answer)
7 Poisonous transition metal with atomic number 48 (2nd letter of the answer)
8 The spontaneous net movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an
area of low concentration (5th letter of the answer)
9 A workplace for conducting scientific research (1st letter of the answer)
A negatively charged particle that binds with cations (3rd letter of the answer)
An important solvent; also known as dimethyl ketone (6th letter of the answer)
A device for separating mixtures using centrifugal force (9th letter of the answer)