Solvay Indupa
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Petrochemical |
| Founded | September 16, 1948 in Río Negro Province, Argentina |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires , Argentina |
Area served | Latin America |
| Products | PVC, Caustic soda, Chlorine, Sodium hypochlorite |
Number of employees | 392 (2012) |
| Parent | Unipar Carbocloro |
| Website | www |
Solvay Indupa is a petrochemical enterprise from Argentina that was previously under the ownership of Solvay. The company contemplated divesting its operations to Braskem, however, this transaction was vetoed by the Brazilian antitrust authority. Positioned among the foremost petrochemical corporations in Latin America, Solvay Indupa maintains its main office in Buenos Aires and a branch in São Paulo, Brazil.
Its core product portfolio includes PVC, Caustic soda, Chlorine, and Sodium hypochlorite. In 2012, the firm generated revenues amounting to US$654.9 million but recorded a net deficit of US$22.1 million. With a workforce of 392 employees, since December 2016, it has operated as a subsidiary of Unipar Carbocloro.
History
Established on September 16, 1948, in Río Negro Province (Argentina), Indupa (short for Indústrias Patagonicas) emerged as a prominent manufacturer of chlorine, Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, and caustic soda. The company relocated its production facilities to the petrochemical center of Bahía Blanca in 1986. During the early 1990s economic downturn, it underwent government receivership. In 1995, a consortium led by Dow Chemical privatized the company once again, and in 1996, Solvay from Brussels acquired a majority 51% share. Expansion continued with the purchase of Solvay do Brasil and its Santo André plant (originally founded in 1941) in 1998.
In 2013, Solvay planned to transfer ownership of Solvay Indupa to Brazilian petrochemical leader Braskem, Latin America's largest firm in the sector; however, this deal was halted by Brazil’s competition regulators. Subsequently, in 2016, Unipar Carbocloro secured a controlling interest of 70.59% and initiated a public tender offer for the remaining shares.
Dioxin Contamination
In 1998, Indupa Solvay became involved in a European dioxin contamination incident after distributing lime milk with dioxin concentrations between 20 and 100 times above acceptable limits. This substance was utilized in Brazilian citrus pulp pellets that were fed to cattle across Europe. Monitoring efforts in Germany detected increasing dioxin levels in dairy products and meat starting from February 1998.
Recent investigations indicate that both the landfill site and adjacent areas near the Indupa Solvay facility continue to suffer from significant contamination, which likely affects sediments and floodplain zones along the Rio Grande (Paraná River) basin.