‘Setting new standards’ DSM China extends summer shut down at vitamin C site for additional upgrades
This is the latest in a raft of upgrade measures the firm has carried out at the site, which it acquired in 2015. The facility is expected to reopen by Q4 2019 and DSM assured that supplies to customers would not be affected.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Esther de-Graaf-Groenendijk, DSM’s vitamin C global product manager said: “DSM Jiangshan production site has a summer shutdown every year to allow for maintenance and upgrades. This year’s shutdown is extended to implement the next series of upgrades in the areas of sustainability, quality, and safety.”
The facility last shut down in July 2018 for four months, undergoing extensive upgrading works such as installing a bio-gas boiler for efficient energy recovery.
Sjef Arets, vice-president of manufacturing for Europe and China at DSM told NutraIngredients-Asia last year that the in-house coal power plant had been closed and the firm had switched to a third party Chinese supplier, reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emission by 10 to 15%.
DSM plans to run the Jiangshan plant on natural gas power instead of coal within the next two years. This will eventually reduce their plant’s current carbon footprint by 50%.
de-Graaf-Groenendijk assured that the vitamin C supply will not be disrupted. “This is a scheduled stop and we have assured security of supply of vitamin C to our contracted customers.”
Discussing the latest upgrade works, she added: “Since acquiring the plant from Aland in 2015, DSM has invested significantly to reduce the environmental impact at its Jiangshan site as part of its ongoing commitment to quality, safety, sustainability and production efficiencies.
“These initiatives have helped improve product quality, workers’ safety, and further lower carbon footprint (CFP) indicatively onto the level much below that of the Chinese competition.
“DSM’s vitamin C produced in Jiangshan has GHG emissions that are between 24% and 38% lower than other alternatives sources of vitamin C in China.”
DSM has committed to making substantial future investments into sustainability initiatives across its global production network.
de-Graaf-Groenendijk remarked that these investments often went beyond what is required by the authorities, adding that DSM was helping to set new sustainability standards for all plants irrespective of where they are located.
DSM produces their vitamin C in two plants located in Scotland and China.
