Interview Dr Terry Yeates -Business Director (Health & Hygiene), Arch Chemicals Inc.
Based in Connecticut (USA), Arch Chemicals Inc (NYSE: ARJ) is a global Biocides company that embarks approximately $1.5 billion annual sales. With its manufacturing and customer-support facilities in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, and backed with workforce of around 3,000 employees, the company enjoys leading position in Treatment Products as well as Performance Products, and is a pioneer in providing innovative, chemistry-based solutions to control the growth of harmful microbes.
Treatment Products business segment of Arch Chemicals offers a range of special chemicals that are added to water, hair and skin care products, pressure-treated wood, paints and building products, and health and hygiene applications. The Purista brand under company’s Health & Hygiene division focuses on the positive attributes of cleanliness, freshness and purity, rather than the unpleasant aspects of bacterial growth. Purista treatments can be applied to various products including clothing, household goods, industrial textiles and now consumer plastics & foams.
Dr Terry Yeates is the Business Director for the Health & Hygiene portfolio within the Biocides Business of Arch Chemicals. He is responsible for identifying and delivering sustainable business growth in key market sectors on a global basis.
Dr Yeates has worked in the speciality chemicals industry for 20 years, initially joining ICI Chemicals and Polymers Division, and subsequently Zeneca Specialities, before joining the Protection & Hygiene business of Avecia Ltd in 1998. During that time, he has moved from a scientific research role, through techno-commercial marketing, to business management. In April 2004, Arch Chemicals Inc. acquired the Protection & Hygiene Business of Avecia, and Dr Yeates was entrusted the responsibilities as the Business Director.
In a talk with Face2Face team, Dr Terry Yeates paints larger picture of textile Biocides business worldwide in current economic climate.
fibre2fashion:
Initiating the talk, we would request you to let us and our visitor members know more about how does Arch Chemicals promote their textiles division?
Dr Terry Yeates
In 2007, we formed a global alliance with BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, to market our Purista freshness enhancing finish and Reputex 20, the chemical behind the Purista co-brand, which is used on treated consumer products. We are working with BASF to enter new application sectors in everyday clothing and home textiles, such as shirts, fashion tops and bed linens. We wanted to join forces with a company that would strengthen our existing operation, making Purista available to the global textiles market while at the same time offering technical development potential.
fibre2fashion:
In your opinion, how is the textile industry performing in the current economic climate?
Dr Terry Yeates
Like all other industries, textile manufacturing is being affected by the current world economic conditions. In terms of volume, apparel and home textiles sales are down. However, this presents textile manufacturers and retailers with the opportunity to invest in added-value treatments as a way to differentiate their products and to increase their bottom line by offering consumers quality items at competitive prices.
We have a number of development projects for Purista ongoing at the moment following adoptions from Tesco Lotus in Thailand for towels and bed linen, and Hollander in the USA for non-foam containing bedding.
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