Salt

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Key Figures		2009	2008	%
Revenues	Mio. €	1,014.6	618.6	+64
EBIT I	Mio. €	140.	45.	+210.6
Capital expenditure	Mio. €	48.0	58.6	(18.1)
Employees as of 31.12.	Anzahl	5,279	2,394	+120.5

 

esco – european salt company is the largest supplier of salt in Europe
esco operates three rock salt mines, three brine plants as well as several evaporated salt facilities and is the largest supplier of salt in Europe. Our rock salt deposits were formed more than 230 million years ago. With up to 99 %, the purity of the salt we extract underground is very high and occupies a leading position among the competition in Europe. The production capacity of esco is about 9.7 m tonnes of crystallized salt and salt in brine per year.
It is a part of our strategy to consolidate and selectively expand our leading market position in Europe. Particularly in the areas of water softening and pharmaceutical salts, we see good possibilities for development. In the electrolyte business, we are tapping into further sales potential by offering our customers in the chemical industry more of our rock salt, in addition to evaporated salt. Furthermore, in 2008, we adopted a package of measures intended to increase efficiency and cut costs, which will secure the future viability and competitiveness of esco.

Sociedad Punta de Lobos offers salt for the next 200 years
The Chilean Sociedad Punta de Lobos extracts rock salt through costeffective open-cast mining in the Salar Grande of the Tarapacá. The excellent quality of the crude salt allows it to be processed into special products for a large number of application areas. The salt reserves in these deposits are sufficient to supply the world’s population with salt for the next 200 years. Production capacity amounts to over 6 million tonnes per annum. In mid-2008, a second port terminal was put into operation in Puerto Patillos. The port is located close to the open-cast mine and now has a loading capacity of about 9 million tonnes per year. Moreover, our subsidiary Salinas Diamante Branco operates a sea salt facility with an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes in the north-eastern part of Brazil. The production sites of the SPL Group are located logistically favourably for the attractive salt markets of South and North America. Especially in Brazil, but also in the USA, we see positive possibilities for development in the industrial sector, in water softening as well as pharmaceutical and textile salts.

Morton Salt is one of the leading saltproducers in North America
Morton Salt, one of the leading producers of consumer, industrial and de-icing salt in North America, is a subsidiary of K+S Group since October 1, 2009. Products featuring the famous Morton Umbrella Girl are the leading salt consumer brand in the US. The little girl spreading salt in the rain und the slogan “When it rains it pours” were introduced in 1914. Morton Salt operates 6 rock salt mines, 7 solar evaporation facilities, 10 vacuum pan operations as well as 62 salt stockpiles and 61 distribution centers. Its annual salt production capacity amounts to 13.1 million tonnes. Morton Salt has 2,900 employees and is headquartered in Chicago.

Food grade salt – a vital mineral
Salt is a vital mineral that plays a central role in controlling nerves and muscles as well as the fluid balance of the human body. We offer food grade salt also containing iodine and fluoride, which can prevent deficiency symptoms. Food grade salt and pickling salts convey taste and are used as a preservative in the production of foodstuffs such as meat, sausages, bread and cheese. Further more Morton Salt offers products such as  popcorn salt, kosher salt and salt used in making ice cream – all featuring the famous "Umbrella Girl”.  We also offer low-sodium products, which are aimed at consumers wanting a diet low in sodium. Base products for the broad range of our food grade salts are high-purity evaporated salts, but also rock salts in their natural form.

Industrial salt – a raw material with diverse application possibilities
Industrial salts are used by dyeing works, the textile industry, in the production of foodstuff for animals, to preserve fish, in drilling fluids used in the extraction of oil and natural gas as well as in many other industrial areas. Pharmaceutical salts are a key element in infusion and dialysis solutions. Water softening salts under the leading European esco brands axal® and Regenit® are mainly used in the form of tablets for water softening systems and guarantee soft water for their users. Morton Salt is also well positioned with its water-softening products and pool salts. The well-known Morton Pellets, which have been on the market since 1951 and have featured the patented System Saver formula since 1984, are the leading water-softening product for private households in the U.S.

Salt for chemical use – essential for the chemical industry
Salt for chemical use is one of the most important raw materials for the chemical industry. In electrolysis plants it is split into chlorine, caustic soda and hydrogen. It reaches the end user in the form of polyvinylchloride (PVC), for example, a synthetic material with numerous application possibilities such as flooring, window frames, piping systems and industrial packaging.

De-icing salt – the safety product for winter road maintenance services
Winter road maintenance services, public and private road authorities and commercial bulk customers procure de-icing agents from esco, SPL and Morton Salt. In addition to the standard de-icing salts, we offer moistened products, which make it possible to reduce the volume spread, while at the same time achieving an improved de-icing effect. Morton Salt additionally offers products recommended for extremely low temperatures down to 5º F – not an uncommon occurrence in the U.S., let alone in Canada.

Brine and other businesses rounding off the assortment
While sodium chloride brine is used in our evaporated salt production and by the chemical industry as a raw material, magnesium chloride solutions are mainly used in wet de-icing agents employed by winter road maintenance services. A service offered by esco at its Bernburg site is the storage of liquid gas in caverns. All maritime logistics for the SPL Group are handled through the company’s own shipping company Empremar. The company has five ships of its own to supply the South American markets with salt and products of third parties.

 

Visit the websites of esco - european salt company  http://www.esco-salt.com , of Sociedad Punta de Lobos http://www.spl.cl and of Morton Salt http://www.mortonsalt.com