A VIP visit was organised to a Warrington company to mark the 50th anniversary of a landmark production process.
The Belgian Ambassador to the UK, Jean-Michel Veranneman de Watervliet, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Warringto Graham and Elaine Welborn visited Solvay’s Warrington site.
They were part of the celebrations to mark the anniversary of Hydrogen Peroxide production by the auto oxidation (AO) process.
Peroxides business manager Eric Mignonat, technical manager Alain Vandenbussche and former managing director Jorge Oliveira were also present, along with Solvay employees and former staff.
Managing director Len Sharpe welcomed visitors and talked about how Hydrogen Peroxide production has evolved since its discovery in the 17th Century.
He said: “Bernard Laporte, a Belgian, successfully marketed our product in the UK from 1888 onwards as a bleach for the fashionable straw hat industry.”
He told how Solvay had been developing its version of the AO process and, in 1970, joined forces with Laporte to form the Interox group of companies.
“In 1986, Interox built a new AO Plant at Warrington, employing the then latest technology and costing over £20 million. That plant continues to operate today, albeit with a recently upgraded instrumentation and control system which once again ensures the plant operates with the latest technology,” he said.
The joint venture was later ended and the Warrington site became wholly owned by Solvay.
The Ambassador and the Mayor then unveiled a commemorative plaque.
Picture, courtesy of Photography for Industry, shows (left to right) managing director Len Sharpe, Ambassador Jean-Michel Veranneman de Watervliet and retired manufacturing manager Steve McKenzie studying a model of the AO Plant.
