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BÜFA invests in innovative scale-up business Ferr-Tech

Oldenburg-based chemical company becomes minority shareholder in specialty chemicals producer for industrial wastewater treatment applications

On Tuesday, 22nd of November 2022, CEO of the BÜFA Group, Felix Thalmann, and CEO of Ferr-Tech, Richard Bruins, signed the contract and made their strategic partnership official at Ferr-Tech's office in Meppel. BÜFA acquires a minority share in Ferr-Tech to accelerate growth. With this cooperation, the Ger-man chemical company is further expanding its commitment to innovative and sustainable solutions. With BÜFA’s investment of around 2 million euros in the next years, Ferr-Tech plans to increase the total produc-tion capacity of FerSol® (Ferrate (VI) in liquid form), expand the team, start a local production facility in the US and invest in further research and development.  
Innovations for more sustainability 
Sustainability is part of the DNA of BÜFA and Ferr-Tech. BÜFA is constantly expanding its portfolio to in-clude sustainable alternatives to its standard product portfolio. Through its own innovations in the area of products and processes, the company is consistently pursuing its goal of a sustainable circular economy.  The strategy and actions are guided by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. "Both partners complement each other well – BÜFA with its experienced sales organization in various international markets and Ferr-Tech as an agile scale-up business with its innovative technology. With our stake in Ferr-Tech, BÜFA is further broadening its position in specialty chemicals", states Managing Director of BÜFA Chemicals Natascha Fontanella. Ferr-Tech is the first company to provide the strong and environmentally friendly oxidizing chemical FerSol®, for industrial applications. Producing Ferrate(VI) in a stable and pre-servable form has been impossible until the Dutch scale-up business developed a unique process. It can be used to purify wastewater and it enables the reuse of water in the industry. In that sense it contributes to a sustainable circular economy. Ferr-Tech's CMO and co-owner Judith le Fèvre explains: “BÜFA is a strong strategic partner for Ferr-Tech. They add value to our company in knowledge, network and core values.”
From project partner to shareholder
Ferr-Tech and BÜFA started their cooperation in April, when BÜFA Chemicals became the official interna-tional distributor of FerSol® products. “BÜFA and Ferr-Tech share the same company philosophy. We focus on sustainability in all of our actions", explains Richard Bruins, CEO of Ferr-Tech. “Both partners use their expertise to provide innovative solutions for various industries. BÜFA invests in Ferr-Tech and thus in sus-tainable innovations for a future fit for next generations” says Felix Thalmann, CEO of the BÜFA Group. 

About Ferr-Tech
Ferr-Tech is a worldwide market leader in Ferrate (VI) applications for industrial (waste) water purification. Last September, Ferr-Tech won the WIS award 2022. Previously, they've accepted the CES innovation award 2022. Both awards were received in light of the water treatment product FerSol®. Because of a patented process, Ferr-Tech makes the use of Ferrate (VI) products available for the (waste) water industry. From the head office in Meppel, Ferr-Tech runs the water lab and takes care of high value water testing, experiments and analyses for customers. More information on Ferr-Tech at www.ferr-tech.com.

About BÜFA 
The BÜFA Group is an independent company in the chemical industry. The company founded in 1883 is based in Oldenburg and offers a large number of products and services internationally in the three business areas Chemicals, Cleaning and Composites. The customers include companies in the food processing, tex-tile, industrial and vehicle cleaning, wind energy, rail and commercial vehicle sectors as well as boat and shipbuilding. The BÜFA Group currently has 650 employees. In 2021, BÜFA achieved sales of 343 million euros. Anchored in the corporate principles, BÜFA is strictly based on the principle of sustainability. BÜFA relies on "New Chemistry" and combines economic efficiency with social responsibility. More information on BÜFA at www.buefa.com