Eka chemicals to increase prices on bleaching and paper chemicals by 5 %-30 % in Europe

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Nov. 15, 2010 (Press Release) - Eka Chemicals, the AkzoNobel Pulp and Paper Chemicals business will increase prices across its entire European Paper and Bleaching Chemicals product range with immediate effect, or as contracts permit. Depending on the product type, increases will range from 5 % to 30 %, as raw material availability and costs dictate.

"Dramatic increases during the past year in basic raw materials have impacted Eka Chemicals' cost structure. The impact to margins over the past year leads Eka to have to take more than just raw material cost into future pricing considerations", says Jay Hunsberger, European Marketing Director, Eka Chemicals AB, Sweden. "It is no longer a matter of properly managing our supply chains; raw material cost increases in 2010 have often been faster and higher than the speed at which we can implement a strategy to minimize the impact to our finished goods cost".