About Sodawerk
At the date of sale, Sodawerk Staßfurt was a leading producer of soda and natron ash. Soda ash, along with common salt, is one of the most important starting materials for a large number of synthetically manufactured chemical products. It is mainly used in the glass and detergent industries. The Staßfurt soda facility supplied the most important glass and detergent producers in Germany and neighboring countries. In addition to soda ash, natron ash was also produced to a lesser extent. Natron ash is used in the food industry, in the medical sector, and in many other industries.
The strategy
In addition to the financially supported expansion of production capacity from 450,000 tons to 600,000 tons per year, the plant was completely rationalized and modernized. The management succeeded in strengthening the sales activities and in particular in acquiring new customers in neighboring countries. The GEP funds sold their participation to the Polish Ciech SA. This acquisition made Ciech the second largest European soda ash producer.