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Granula AG of Switzerland was established in 1961. Granula Deutschland GmbH followed suit in 2002. Both national companies have eventually become leading players in the development and production of custom-made additive, color and combined masterbatches.
The product offer by Granula comprises masterbatches for numerous applications. Before all, that's the prolific industry of food packaging, namely various containers, caps & closures, as well as specialty films complying with food contact regulations of EEC and FDA. Granula's masterbatches for medical industry are among the few ISO 13485 certified ones for global compliance. Last but not least, Granula provides solutions for automotive, partnering with renowned brands such as Volkswagen, Opel or Daimler.
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Juerg Weibel, the managing director of Granula AG, explains: "We do not offer a standard range of off-the-shelf colours or additives; our range is custom-made and grows every day. Processing is very fine tuned. Our masterbatches may be a bit more expensive at the beginning but they save customers time in the long run in terms of total processing costs."
Food contact applications are very important for Granula that developed specific colours to comply with increasingly more stringent requirements, e.g. EU food contact legislation. Of growing importance is also the medical segment. Granula recently created and launched the production of a non-biocide masterbatch to avoid falling under the new EU biocide regulation in force. The product is supplied as a combi batch with the color; a large choice of thermoplastic base resins is available.
Juerg Weibel adds: "We do not believe that biocides have a long future; such chemicals may leak and cause problems in water treatment plants or in the food chain. We are testing this innovation with different customers at the moment." Granula's formulation baptized Accelothene has been patented by a trusted partner and is still being further developed.
The company upgrades its production facilities on a regular basis. This makes it possible to process better, mix better and consume less power. Company staff is trained and more personnel recruited to allow for developing innovative products. Granula did not disrupt investments even during unfavorable years such as 2008/2009.
The company is committed to the research on new products for replacing existing ones, widening color possibilities for masterbatches, and keeping prices reasonable.
Founded as a rather small Swiss enterprise, Granula has grown by widening its customer base to the entire Europe but also to Brazil, India, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S. In 2002, the Swiss plant was more or less cloned in Rudolstadt, Germany: the new facility employs the same production technology, the same processes and ERP system.
Juerg Weibel is confident: "Organic and sustainable growth in our major markets is the best way forward. Still, we would be ready to expand through acquisitions on an opportunity basis. We have the experience, a vast know-how, and experts in color formulation and supplies of almost any polymer, processing equipment or industry solution."
