Lonza Group acquired Arch in a US$1.4bn deal a year ago and said integration was progressing to plan, with its wood treatment business ahead of target due in part to a buoyant market in Europe.
Lonza revenues were up 64.6% to CHF1.9bn in the first half of 2012, mainly due to Arch, the company said, and profits before exceptional items were CHF168m. CEO Richard Ridinger said it was building a world-leading business in microbial control and the integration of Arch was on target to achieve increased sales of at least US$40m by the end of 2014 based on cross-selling activities.
In the UK, Lonza Wood Protection said the launch of Tanalith E 8000, the more powerful version of Tanalith E wood preservative, was progressing well. It had been in development for several years and combines Tanalith E with BARamine technology, a patent-pending process that provides improved performance against standard fungi and mould and a broader spectrum of activity against decay organisms.
Marketing services manager David Law said there had been a positive market response. "This is a key product for us. We are in the process of converting our customers in the UK and Ireland to the new 8000 and the market had reacted very well."
