In a year when its parent company has been hit hard seeing its profits drop 34%, Amcol Minerals Europe (AME) has endured what has been an unsteady time for overall bentonite demand.
AME’s relative success has been driven in the main by the progress of its most recent acquisition, a bentonite mine and processing operation in Turkey Amcol Minerals Madencilik (AMM, formerly Bensan), according to commercial director, Alan Newbold.
“Demand wise we didn’t really suffer over the last year,” Newbold said in an interview with IM, “right across the board demand was solid.”
Europe’s detergent markets were described as “strong” while the bleaching earths sales performed in a similar manner. These two markets, for which AME supplies intermediate products, remained solid owing to its strong ties to the individual consumer.
Amcol’s Turkish operation has become a significant...