Specialty graphene materials producer Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) (Cleveland, United Kingdom) has signed a distribution agreement with Carst & Walker (C&W) (Cape Town, South Africa) to extend the graphene company’s commercial reach into South African chemical markets.
C&W is part of Hobart Enterprises Ltd. (Douglas, United Kingdom), which operates across multiple global markets. C&W SA is a leading supplier of key additives to the South African paints and coatings industry, providing proprietary technical expertise to a well-established base of customers.
According to officials familiar with the agreement, the two companies plan to collaborate on opportunities in the South African market and introduce the graphene group’s proprietary Genable† product into the coatings marketplace there. The companies also say they are working together on opportunities in other territories.
“Our anticorrosion dispersion technologies are achieving growing industry recognition and commercial traction,” says Adrian Potts, CEO of the graphene materials company. “It is important that we establish a highly credible, robust, and technically reactive distribution network as we focus on expansion into international markets. As we are introducing a new technology, it is essential that our distribution partners are well trusted by their customer base and have a proactive and knowledgeable sales team to support new products.”
C&W companies distribute chemical materials for applications in the coatings, adhesives, plastics, personal care, food, and rubber industries. They have offices and warehousing facilities in South Africa, Kenya, and Australia.
“We have been tracking the technology development of AGM’s graphene and Genable dispersion and have seen first-hand the outstanding results they are achieving, particularly in the area of anticorrosion performance,” says Phil Hinton, director and international business manager for adhesives and coatings at C&W. “In the build up to signing the agreement, we have made extensive market soundings with our customer base and have already engaged with several key players in the South African market.”
†Trade name.
Source: AGM, www.appliedgraphenematerials.com.