A top tier chemical plant on the Humber has a new manager.
Chris Johnson has taken the helm at Solenis’ Grimsby operations, leading a 40-strong team involved in the production of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries.
Born and raised in Cleethorpes, he worked in process operations for Tronox - then SCM - and Lindsey Oil Refinery, before moving to Scotland to work for BP for a decade. He returned to the South Bank in 2020, joining Lenzing Fibers as production manager, before the opportunity at the neighbouring plant emerged.
Read more: Latest Humber appointments round-up
Mr Johnson said: “I’d only been with Lenzing for a year but the role at Solenis was too good an opportunity to turn down.”
Built in 1995 as Allied Colloids, flocculants are produced - soluble solutions that bring clarifying properties to water. They are used in oil fields, mining and water treatment.
The plant was acquired by Ciba Specialty Chemicals in 1998, and BASF in 2009. BASF formed a joint venture with Solenis in 2019, and since the start of 2022 the company is 100 per cent owned by Platinum Equity.
Operating 24/7, a total of 30,000 tonnes of product a year leave the site.
Mr Johnson said: “I am keen to build on the long and proud record the site has got in terms of environmental, health and safety performance, and there is recognition in the business that there is scope to move to producing more than the current 30,000 tonnes a year up without a huge amount of capital investment.
“We can grow, we have a lot of new product development going on in the business, we always have markets opening, so there is definite potential.”
There is strong interest in geothermal heating as the company shapes towards a greener future.
“One challenge is about how we position ourselves to best take advantage of the changing world we are in,” he said. “There is a shift away from the mining industry, to which we have historically provided products to help them become more efficient, with less waste and less impact on the environment.”
Having worked through the pandemic without major disruption, energy prices are having an impact, with costs escalating to unprecedented levels, and rising.
“We’re doing a lot of work to try and better manage energy costs, we are very much into continuous improvements, not always big dramatic wins, but small things, little differences., optimising processes and getting smart about energy waste,” he said.
“There’s a lot of work going on under the surface, and I’m hugely impressed with the calibre and mindset of the team here. - it is no exaggeration to say it is as switched on a team as any I have worked with, which is credit to the company for the ethos and my predecessors.”
He also wants to increase diversity, with the opportunity presented by a first apprenticeship intake in two years. A lab-based role and process operations post are currently open, with the former Matthew Humberstone pupil working with Franklin College and Tollbar Academy.
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