Prayon, world leader in phosphate chemistry, plans to build a manufacturing plant for food grade sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP). Officials say the move will effectively double Prayon’s production capacity and strengthen its position in the food sector. 

Having completed preliminary studies, Prayon officials have decided to build on the group’s US site in Augusta, Ga. Projected capacity of the new SHMP factory will be 10,000 tons per year. The Augusta operation will complement Prayon’s other SHMP production unit in Roches de Condrieu, France.

Officials say the project is part of Prayon's food sector growth strategy. Those plans call for strategic development in emerging markets such as Latin America and Asia. Meanwhile, the US site will help Prayon meet growing customer demand for processed food applications. Likewise, the factory will help Prayon meet increasing internal needs for core products such as Carfosel™ (for meat and seafood applications) and Kasomel™ (for cheese).

With more than a century of industrial experience, the Belgium-based Prayon Group is a world leader in phosphate chemistry. The Prayon Group is owned jointly by the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) and the Wallonia Regional Investment Company (SRIW), which have equal stakes in it. With manufacturing operations in Belgium, France and the United States, Prayon serves a global customer base through a sales and service organization that spans the globe.

Prayon manufactures and markets an extensive range of purified phosphoric acids, phosphate salts and fluorine products from our sites throughout the world. The Prayon products are chiefly used as primary materials in the manufacture of end products. They are used in food (including baked goods, meat, processed cheese, fish and seafood, cereals, fruit and vegetables), drinks, pharmaceutical products (including toothpaste, oral hygiene products and excipients) and a range of industrial applications (for paper, ceramics, glass, metal, and so on).

— Prayon, www.prayon.com