CLEVELAND, April 23, 2019 - The Lubrizol Corporation announces its Sheffield, UK-based Diamond Dispersions business has won the Queen's Award for International Trade for outstanding short-term growth. The award was presented for growth in overseas sales over the last three years.
Since 1966, the Queen's Award for Enterprise recognizes British businesses that excel in four categories, including International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity. It is the highest official UK awards program.
Diamond Dispersions, which manufactures color concentrates used in the manufacture of inkjet inks, mainly for the digital printing of textiles, is no stranger to this accolade having previously won the Queen's Award for International Trade in 2012. Overseas sales have more than doubled over the past three years, and the proportion of sales exported has increased to over 80% of total sales.
"We couldn't be prouder to receive recognition for our continued efforts and commitment to grow the company in such a prestigious way", says Keith Malone, commercial manager, Diamond Dispersions. "The Queen's Award is an honor that is admired across the globe, not just in the UK - and it deeply matters to every one of us at Diamond Dispersions."
"Over the last few years, our strategic planning has driven us to work more closely with print machine manufacturers (OEMS), enabling them to develop bespoke ink products," shares Andrew Grantham, marketing manager, Diamond Dispersions. "The closer relationships we've built have been a key driver to our sales growth over the last three years."
Diamond Dispersions has responded effectively to the rapidly growing digital print market by supporting customers as they seek to deliver customization, shorter print runs, just-in-time manufacturing and a desire for reduced stocks and wastage.
"We've also developed specific products for use in the pigmented digital textile printing market, which has huge potential for growth, "adds Grantham. "Pigment-based digital printing of cotton textiles, in particular, is much more environmentally friendly than dye-based printing as it requires less energy and water and eliminates waste-water effluent."
"Ever since Diamond Dispersions was established in 2007, we have taken every opportunity to further improve and enhance our customer service," concludes Grantham. "For example, to better serve customers locally and achieve the response times demanded by those customers, last year we made the decision to hold stock in several different countries including China, the US, India and Brazil."
"The Queen's Award is a great achievement and our whole team is justifiably very proud of the award," shares Charles Nelson, general manager, Diamond Dispersions. "Lubrizol is planning further investments in the business to ensure we keep pace with growing demand."
Diamond Dispersions will celebrate the award during a royal reception for Queen's Awards' winners in Summer 2019 and will host its own celebration in Sheffield in Autumn.
About Diamond Dispersions
Diamond Dispersions manufactures exceptional quality water-based pigment dispersions and disperse dye dispersions for the global inkjet ink market. Pigments and disperse dyes are the colored components in an ink and making a stable, liquid dispersion from these powders is the most difficult part of making an ink.
The team mill pigments and disperse dyes down to the nanometric scale and keep the particles stable as a suspension in water for up to two years. These extraordinary high-performance dispersions are used worldwide by multinational brands in the global inkjet ink market, mainly for digitally printing textiles.
Diamond Dispersions exports products to over 20 countries around the globe. The acquisition in 2016 by Lubrizol was valuable to both companies as Lubrizol offers world leading dispersant technologies and a global sales infrastructure while Diamond Dispersions brings a wealth of dispersion manufacturing know-how.
About Lubrizol Performance Coatings
Lubrizol is a market-driven innovator of specialty chemicals that solve today's challenges in the paints and coatings, printing and packaging, paper and textiles, plastics and composites, and digital print markets. More than just a supplier, we are a collaborator with extensive experience in surface protection, dispersion, adhesion, filtration and barrier properties that enables us to enhance the performance, simplicity, and sustainability benefits of our customers' products. With a commitment to collaboration, applied science, and demonstrated value, our team of experts is dedicated to exceeding customer expectations for both the simplest and toughest requirements. Count on Lubrizol to make the difference.
About The Lubrizol Corporation
The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a market-driven global company that combines complex, specialty chemicals to optimize the quality, performance and value of customers' products while reducing their environmental impact. It is a leader at combining market insights with chemistry and application capabilities to deliver valuable solutions to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol improves lives by acting as an essential partner in our customers' success, delivering efficiency, reliability or wellness to their end users. Technologies include lubricant additives for engine oils, driveline and other transportation-related fluids, industrial lubricants, as well as additives for gasoline and diesel fuel. In addition, Lubrizol makes ingredients and additives for home care, personal care and skin care products and specialty materials encompassing polymer and coatings technologies, along with polymer-based pharmaceutical and medical device solutions.
With headquarters in Wickliffe, Ohio, Lubrizol owns and operates manufacturing facilities in 17 countries, as well as sales and technical offices around the world. Founded in 1928, Lubrizol has approximately 8,700 employees worldwide. Revenues for 2017 were $6.3 billion. For more information, visit Lubrizol.com.
Media Contact
Mike Heil
1 (216) 447-5176
mike.heil@lubrizol.com
Website: www.lubrizol.com
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