OBERHAUSEN, Germany – Chemical manufacturer Oxea is expanding its product portfolio by offering a broader range of higher alcohols. For this purpose, Oxea invested in additional hydration capacities at the company’s Oberhausen, Germany, site. In the third quarter of 2012, the product n-heptanol will be commercially available, followed by 3-methyl butanol, 2-methyl butanol and n-pentanol. Higher alcohols are used in a variety of industries including the production of varnish, paint and lubricant additives.

“Our new special alcohols ideally supplement our value chain, since they are manufactured from precursors that are also produced by Oxea. This backward integration allows for a high level of production efficiency and gives us the ability to respond to customer demands very flexibly,” said Miguel Mantas, responsible for sales and marketing on Oxea’s Executive Board. “Therefore, increasing our hydrogenation capacities in Oberhausen is an important part of our successful strategy to expand into attractive growth markets,” he added.