New Ecolab Facility in Taicang, China to Help Enhance Chinese Food Safety and Public Health  

Ecolab Inc. opened a manufacturing plant and distribution center in Taicang, eastern China on August 14, as part of an expanding company presence within the country. The facility is Ecolab's third-largest in the world and the company's largest in the Asia Pacific region.
   The 546 000 square-foot (166 600 square-meter) property has 141 000 square feet (43 000 square meters) of floor space and the capacity to produce 150 000 tons of product annually. Initially, the facility will have 55 employees, and by 2017, more than 350 employees will work at the facility.
   The Taicang plant will be capable of producing all of the Ecolab products sold in China; a complete portfolio of cleaning, sanitation, food safety and infection prevention solutions for customers in a wide range of growing industries, including: food and beverage production, food retail, hospitality, healthcare, and dairy, meat and poultry processing.
   In addition to creating products that help improve food safety and public health practices, the plant has been designed for environmental sustainability. It operates using features that reduce energy and water consumption while minimizing waste production. The facility will not discharge industrial wastewater. The facility's wastewater treatment plant will convert process wastewater into distilled water for re-use on-site.
   Ecolab entered China in 1987. Since 2008, Ecolab has invested Euro 150 million in Chinese markets. In addition to the new Taicang plant, Ecolab currently operates five other plants in Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taiwan.