SNF invests $18M in major upgrade at Lara manufacturing plant

SNF Australia has completed a significant expansion of its polyacrylamide manufacturing plant at Lara, investing approximately $18 million in the project.

The construction and commissioning of the upgraded facility, spearheaded by CEO Phil McColl, mark a major step forward for the company, enhancing its position in the global supply chain for acrylamide, a crucial ingredient in SNF’s diverse polymer products.

“We’ve invested significantly in our acrylamide plant, which is a key raw material that we used to have to import,” McColl explained to the Geelong Manufacturing Council.

He continued, “Now we can manage our feedstocks which insulates us if there is another pandemic, and gives us more stability and resilience in terms of our production footprint and the materials that go into the products we produce here.”

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in the Rhone-Alpes region of France, SNF is a privately-held firm and the world’s largest manufacturer of polyacrylamide, with 21 facilities worldwide accounting for nearly half of global production.

The Lara plant produces polymers in emulsion and solution forms, including flocculants, coagulants, dispersants, and other speciality chemicals, serving various industries such as oil and gas, mining, agriculture, and water treatment.

SNF Australia’s client list includes Barwon Water and other major players across sectors like drinking water production, wastewater treatment, sludge dewatering, and the manufacture of paper, textiles, and cosmetics.

McColl, who joined SNF Australia in early 2023 and took over as CEO in April, succeeded Russell Schroeter, who remains chairman after more than two decades at the helm.

McColl noted that the company is poised for growth, with plans to introduce new scale and foam control additives, products to manage atmospheric and airborne dust, and filtration products designed to reduce moisture levels in iron ore shipments.

“These are areas that are an expansion to what we’ve traditionally sold, it’s going to help us with that next stage of growth that we’re looking to achieve in the next three to five years,” he said.

Under McColl’s leadership, SNF Australia has also emphasised diversity and inclusion, promoting women to key leadership roles and maintaining a culturally diverse workforce at the Lara site, which employs individuals from sixteen different nationalities.

The company runs a graduate program to attract young talent, ensuring a seamless transition as experienced employees retire.

Looking ahead, SNF said it plans to build a new office on the Lara site to accommodate its growing team, which has expanded by 14 per cent in recent years.

“We’ve just got to that stage now where the infrastructure that we’ve got is too small?to?comfortably house the team,” McColl stated.

“The plan is to keep the local element as this does give you different lifestyle opportunities — we really can offer quite a broad cross-section of careers for people who perhaps don’t want to commute into the city.”

“There are not many production plants where you could live at Torquay or one of the other beaches and yet still be part of a sisable company which has got a manufacturing and sales footprint and inhouse supply chain. That’s something that we intend to continue to leverage when we do our recruitment pushes,” he concluded.