The Danish biotechnological company Chr. Hansen Holding has acquired the BASF production facility at the Port of Kalundborg. Chr. Hansen will use the facility for the production of milk oligosaccharides, also known as HMO. The Port of Kalundborg is happy about the many new jobs and the new activity that will be created at the area.
First, Chr. Hansen is going to rebuild the facility for the production of HMO, and it is expected that this will take two years. After this, the plan is initially to employ approximately 100 new employees to manage the production. In the long run it is expected that more than 200 new jobs will be created at the factory. In addition to this, new jobs will also be created at many subcontractors.
When the production starts, it will also lead to a lot of new activities at the Port of Kalundborg. Torsten Steenholt, Executive Vice President at Chr. Hansen, says to the local media, TV-Kalundborg, that the port will be used for the import of raw materials and export of the end product:
“We will to a great extent use the port. The process that we have, will in the future use large amounts of raw materials, which comes from various locations in Europe. Instead of having them transported by diesel trucks through Europe, it makes very much sense to sail them to Kalundborg instead. This way, we will have both economic and environmental benefits from using the port”, says Torsten Steenholt.
The land is also sold
In connection with Chr. Hansen having purchased the BASF production facility, an agreement between Chr. Hansen and the Port of Kalundborg has also been reached about the acquisition of the land where the factory is positioned. Usually, the port does not sell it’s land, however, at this occasion, it was the right thing to do.
“We are of course happy about such a significant company as Chr. Hansen coming to Kalundborg. In connection with the acquisition of the production facility, the Port of Kalundborg has – with the board’s full endorsement – chosen to sell the land to Chr. Hansen, as this was necessary in order to locate Chr. Hansen in Kalundborg. We usually don’t do that. But on the other hand, Chr. Hansen will bring new activities to the port also through the quays, and in this respect it was the right thing for us to sell the land”, says Port Director Bent Rasmussen.
The land was handed over to Chr. Hansen on Monday the 21st September exactly on the same date as the production facility was handed over.
The biotech city Kalundborg
One of the reasons why Chr. Hansen chose to purchase the facility at the Port of Kalundborg, was that the facility was already finished. However, it was also important that the city already is the home of companies such as Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, and Equinor. Companies that make up an important part of the biotech city Kalundborg.
To the media TV2-East Torsten Steenholt says:
“Kalundborg has a good infrastructure with, among other things, a port, and we have witnessed Kalundborg as a very business friendly municipality. We have been well treated throughout the process. At the same time, it is a city with competences that we need – such as, process operators, talented craftsmen, laboratory technicians etc.”.