Alfa Laval revolutionizes pharmaceutical and speciality chemical production

Alfa Laval revolutionizes pharmaceutical and speciality chemical production

Alfa Laval - a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid
handling - has developed a new technology for production of pharmaceuticals and
speciality chemicals resulting in increased efficiency and reduced energy
consumption. Alfa Laval's plate reactor implies a revolutionary technology shift
in the heart of the production process. Alfa Laval launches the first product -
Alfa Laval ART® PR49, for industrial scale production.

Competitive pressure and environmental legislation are forcing the
pharmaceutical and chemical industries to find new production techniques for
safer, cleaner and more efficient means of manufacturing. Alfa Laval's latest
innovation changes one of the most essential organic chemical processes - the
reaction between two or more substances.

Alfa Laval ART PR49 combines the properties of a chemical reactor with those of
a plate heat exchanger. Traditionally you create a reaction by adding one
substance to another. The reaction sometimes generates intense and damaging
heat. To minimize the negative impact the reacting substance is normally either
diluted or added over a longer time period. The new plate reactor reduces the
time needed and the reaction can be performed with higher concentrations. The
continuous flow of reactants creates optimal reaction conditions and the plate
technology removes any excess heat.

“Two major pharmaceutical companies have already bought the new technology and
we are in dialogue with the majority of the rest”, says Svante Karlsson Head of
Process Technology Division within Alfa Laval.

Alfa Laval's new continuous plate reactor ART PR49 is the first plate reactor
for industrial scale production. It was first shown during the international
process industry exhibition ACHEMA 2009, and won the prize “Process Innovation
Award”.

Did you know… that all chemical processes are based on a reaction between two or
more substances, and they are all conducted in some sort of reactor? The total
market for reactors is estimated to be several billion Swedish kronor.

 
About Alfa Laval 	
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering
solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid
handling. 

The company's equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting
customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help
them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce
food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar
and ethanol.
 
Alfa Laval's products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the
mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater
treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications. 

Alfa Laval's worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100
countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena. 

Alfa Laval is listed on the Nordic Exchange, Nordic Large Cap, and, in 2008,
posted annual sales of about SEK 28 billion (approx. 2.9 billion Euros). The
company has some 12 000 employees.

www.alfalaval.com 


For more information please contact: 
Peter Torstensson 
Senior Vice President, Communications 
Alfa Laval 
Tel: + 46 46 36 72 31 
Mobile: +46 709 33 72 31 

Gabriella Grotte
Investor Relations Manager
Alfa Laval 
Tel: +46 46 36 74 82
Mobile: +46 709 78 74 82