en
en
Today, September 20, 2024, marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of Soda Póvoa, later known as Solvay Portugal and currently called HyChem - Sustainable Chemistry.
Since 2021, HyChem has been owned by A4F Algae for Future, a holding company of a business group with exclusively Portuguese capital. HyChem recalls the industrial odyssey that began when Póvoa was just a small village, while today it is part of one of the most populous and industrialized parishes in Portugal.
The city of Póvoa de Santa Iria and HyChem's industrial facility indeed share a common history of growth, a relationship of interdependence, and a complicity in reinventing the future. Both have developed from scratch to achieve the prominent positions they hold in the region and within the economic and social context of the country.
“We celebrate this event with great satisfaction and pride because the long journey of industrial development, in which the Company played a decisive role, would have ended ingloriously in 2019, due to the withdrawal of the Solvay group in the face of contextual difficulties, following the unfortunately common logic in multinational corporations, had we not taken the initiative to propose the acquisition of its company,” emphasizes Manuel Gil Antunes, President and CEO of HyChem.
“We are starting a commemorative cycle for the 90th anniversary because we dared to envision a new future for Solvay Portugal, reversing the trend of disinvestment and discontinuity to which it was condemned,” adds Gil Antunes.
In an internal message published today, the leader of HyChem honors, on behalf of the Management, “all those, and there were many thousands, from the pioneering days of Soda Póvoa to the no less challenging present of HyChem, who helped pave the industrial path we take pride in.” He also thanks “the professional and dedicated collaboration of all HyChem employees, who demonstrate their strong commitment to the progressive industrial transformation initiated in 2021.”
In this message of recognition, Gil Antunes emphasizes: “Before all of you, employees and the community we are part of, I reaffirm our corporate commitment based on technological innovation and environmental, economic, and social sustainability; and also our dedication to implementing the strategy that drives us, both in the energy transition and in adopting circular economy solutions, where green hydrogen plays an essential role.”
On the other hand, this leader states: “We have already provided undeniable proof that our industrial park in Póvoa will continue to be a decisive factor for the region's competitiveness, capable of attracting qualified jobs and new environmentally friendly technologies. It will indeed be, in the near future, the embryo of the BioCluster, a revitalizing concept for the economy and the community of the municipalities of Vila Franca de Xira and Loures, united by the Tejo River.”
He then turns his thoughts to the people: “In a very demanding economic context, we have overcome difficulties and uncovered new paths for HyChem. This work and these results rely on the human quality, technical competence, and professional rigor of our people. It is for them and with them, alongside their families, that it makes sense to continue on this path. We remain focused, as always, on prioritizing safety.”
And the leader of HyChem concludes: “Innovation and sustainability are in our DNA. We will not stop challenging the future.”