- Business
- Kemira Oyj is a global chemicals company specializing in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries, primarily serving the pulp & paper and industry & water segments with expertise in water treatment, fiber production, and industrial process optimization. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the company operates in over 100 countries with 57 manufacturing sites across 36 countries and approximately 4,700 employees; its core products and services include polymers, coagulants, sizing chemicals, bleaching and pulping chemicals, biocides, barrier coatings, flocculants, defoamers, preservatives, sludge treatment solutions, and digital services like KemConnect for pulp mills, tissue producers, municipal water utilities, energy companies, metals & mining, biogas, bioethanol, food production, and wastewater management. Kemira's Industry & Water segment focuses on raw water, drinking water, wastewater, and industrial applications such as pollutant removal, while the Pulp & Paper segment targets fiber treatment, wet-end chemicals for packaging, board, and tissue; the company generates key revenue from EMEA, followed by the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Recent developments include the completion of the acquisition of Water Engineering, Inc. in the United States in 2025 to expand industrial water services, the acquisition of Thatcher Group's iron sulfate coagulant business in the US earlier in 2025, a EUR 10 million investment in a new sodium borohydride production line at its Äetsä plant in June 2025, a partnership with Bluepha to commercialize biobased barrier coatings in the APAC region, an investment in a reactivation facility for activated carbon in Helsingborg, Sweden for PFAS removal, and a joint development project with CASP AI for new adsorbent materials; additionally, Kemira secured a EUR 50 million loan from the Nordic Investment Bank in 2024 for R&D investments through 2026, and Antti Salminen assumed the role of President and CEO in February 2024.