Oryx opens new plant in Thailand

Oryx Stainless (Thailand) Co. Ltd., part of the Netherlands-based Oryx Stainless recycling organization, has celebrated the grand opening of its new site in Bangpakong, Chachoengsao province, Thailand.

More than 200 guests from Thailand and other parts of the world travelled to Bangpakong to congratulate staff, management and shareholders of Oryx Stainless on the new operation, according to the firm. After a previous yard ran out of capacity, the new location will “now form the basis for the further dynamic growth of Oryx Stainless in Thailand over the coming years,” says the company.

Oryx says its Event Team “transformed the factory into a decorated event space,” where “VIP guests consisting of representatives from the government, embassies, chambers, customers, suppliers and banks” enjoyed an “entertaining event program.” All employees of the Thai operation also were invited to the grand opening night festivities.

Marthijn Smit, CEO of Oryx Stainless Thailand, opened the event by giving a welcome address to visitors. “Oryx Stainless is committed to staying a lighthouse for sustainability and [a] strong promoter for the circular economy in Thailand and the distant region,” stated Smit. “We are deeply committed to contributing to the development and sharing the knowledge about the importance of recycling, specifically concerning stainless steel in Thailand and the Southeast Asia region.”

In his remarks, Michael Pawlowski, co-founder, major shareholder and chairman of Oryx Stainless Group, stated, “I am proud to say that I have the best colleagues I could wish for, and I don’t believe there is a better team in our industry than the one we have in Thailand: hard-working, warm-hearted and honest people who are the soul of this truly Thai company.”

Yoong Sung Won, vice president and raw material purchasing team leader at South Korean Posco, one of the largest stainless steel producers in Asia and worldwide, honored Oryx Stainless by pushing the button together with the Oryx executives to mark the official start and inauguration of the new plant.

Oryx Stainless says it is planning to open another facility, with the newly-built Thai operation being “the blueprint for further expansion in Asia.” The company says it was grateful for the visit and participation of a delegation from Malaysia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry as well as the Malaysian Investment Development Agency at the Bangpakong event.

“Their attendance enabled an unfiltered view of the business model of the sustainable zero waste stainless steel scrap processing [that has] made Oryx Stainless Thailand the benchmark and lighthouse for a circular economy in Southeast Asia,” states the company.

At the Bangpakong event, Smit said the recycling of stainless-steel saves greenhouse gases in immense amounts, with the quantities of scrap Oryx Stainless Thailand delivered to the stainless steel industry during 2018 resulting in about 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) savings. The Oryx Stainless Group in total contributed more than 2.2 million tons of CO₂ savings, says the firm.