News
2010-03-24 - Xylophane - one of Swedens most promising technology companies 2010. |
Xylophane has again been appointed as one of Swedens 33 most promising technology companies. The award is established by the newspaper Ny teknik and the business magazine Affärsvärlden.
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2010-02-25 - Inauguration of pilot plant for xylan production |
Xylophane AB has inaugurated a new pilot production plant in Bohus close to Gothenburg, Sweden. The company thereby takes a further step towards market introduction of the product. Xylophane develops a renewable barrier material for packaging that can prolong shelf life of e.g. food. The material is a sustainable alternative to existing non-renewable barrier materials such as plastics and aluminium foil.
- The pilot plant enables optimisation of the production process for large scale production, says Håkan Grubb, CEO of Xylophane AB.
The pilot plant will be used for production of the natural polysaccharide xylan, that constitutes the basis of the barrier material. It is isolated from husks and hulls from seed, a by-product from agriculture. Until now the process development has been performed in smaller scale and test production has been done in co-operation with external partners. The new pilot production plant enables optimisation of separate process steps as well as the complete process using equipment that is very similar to that used in large scale production.
The inauguration was performed by Charlotte Brogren, the director general at Vinnova - The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems.
- Vinnova\'s support has been very important for our development work for several years, says Håkan Grubb. - They have for example financed the process development work that form the basis for the design of the pilot plant.
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2009-10-12 - New address and phone numbers |
Xylophane has changed address and phone numbers. Go to Contact to find our new contact details.
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2009-09-08 - Xylophane - one of the world´s most promising cleantech companies. |
For the first time in one place, the Guardian and Cleantech Group bring together the world´s most promising clean technology companies. Xylophane is selected as one of 100 companies. Read more on The Guardian´s website.
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2009-09-01 - Expansion of the Xylophane team. |
Xylophane welcomes two new co-workers; Lars Landerberg who will work as process operator and Johanna Larsson who will focus on material development.
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2009-03-25 - Xylophane AB one of the most promising Swedish technology companies again! |
Xylophane AB was for the second time appointed as one of the 33 most promising technology companies in Sweden by the newspaper Ny teknik and the business magazine Affärsvärlden.
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2009-02-16 - Xylophane welcomes Karin Sundström to the team. Karin will work with process development. |
2009-01-27 - Xylophane raises 34 MSEK in new share issue - SEB Venture Capital and Capricorn Cleantech Fund are new joint owners. |
Xylophane AB, developer of a unique renewable packaging material that extends the shelf life of sensitive food products, has raised 34 MSEK in a special issue of new shares. Two new joint owners, SEB Venture Capital and Capricorn Cleantech fund, have also joined the ownership group. The capital ensures the expansion and operation of the company’s pilot factory. The company also has a new chairman of the board, Mr. Dag Strömqvist, with many years of experience in the chemical and processing industry.
”The issue is further proof of the great confidence that exists in our products and our production engineering – on the part of both investors and customers. In addition to our ongoing co-operations with existing customers, we receive new inquiries each and every week,” says Håkan Grubb, managing director of Xylophane AB.
The capital contribution guarantees the expansion and operation of the pilot factory and company for three years. The pilot factory is expected to be operating by early October 2009, and will enable production of material for pilot projects for potential customers as well as the optimisation of Xylophane’s manufacturing process for future full-scale production.
New, strong owners on the scene
The fully subscribed issue totalled 34 MSEK and targeted existing and selected potential owners. SEB Venture Capital and Capricorn Venture Partners from Belgium, via its Cleantech Fund, became new joint owners. Former owners KTH Chalmers Capital and Innovationsbron together with Hans and Ingrid Wallstén also contributed capital.
“We have followed the company for many years. Our thorough analysis showed that the company has an exciting, highly sought-after product that offers a fascinating new alternative to an industry looking to replace old barrier solutions with modern, environmentally compatible products. The company is entering a new phase and we believe the coming years will be exciting. Prospects are excellent and existing commercial co-operation looks extremely promising. So we’re pleased to have the opportunity to join Xylophane’s group of investors,” says Björn Österlund, Senior Investment Manager at SEB Venture Capital.
Cost-efficient solution
Xylophane’s material has elicited great interest within the packaging industry, as well as from end producers within the food and chemical industries. This interest is based on the fact that Xylophane’s material has qualities that offer major environmental advantages and cost savings. The need for cost-efficient barrier material and production techniques has increased in recent years within the packaging industry, due to factors such as the rising price of raw materials currently used in barrier packaging (i.e. oil and aluminium).
Another advantage with Xylophane is that its technology does not demand complicated building alterations for producers with modern manufacturing facilities.
“Biopolymers belong to the group of innovations which have outstanding opportunities for global growth driven by the combination of increasing prices for oil-based plastics, consumer awareness for eco-friendly products and supporting legislation promoting the end-of-life disposal benefits of biodegradable packaging material. Xylophane offers a unique opportunity to tap into this emerging market with enormous growth potential,” says Paul Decraemer, Head of Cleantech Investment Practice at Capricorn.
Acclaimed development since the start
Vinnova has formerly supported the expansion of Xylophane’s business, which has received numerous awards and accolades from its inception. In addition to winning Vinnova and Nutek’s competition “Vinn Nu!”, honours garnered by the company include being named the most interesting growth company for venture capitalists at Stora Connect Väst Day 2006, and being one of six finalists in the 2006 Spin-off of the Year competition.
“We have been involved with Xylophane since 2005 and have seen the company develop from a research project into a company that demands attention within the packaging industry. Sweden’s leading position in the packaging and paper industry offers excellent opportunities to grow Xylophane into a global leader in this area,” says Jakob Svärdström, Managing Partner at KTH Chalmers Capital.
In 2008 Xylophane was named one of Sweden’s 33 hottest technology companies by newspapers “Ny Teknik”(New Technology) and “Affärsvärlden” (Business world). Xylophane has also been included on US ambassador Michael Wood’s list of hot Swedish environmental engineering companies since 2008.
New chairman of the board steps in
In conjunction with the completion of the issue, the appointment of Dag Strömqvist as chairman of the board was confirmed. Mr Strömqvist has many years of experience in key executive positions within the chemical and processing industries, including positions as former managing director for Eka Chemicals AB and former member of Akzo Nobel’s executive management team responsible for the chemicals division.
For further information, please contact:
Håkan Grubb, Managing Director
Phone: +46 (0)730-881198
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2008-12-01 - Xylophane welcomes Anna Nestorson to the team. Anna will work with material development. |
2008-11-28 - Xylophane pre-registrers xylan according to REACH |
2008-11-24 - Xylophane becomes a member of Normpack - Swedish code for food packaging materials |
2008-09-16 - Two new master thesis students at Xylophane. |
Åsa Jonsson and Cathrine Nygren are welcomed to the Xylophane team.
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2008-04-03 - Xylophane is on US ambassador Michael Wood’s list of Swedish clean tech companies. |
2008-03-12 - Xylophane is one of the 33 most promising innovation companies in Sweden according to the news magazines Ny Teknik and Affärsvärlden! |
2007-11-27 - Industrial breakthrough for unique Swedish bio-plastic. Read more. |
Xylophane has taken an important step towards market introduction. The company has demonstrated that its product, a renewable barrier material for packages, can be applied in an industrial coating process. This is an important step for Xylophane which now enters a new exciting phase with larger customer projects and building of pilot production capacity.
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2007-09-26 - The Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri writes an article about Xylophane AB. |
2007-06-20 - No more grease stains thanks to Xylophane. Read more. |
Packaging industry has for a long time been struggling with grease stains on paper sacks for packaging of spices. The innovation company Xylophane has got the solution to the problem.
Xylophane AB has now reached another milestone. The company’s packaging material has been used in the packaging producer Jonsac AB’s paper sacks. The sacks have then been filled with spices and evaluated by the Swedish spice producer Bodén & Lindeberg with excellent results.
“All the involved parties are very satisfied with the results” says Maria Gröndahl, Managing Director of Xylophane. ”This is exactly the proof of concept that we need to show the functionality of our packaging material to our customers.”
The Stores Manager at Bodén & Lindeberg, Peter Karlsson, agrees:
“You have certainly been successful with the barrier. It works very well for the packaging of etheric oils and grease containing spices.
We have had problems with fat stains on the outside of the paper sacks and labels that were falling off due to etheric oils penetrating the sacks. With Xylophane as a barrier we could eliminate this problem.”
Peter Ramberg, Managing Director at the packaging company Jonsac says:
“Previously we have had problems finding a barrier material that works on our paper sacks. The alternatives that have been available on the market are not as good as Xylophane’s material from an economical, technical and environmental point of view.”
The material from Xylophane is not only an excellent barrier to grease, but it also has a low impact on the environment. The material is based on by-products from agricultural resources, which makes the material biodegradable. For Xylophane this is an important step towards commercialisation of the product, which is a renewable barrier material to oxygen, grease and aroma.
Facts about Xylophane AB
The company Xylophane was formed in 2004. The technology is based on research from the Biopolymer Technology research group at Chalmers University of Technology.
For more information about Xylophane AB, contact:
Maria Gröndahl, MD Xylophane AB
Telephone: +46 31–772 8056
maria.grondahl@xylophane.com
www.xylophane.com
Facts about Jonsac AB
Jonsac produces sacks for industrial and public uses. The sacks are used for packaging of food, pet food, chemicals etc. It is important that the package protects the packed product from the surrounding environment without contaminating the content.
For more information about Jonsac AB, contact:
Peter Ramberg, MD Jonsac AB
Telephone: +46 551-365 50
peter.ramberg@jonsac.se
www.jonsac.se
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2007-02-07 - Xylophane AB was nominated as one of six finalists in ”Spin-off of the year” organised by The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and Connect Sweden. |
2007-01-30 - Xylophane AB purchased a new analysis instrument, an oxygen permeation analyser from Systech Instruments. |
2007-01-09 - New venture capital to Xylophane AB. Read more. |
The innovation company Xylophane has concluded a successful raise of capital, which is going to be used for industrial verification of the company’s product, a bio-based film for packaging.
Soon, aluminium foil and some oil-based plastics in packaging can be replaced by an environment-friendly film. Xylophane’s bio-based material, from agricultural and wood sources, has already gained large interest among packaging companies.
”We recently performed the first industrial trial together with a customer with very good results. The material is going to be tested in food packaging by a food producer”, says Maria Gröndahl, one of the founders of Xylophane. ”We are facing a period of industrial verification of the concept, from raw material to packaging material. The team has been expanded to make the isolation of the raw material from agricultural by-products more efficient”, Maria Gröndahl continues.
The new material is an oxygen barrier, i.e. it hinders oxygen from penetrating. This is useful in packaging of oxygen-sensitive foodstuffs as coffee, juice and crisps and results in prolonged lasting quality of the products. In addition, the material is a barrier to grease and aroma.
The oxygen barriers used today, aluminium foil and oil-based plastics, are bad from an environmental point of view. Rising oil and energy prices make these materials even more expensive in the future. The raw material of Xylophane’s material, xylan, is isolated from by-products from agriculture and wood. This makes the film renewable and biodegradable and thus environment-friendly. Since the raw material is derived from low-value and unexploited by-products, it is also a cost efficient alternative.
The capital injection comes from Hans & Ingrid Wallstén, Håkan Schröder and the former owners KTH Seed Capital and Innovationsbron Väst.
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2006-11-01 - New laboratory facilities at Xylophane AB. |
2006-05-08 - Xylophane AB was granted 1.5 million SEK from the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) for reseach on raw material production. |
2006-05-04 - Lisa Eriksson and Maria Gröndahl received a grant of 150 000 SEK from the King of Sweden (Carl XVI Gustafs 50års-fond för vetenskap, teknik och miljö). |
2006-04-05 - The jury at ”Stora Connect Väst-dagen 2006” appointed Xylophane AB ”the most interesting innovation company for venture capital”. |
2005-10-18 - The founders of Xylophane AB received the SKAPA Award 2005, a national development scholarship of 300 000 SEK. |
2005-06-16 - Maria Gröndahl, Lisa Eriksson and Paul Gatenholm, Xylophane AB, were appointed finalists for the SKAPA Award 2005. |
2005-06-15 - Xylophane AB was granted financing from Innovationsbron Väst, KTH Seed Capital and Chalmers Innovation. |
2005-03-05 - Maria Gröndahl received American Chemical Society´s Graduate Student Award 2005 for excellence in Cellulose and Renewable Materials research in San Diego, USA. |
2004-11-03 - Xylophane AB received 300 000 SEK in the competition Vinn Nu! arranged by NUTEK and Vinnova. |
2004-09-01 - The company Xylophane AB was founded. |
2004-03-09 - Xylophane was rewarded in the second step of Venture Cup. |
2003-12-08 - Xylophane won the first prize in ”Innovation Cup Väst”. |
2003-12-05 - Xylophane received the second prize in the nationwide contest Environmental Innovations 2003. |
2003-12-02 - Xylophane’s business concept was rewarded in the first step of Venture Cup. |
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