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OBITUARY

Bo Levander, the founder of ChemTrans and a leading industry figure, has sadly passed away

PHOTO: CHEMTRANS

Swiss-headquartered sulphuric acid trading company ChemTrans Trading AG has announced the passing of its founder Bo Levander. In a statement on behalf of the family and company, Bo’s son Henrik Levander said:

“It is with heavy hearts that we have to announce the passing of my dear father and founder of ChemTrans Bo Levander on 5th February 2023.”

His successful sulphuric acid career started in the late 1960s at Boliden in Stockholm.

In 1971, Bo moved to Switzerland where he was responsible for the Boliden office in Zug.

Later, in 1981, he decided to start his own business and founded ChemTrans AG.

Bo was a very respected and esteemed person in the sulphuric acid world, and a light for all of us at ChemTrans. We will continue shining his light by carrying it within us in our own lives.

Death means to say goodbye, but never to leave a loved one behind.”

The directors and staff of BCInsight wish to express our sadness on this loss and offer the Levander family and Bo’s colleagues our condolences.

Antoine Hoxha became the new Director General of Fertilizers Europe on 1st March. He takes over from Jacob Hansen, who has stood down having led the trade association for the past twelve years.

“We are pleased to announce Antoine Hoxha as our new Director General and are confident he will advocate for a strong domestic fertilizer industry and a smooth decarbonisation of European assets – which is key to ensuring Europe’s strategic autonomy in fertilizers and food,” said Andreas Steinbuechler, Fertilizers Europe’s president. “We thank Jacob Hansen for his commitment and dedication to the European fertilizer industry during his mandate.”

Florida’s Kimre, Inc is expanding and making changes to its engineering and technical sales teams to best serve customers worldwide. The company, which designs and manufactures innovative, high-performance mist eliminators and fibre bed filters, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023.

Brian Clancy has been promoted to become Kimre’s director of engineering. Brian is a seasoned chemical engineer with both field and design experience in the metals & mining industry. With a passion for practical design and innovative engineering, Brian holds a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of South Florida.

General manager Miles Valentine has decades of industry knowledge and engineering field experience. He will expand his engineering design expertise to include both fibre bed mist eliminators and monofilament solutions. Miles is a registered professional engineer with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University.

Maria Acevedo has been promoted to the role of director of technical sales and market development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Florida and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Havana. Maria has a passion for combining her business acumen with her expertise in chemical engineering. Kimre is leveraging her industry knowledge to train, grow, and expand its sales rep network.

Kimre has named Bob Klinewski as its fibre bed sales director and industry specialist. He is recognised throughout the filtration and clean air industry for his extensive experience in fibre bed sales, contract negotiations, and business development. In this role, Bob will provide Kimre’s clients with solutions that effectively and efficiently solve their filtration needs.