Teesside's Applied Graphene Materials has signed up an Indian distributor to promote its products across the country.
The Wilton Centre-based firm's partnership with Mumbai-based Imkemex is designed to extend Applied Graphene's reach into India's liquid resigns, coatings, composites and polymers sectors.
It builds on Applied Graphene's distribution agreements with chemicals and coatings distributors in a growing number of global export markets, helping it not only sell products but also understand future potential use for graphene.
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Adrian Potts, Applied Graphene Materials CEO, said: “It is a great pleasure to be able to welcome Imkemex into AGM’s growing sales network as a technically-capable, commercially-astute distribution partner for our Genable brand in India. AGM is committed to enabling the widespread application of graphene dispersions and offering competitive advantages to its partners through the development of innovative graphene-enhanced products.
"At this stage of AGM’s commercialisation, the appointment of Imkemex as our regional distributor in a key strategic market is a significant step towards achieving further adoption of our dispersed graphene nanoplatelets globally.”
Imkemex was formed by ICI in India in 1965 and has since become an independent distributor for overseas chemical companies within the country.
Saumendra Tripathy, managing director, Imkemex Marketing, added: "We at Imkemex are delighted to be AGM’s partner of choice for India. Imkemex’s proven expertise is to provide innovative and novel solutions fit for the Indian chemical industry and it augurs well with AGM’s innovations with graphene based materials in solving real-life issues and helping create a more sustainable world.
"Together, we provide state-of-the-art and sustainable solutions of chemical resistance and corrosion inhibition to the Indian coatings industry.”
In a recent trading update, Applied Graphene Materials told investors revenues in the six months to the end of January had been "disappointing" as Covid impacted the industrial coatings market and caused potential customers to park research and development activities.
Operating losses increased to £1.9m from £1.8m although overall revenue increased from £42,000 to £46,000.
However, Applied Graphene pointed to steady growth in potential pipeline projects over the past 12 months with an increase in engagements from 135 to 192, including 24 completed products. The firm said it believed more potential customers were becoming interest in both graphene as a novel material and its practical use.
The firm noted that emerging opportunities in battery technology and hydrogen fuel and storage were progressing as it developed its offer to this sector.
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