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Editor’s note: This article was originally published as part of the Consulate General of Belgium’s “Belgian Quality in the Southeast” campaign. See a repository of all interviews and follow the consulate on social media here.
It is reprinted on Global Atlanta with permission, and subsequent stories will be published progressively with the goal of driving increased visibility for the Belgian business community in Georgia. More Belgium stories can be found on Global Atlanta’s Belgium Channel, sponsored by the Belgian-American Chamber of the South, BACoS. Read more here
Syensqo is a Belgian science company, based on its Solvay heritage, developing groundbreaking solutions that enhance the way we live, work, travel and play. Inspired by the scientific councils which Ernest Solvay initiated in 1911, they bring great minds together to push the limits of science and innovation for the benefit of customers, with a diverse, global team of more than 13,000 associates. Their solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices and health care applications. Their innovation power enables them to deliver on the ambition of a circular economy and explore breakthrough technologies that advance humanity.
Donna Drake has been with Solvay and now Syensqo for over 35 years. She started working at Solvay in Marietta, Ohio, then moved to Greenville, S.C., for 3 years, followed by Orange, Texas, for three years, and now has spent eight years at Syensqo’s operation in Alpharetta, where she serves as site head and Global Head of Analytical Services.
What is Syensqo’s business industry category or specialty?
Well, first of all, Syensqo is just the way it sounds. It is a science company and we make specialty materials for different sectors like clean mobility, renewable materials and natural ingredients. Our solutions contribute to safer, cleaner and more sustainable products in homes, food and consumer goods, as well as planes, cars, batteries, smart devices and healthcare applications. We address environmental and social challenges through electrification, lightweighting, advanced connectivity, sustainable sourcing and the transition to a net zero economy. Here in Alpharetta Georgia, we are home to the specialty polymers and composite materials business units. In Winder, Georgia our Novecare unit makes personal care products. So, we have a big presence in Georgia as well as throughout the Southeast.
How do you describe Syensqo to people outside the industry?
One of the fun things about our industry is that you can find our products in just about every vehicle that flies, as well as in 50% of electric vehicles and in automotives in general. Our specialty polymers and composites help to lightweight airplanes and cars, which helps save on fuel. I worked in the Marietta, Ohio Solvay site and one of the things I’m really proud of is that the polymers that we make there are used in 60% of hemodialysis membranes, so we’re saving lives. The material we provide is used to filter blood. Syensqo is also in 20% of hair care products with our sustainable guar. I share that we are in race cars, because that usually gets a lot of people excited. I explain that we make the batteries found in EVs last longer on the same charge. We’re in a lot of different innovative environments just trying to make them better.
How was the business started and how did you end up in the Southeast?
We were once part of the Solvay group and Ernest Solvay started his business by innovating sodium bicarbonate in Belgium, and over the years we’ve had mergers and acquisitions in the Southeast: Solvay bought Amoco performance products from BP Amoco in Alpharetta, GA, Augusta, GA, and Greenville, SC. Solvay also acquired Rhodia in Spartanburg, SC, Winder, GA, and Baton Rouge, LA, which is how we got the personal care products I mentioned. We also purchased Cytec which became our composite materials unit in Greenville, SC. And then a year ago, Solvay split into two independent companies, which created Syensqo.
What is your number one business goal for the next years?
Innovation: that’s the key thing that’s going to allow us to continue to grow. We’re looking at megatrends for the future like clean mobility, renewable materials and biotechnology, and sustainable beauty. We want to be a leader in those sectors. We’re also investing a lot in the USA, because that’s our biggest market. Our global strategy emphasizes being close to our customers with sourcing and production in the USA for the USA market. This approach aligns with our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint by minimizing transportation of products across continents.
We’re looking at megatrends for the future, like clean mobility, renewable materials and biotechnology, and sustainable beauty. We want to be a leader in those sectors.
Donna Drake, syensqo
What are the intrinsic Belgian qualities setting you apart from the competition?
Belgians are very innovative. Belgium is an innovation leader in Europe. Belgium’s innovation performance was 125% higher than the EU average. It goes back to Ernest Solvay, who made the manufacturing of soda ash more effective and efficient to get it out in the market. Belgians invest in a lot in research and infrastructure, which I think is important. Here in Alpharetta we’re always creating new products, trying out new things. We also fail fast, so that if we do not succeed, we can move on to the next thing quickly.
Another intrinsic Belgian quality is tolerance. It is evident in the diversity initiatives at our sites, and staying true to the values of freedom, equality and solidarity. Belgium is in the heart of Europe. It’s where the EU is, where NATO is, and I think that helps create a very diverse environment. And that’s really why I love working for Syensqo: because they value diversity.
How important is innovation for you to make your company thrive?
You always have to be innovating and changing, because companies that stand still weaken because people just kind of move past them. We started with innovation and growth from the beginning at Solvay, but we are also looking at new innovations:
How can we make things lighter? How can we make things faster? How can we digitalize? How can we be more efficient? Those all help lower our emissions, reduce our waste and lower our costs – a win for the world and a win for the company. We started using Syensqo AI, our proprietary AI. I used to think “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but now that’s one of my favorite things to use, it really does help with efficiency when you can give it some ideas and let it come up with an even better idea. It’s kind of like 1 + 1 is 3, but it’s even more than that. It really helps us from a research perspective. It reduces a lot of waste because it helps us optimize our trials and get right to the point. In composite materials, we’re looking at flying taxis and other advanced air mobility. We have also been part of missions to the Moon since the beginning of space travel, and we might be part of the Artemis missions to the Moon. Syensqo also acquired a biotechnology lab in Boston, where we combine chemistry and biology to convert renewable feedstocks into new sustainable solutions. We also utilize additive manufacturing, which is like 3D printing. We can print a spare part and put it on a machine right away versus having to wait months to get a part delivered. It’s more efficient, reduces a lot of waste and gets us back online very quickly. That’s also very innovative to me.
Where would you place Syensqo in the economic ecosystem of the Southeast? Who are your key partners?
We have 10 manufacturing and R&D sites in the Southeast. The main R&D facility for specialty polymers and composite materials is here in Alpharetta, and about 1,500 out of the 5,000 employees in the USA across South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee. We have high paying jobs, and people who are interested in making a difference in this world. We have employees with diverse backgrounds from high school graduates to those with PhDs in material science and physics. We also participate in scholarship initiatives such as Future in STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI), which is a collaboration between the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE), the American Chemistry Council (ACC), and HBCUs. We have been encouraging young people to go into STEM careers. We also support True Blue 1881, an HBCU funded scholarship at Spelman College to assist underrepresented women in our community and provide them with resources for a STEM career such as our young engineers training.
What is the best advice you have received regarding doing business with Belgians?
In terms of our similarities, everybody wants to develop relationships and trust. We do have cultural differences: the USA is a little bit more entrepreneurial and higher risk takers. Whereas I’ve noticed that Syensqo is less of a risk taker, but you wouldn’t be around for 160 years if you took a lot of meaningless risks. I would also mention that there is more structure and formality in Belgium than the USA. One of my colleagues said every morning people greet each other and shake hands and wish each other a good day, whereas you don’t see that much in the USA. Lastly, Belgians are multilingual, so you must be mindful of speaking French with Belgians who speak French and Dutch with Belgians who speak Dutch, though English is usually the safest language.
What advice do you have for Belgians wanting to start a business in the USA?
First of all, understanding the market that they’re looking for in the US and the cultural differences, because you might find people who might be less formal, maybe more direct. The compliance landscape in the US is very different than in Belgium. It’s important to follow the compliance of products, and obtain the right permits. I would also say networking, who and where are the people that you need to be connected to? You also have to be more willing to take risks.
What should American companies know about doing business with Belgium that they might not already be aware of?
That Belgium has a monarchy, and His and Her Royal Highnesses are very important, and add a level of formality. It’s also good to know that there are three different regions within Belgium: Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders. They have different languages and different focuses regarding what is important to them. I also think that being organized and punctual are values that Belgians appreciate, and lastly, nurturing trust in relationships, we need to understand Belgians as much as they need to understand us, and what our companies are about.
What do you love most about working with a Belgian company?
Well, the one thing I like about working for an international company is that it gives me so much exposure to the world and different cultures. I don’t speak Dutch, but I do get to use a little bit of the French I learned in high school. It gives you a different perspective that there’s more to the world than the USA. It helps you be more open-minded and even helps you be more innovative, because you think “there’s so much more outside my box, outside my world.”
How would you describe Belgium/Belgian to a USA citizen (3 words)?
- Welcoming – Belgians have always been very welcoming with me.
- Culture – Belgium has such a rich culture.
- Food – I still talk about the food!
What makes Belgium Special?
The food: it’s delicious! You got the fries, I love the mussels in Brussels, I love the chocolates, the speculoos. I also like Belgium’s rich history and the walkable cities.
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