S.A. Lipmes

Zinc Chloride and Zinc Salts

S.A. Lipmes is a privately held company founded in 1959, with its factory and headquarters in Manresa, about 60 kilometers west of Barcelona. It manufactures zinc chloride and zinc salts and describes itself as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of these products. Its site covers 14,000 square meters, including its own logistics area, and has production capacity of about 25,000 metric tons a year. Products are sold in more than 50 countries.

Products

• Zinc chloride (ZnCl₂): available as a liquid at concentrations up to 65% or as a dry solid. Packaging includes 25 kg or 50 kg polyethylene valve sacks, 1,000 kg bulk bags, and 250 kg metal drums. Liquid product is delivered by tanker truck or in 1,000-liter IBC containers. All packaging is UN-approved. REACH registration: 01-2119472431-44-0001.
• Zinc chloride and ammonium chloride salts: the company produces double, triple, and simple salts, as well as custom combinations of zinc chloride and ammonium chloride. These solutions are known as flux baths and are used mainly in hot-dip galvanizing. REACH registration: 01-2119557900-37-0001.
• Hydrochloric acid: used in a range of industrial applications, including steel pickling, food production, and chemical manufacturing. It is offered as a complementary service to galvanizing customers to help collect residual zinc-chloride solutions. REACH registration: 01-2119484862-27-0001.

Applications and Customers

Zinc chloride is used as an electrolyte in zinc-carbon dry-cell batteries, as a flux in metal soldering, in water treatment, as a flame retardant in textile processes, and in the manufacture of bactericides, fungicides, and plastic stabilizers. Zinc chloride and ammonium chloride salts are used to pretreat steel surfaces before galvanizing and welding and in hot-dip tinning. Major customers include international dry-cell battery manufacturers, multinational chemical companies, and the galvanizing industry.

Environment and Energy

The company manages waste and recovers materials containing zinc, particularly ash from the galvanizing industry, for use as raw material in production. It says its production systems align with the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS III) and ISO 14001:2004. Lipmes also operates two solar photovoltaic plants with installed capacity of 2,314.5 kWp and annual output of 3,987,300 kWh, which the company says helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,560 metric tons a year.

Contact

Address: Creu Guixera, s/n, 08243 Manresa, Barcelona, Spain. Phone: +34 938 770 447. Email: lipmes@lipmes.com.