Univar continues to invest in supply chain solutions to support its pharmaceutical customers across Europe

Rotterdam, The Netherlands – October 18, 2007 – Univar “delivers answers” to meet the increasing quality needs and provide effective supply solutions to its pharmaceutical customers. Over the last six months, Univar has had a programme of major investments in European facilities. It has opened new distribution centres in Dublin, Ireland, and Barcelona, Spain. In a parallel development, it has collaborated with LBC (Liquid Bulk Chemicals) of The Netherlands to raise its capacity for repackaging bulk liquid-based excipients to GMP standards in Rotterdam.

The specifications of the new warehouses are designed to satisfy the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, the industry guideline for the supply of raw materials to the pharmaceutical industry. In Ireland, Univar has inaugurated a purpose-build, environmentally friendly facility that becomes the new centre serving the chemicals industry nationwide. This development emphasises Univar’s confidence in the Irish market in which over the past 30 years it has grown to become the largest chemical distributor. Importantly, it gives the local pharmaceutical manufacturers who make up a major part of its customer base, the assurance of an efficient, secure and flexible product supply at the level of quality they require.

In Spain, Univar Iberia has moved into a state-of-the-art warehouse facility that increases the company’s capacity as well as sets new industry standards in quality. Located in Barcelona this new site consolidates operations previously conducted at four different centres. It comprises dedicated product areas including a facility for cold storage. Serving as a centre for the local Catalonian market and a hub for the whole Iberian market, it will enable Univar to ensure a high quality service to customers and accommodate the strong growth in speciality chemicals. These facilities complement Univar’s established European network and GMP facilities operating in Nordic, UK and France.

In The Netherlands the new repackaging line, run in conjunction with LBC, will repack bulk liquid excipients according to GMP quality guidelines. “This is crucial to support our pharmaceutical customers with the upcoming EU Directive on excipient GMP,” said Jeremy Drummond, Director of Univar Pharma Ingredients in Europe.

“We anticipate that this legislation will directly impact the supply of key liquid pharmaceutical excipients we supply and we want to be ready to ensure the security and quality of product supply to our customers.”

According to Paul Symmons, Univar Europe’s Vice President Operations: “These investments show Univar’s clear determination to support customers with the local services they require, and do so in conformance with the European quality standards demanded by the pharmaceutical industry.”

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Notes for editors

Univar Pharma Ingredients

Univar Pharma Ingredients is the global brand of Univar to the pharmaceutical raw material market. Operating in 13 countries across Europe, supplied by world leading producers. Univar Pharma Ingredients combines global cost effective supply of a broad range of raw materials with the specific quality and regulatory standards required by the pharmaceutical manufacturing market.

About Univar

Univar N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: UNIVR) is one of the world s leading independent distributors of industrial chemicals and providers of related specialty services, operating throughout North America and Europe. Univar endeavours to service its customer base, made up of some 250,000 industrial customers, with a full portfolio of products. The majority are commodities that the company buys in bulk, then processes, blends and repacks to meet the diverse requirements of the industries we serve. Others are specialties purchased pre-packaged and sold on a technical basis, usually under a manufacturer s own brand. As well as differentiating ourselves through our vast product offering, Univar also provides a number of related services, both to its customers and suppliers, such as blending, managing customer inventories, packaging, labelling, warehouse management, waste management, technical support and managing vendor reduction programs. Univar operates a network of 160 distribution centres, located throughout the United States, Canada and 18 European countries. In 2006, Univar generated net sales of USD 6.6 billion and operating income (EBIT) of USD 238.6 million. Univar has approximately 6,900 employees based primarily throughout North America and Europe. The company s registered office is in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with administrative support offices in Bellevue, Washington, USA, and Bradford, England, UK.

For more information, visit: www.univarcorp.com and www.univareurope.com.