Sugar refinery of Tienen
Encyclopedia
The Sugar refinery of Tienen (Dutch: Tiense Suikerraffinaderij - French: Raffinerie Tirlemontoise), a subsidiary of Raffinerie Tirlemontoise Group (RT Group), is a Belgian
sugar
producing company. The company whose headquarter is located in Tienen (Belgium
) has four business units: sugar activities, Orafti, Surafti and PPE, which together employ more than 1,800 people.
The company operates two sugar refineries
in Belgium: Tienen (12,500 tons of beets per day) and Wanze
with refinerie in Longchamps (16,500 tons of beets per day).
industry in Europe
and Belgium has its roots in the Continental System
of Napoleon I
in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
during the Napoleonic Wars
. Sugar
from sugar beets was increasingly used as an alternative for sugarcane
, when in 1807 the British began a blockade
of France
, which prevented the import of sugarcane from the Caribbean
.
The Sugar refinery of Tienen itself was founded in 1836 and in the early years production was about 10 sacks of raw sugar per day. By 1880, sugar beet cultivation rose to 1,000 tonnes. By 1894, the production rose to 7,000 tonnes per day. In 1931, the Chadbourne plan was the first international agreement on sugar production, but due to international overproduction the situation of the sugar industry remained difficult until the even of World War II
.
In 1949, F. Baerts, J. Dedek and G. Tibo of the Sugar refinery of Tienen invited several scientists form the European sugar industry to Brussels on 18 September 1949. This would lead to the foundation of the Commission Internationale Technique de Sucrerie (CITS).
In 1950, the production of white sugar started with 399,000 tones produced that year. After the establishment of the European Union
in 1958, the common agricultural policy lead to the regulation of the European sugar market in 1968. In 1987 25 percent of the shares of the company were registered on the Brussels Stock Excahnge and in 1989 Südzucker
bought all shares of the company. In 1999 the company decided to install a seed magma preparation installation in the Tienen plant to reduce production costs and to improve the quality of the sugar
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
producing company. The company whose headquarter is located in Tienen (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) has four business units: sugar activities, Orafti, Surafti and PPE, which together employ more than 1,800 people.
The company operates two sugar refineries
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
in Belgium: Tienen (12,500 tons of beets per day) and Wanze
Wanze
Wanze is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège. It consists of the former municipalities of Wanze, Antheit, Bas-Oha, Huccorgne, Moha and Vinalmont....
with refinerie in Longchamps (16,500 tons of beets per day).
History
The sugar beetSugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
industry in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Belgium has its roots in the Continental System
Continental System
The Continental System or Continental Blockade was the foreign policy of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. It was a large-scale embargo against British trade, which began on November 21, 1806...
of Napoleon I
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
from sugar beets was increasingly used as an alternative for sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, when in 1807 the British began a blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which prevented the import of sugarcane from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
The Sugar refinery of Tienen itself was founded in 1836 and in the early years production was about 10 sacks of raw sugar per day. By 1880, sugar beet cultivation rose to 1,000 tonnes. By 1894, the production rose to 7,000 tonnes per day. In 1931, the Chadbourne plan was the first international agreement on sugar production, but due to international overproduction the situation of the sugar industry remained difficult until the even of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1949, F. Baerts, J. Dedek and G. Tibo of the Sugar refinery of Tienen invited several scientists form the European sugar industry to Brussels on 18 September 1949. This would lead to the foundation of the Commission Internationale Technique de Sucrerie (CITS).
In 1950, the production of white sugar started with 399,000 tones produced that year. After the establishment of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in 1958, the common agricultural policy lead to the regulation of the European sugar market in 1968. In 1987 25 percent of the shares of the company were registered on the Brussels Stock Excahnge and in 1989 Südzucker
Südzucker
Südzucker AG is a German company, the largest sugar producer in Europe with an annual production of around 4.8 million tonnes.-Sugar segment:The company has 30 sugar factories and 3 refineries in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania Slovakia and...
bought all shares of the company. In 1999 the company decided to install a seed magma preparation installation in the Tienen plant to reduce production costs and to improve the quality of the sugar