Enzymes have been used for more than 50 years in the detergent, textile, leather and food industries, to name just a few. In these industries enzymes replace chemicals and minimize water, raw material and energy consumption. Nature's own technology provides us with environmentally friendly solutions and better products.

Novozymes, based in Denmark, is considered the largest and the oldest enzyme Company in the world. Novozymes has conducted biotechnological research since 1941 and, with a few exceptions, has introduced every new enzyme to the industry. It also has the distinction of being the first and the only Multinational Enzyme company with its own office in Pakistan. With more than 75 types of enzymes and more than 600 different products Novozymes has the largest product portfolio of industrial enzymes in the world. Their biological solutions cover more than 120 countries worldwide.
With the regional office in Malaysia and a Liaison office in Pakistan, Novozymes AS is poised to supply different kinds of enzymes to the textile, detergent, leather, pharmaceutical and baking industries.

The office in Pakistan is responsible for marketing and technical needs of the customers in Pakistan in collaboration with Novozymes regional office in Malaysia.

Umar Riaz - the country business Manager of Novozymes AS in Pakistan - has a Master's degree from a reputed Business School and has worked extensively in the pharmaceutical industry. He has been in Novozymes since its inception two years ago in Pakistan. He has attended various courses pertaining to Bio-technology in Denmark and Malaysia. Pakistan Textile Journal is pleased to present the interview of Mr. Umar Riaz and a brief discussion on Novozymes products and its operations in Pakistan for the interest of our readers.

According to Umar Riaz, "Our Company holds more than 45% market share of enzymes world-wide and our customers in Pakistan include leading denim finishers in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. Our company sells concentrated as well as ready to use enzymes to different companies who formulate, blend or dilute these chemicals according to the requirements of their respective industry".

He also pointed out that in 2003, their company had imported around 500 tons of concentrated & ready to use products for different segments of the industry. Novozymes has been active in Pakistan for many years, but only within the last few years after we have realized the potential, and we can see the Pakistan scenario developing have we established ourselves here for the last two years. According to a survey conducted by Novozymes Denmark, Pakistan is among the seven countries which are considered as growing markets worldwide for textiles.

Novozymes has been developing enzyme solutions for the textile industry for more than 50 years. "We are the pioneers of desizing enzymes as well as discovering the role of celluloses for Stonewashing of denim", he added.

In this case, the denim fabric is always sized, the complete process also includes desizing of the denim garment and Novozymes has introduced a number of amylases for the desizing process.
In the traditional stonewashing process, the blue denim is faded by the abrasive action of lightweight pumice stones on the garment surface. This removes some of the dyes. However, too much abrasion can damage the fabric, particularly hems and waist-bands. In contrast, enzymes age the clothes gently. This is why denim finishers today use enzymes to accelerate the abrasion by loosening the indigo dye on the denim.

As a small dose of enzyme can replace several kilograms of stones, the use of fewer stones results in less damage to garments, less wear on machines and less pumice dust in the working environment. Laundry machines containing fewer stones also have room for more garments. With a stone-free process, the need for the removal of dust and small stones from the finished garment is eliminated.

There is also no sediment in the wastewater, which can otherwise clog up drains. Similarly Novozymes also discovered Laccases for bleaching of Indigo giving it a unique 'in-demand' grey cast or dirty look
"In the Mill sector we have developed unique enzyme based solutions which include a wide range of Desizing enzymes catering to various operating conditions and processes, Bio-Polishing, Bio-Scouring, Bleach Clean-up with Catalases for removing hydrogen peroxide efficiently and economically", he said.
"The development and increasing use of our enzymes in the textile industry has eliminated the need of various harsh chemical processes and ensured more cost-efficient, reliable processing with less waste in terms of time, energy and water, better fabric quality and a better working environment".

In the end Mr. Umar added, "Novozymes offers all types of Enzymes for the textile industry and time taken for imports of enzymes is shortened as our supply point is in Singapore for many products. This helps the customer reduce lead time". Novozymes also has distributors in many fields including Pakistan Specialty Chemicals for textiles and Hostachem Int. for leather.

"We at Novozymes recognize the need of our textile industry for providing the customer with the best quality products at a cost effective price, as Pakistani textile exports have to be competitive in the post 2005 scenario", he concluded.
-by Amina Baqai, Ed.