Mar 05, 2010. /Lesprom Network/. Eka Chemicals increased prices across its entire European Paper Chemicals product range, with immediate effect as of March 1, 2010, in order to begin to offset higher costs, company said in a statement received by Lesprom Network. “This price adjustment is necessary to maintain a long term sustainable business model”, says Jay Hunsberger, European Marketing Director at Eka Chemicals. The recent increases in the cost of basic raw materials, energy and transportation have impacted Eka Chemicals’ cost structure dramatically. Continual efforts to streamline the operations and optimize cost structure are being significantly outpaced by these increases, company said. Eka Chemicals is a business unit within AkzoNobel. Eka Chemicals is a leading supplier of bleaching chemicals, paper chemicals and systems to the pulp and paper industry throughout the world, and supplies certain special chemicals to the pharmaceuticals industry, water treatment, the electronics industry etc.