▁States , ▁China , ▁and ▁Europe . ▁K ad ant ▁has ▁operations ▁in ▁North ▁America , ▁South ▁America , ▁Europe , ▁and ▁Asia . ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁company ▁was ▁established ▁as ▁Th ermo ▁F ib rote k ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 1 ▁as ▁a ▁wh olly ▁owned ▁subs idi ary ▁of ▁Th ermo ▁Electron ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁its ▁parent ' s ▁strategy ▁to ▁innov ate ▁and ▁grow ▁by ▁creating ▁subs idi aries ▁that ▁were ▁priv ately ▁owned ▁in ▁part , ▁and ▁public ly ▁trad ed ▁in ▁part . ▁Its ▁initial ▁focus ▁was ▁paper ▁making ▁and ▁paper ▁rec y cling ▁equipment . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁the ▁company ▁set ▁up ▁a ▁subs idi ary , ▁Th ermo ▁F iber gen , ▁which ▁it ▁in ▁turn ▁made ▁partially ▁public ly ▁trad ed , ▁to ▁focus ▁on ▁techn ologies ▁to ▁recover ▁products ▁from ▁paper - making ▁waste ▁products ; ▁that ▁company ▁in ▁turn ▁acquired ▁Gran ulation ▁Technology , ▁Inc . ▁and ▁created ▁a ▁division ▁called ▁Gran T ek ▁that ▁produced ▁gran ules ▁from ▁sl ud ge ▁that ▁were ▁used , ▁for ▁example , ▁as ▁a ▁car rier ▁for ▁agricult ural ▁chemical s ▁and ▁p estic ides . ▁ ▁The ▁original ▁plan ▁was ▁that ▁F iber gen ▁would ▁build ▁its ▁plants ▁adjacent ▁to ▁paper - making ▁plants ▁to ▁process ▁their ▁waste , ▁but ▁this ▁plan ▁failed ▁because ▁it ▁required ▁paper - making ▁plants ▁to ▁commit ▁to ▁long - term ▁contract s ▁to ▁dispose ▁of ▁their ▁waste , ▁which ▁they ▁were ▁unw illing ▁to