- Email: [email protected]
Bulgaria: Kaolin AD – kaolin
FOCUS In a number of important applications, functional mineral fillers compete against glass-fibre fillers. According to the European Composites Industry Association, European manufacturers could face a 20% increase in glass-fibre prices this year. On top of that, manufacturers of composites who have relied on imported Chinese glass-fibre will find themselves facing provisional import duties of 43.6%, as a result of antidumping measures imposed on Chinese material. Bad news for glassfibre suppliers could mean good news for functional filler suppliers, so long as they seize the opportunities opening up.
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markets”, such as power station desulfurisation and potable water filtration. Industrial Minerals, Oct 2010, (517), 18-19 (Website: http://www.mineralnet.co.uk)
France: Cabot – carbon black On 18 March 2011, Cabot declared force majeure for 14 days on deliveries of carbon black from its Port Jerome plant at Lillebonne (30 km up the River Seine from Le Havre). This was due to a fire in the exhaust stack, which meant that the plant had to be shut down for emergency repairs. European Rubber Journal, Mar/Apr 2011, 193 (2), 3 (Website: http://www.european-rubber-journal.com)
Industrial Minerals, Oct 2010, (517), 43-51 (Website: http://www.mineralnet.co.uk)
Germany & Japan: Merck – Xirallic pearlescent pigments
PLANTS Bulgaria: Kaolin AD – kaolin The Kaolin AD group (headquartered in Senovo, northeastern Bulgaria) now has a total kaolin capacity of nearly 300,000 tonnes/y. It also produces up to 50,000 tonnes/y of dolomite and 120,000 tonnes/y of feldspar. Nearly 50% of the group’s sales revenue is generated from markets in the Middle East and North Africa and these markets were less hard hit by the 2008/09 recession than European kaolin markets. Kaolin AD traces its history back to 1924, when the original enterprise (based in Varna) began working the kaolin deposits near the town of Kaolinovo. In 1947, all mining activities in Bulgaria were nationalised and the operations of the Varnabased enterprise were merged with those of Dunav (based in Ruse), which had been mining deposits in Vetovo and Senovo. The merged entity was named Dimitar Blagoev State Mining Co. After privatisation, Kaolin AD (of Senovo) emerged in 2001 as an enterprise mainly mining dolomite, feldspar and quartz. Between 2003 and 2006, the company extended its mining activities into Serbia, Turkey, Romania and Ukraine. Recently, Mr Konstantin Nenov (Chairman) declared that over the next 10 years, Kaolin AD would focus on developing materials for “green
JULY 2011
Merck’s Onahama complex in Fukushima prefecture was shut down as a result of damage by the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011. One of the plants located at this site is Merck’s only plant in the world for the manufacture of Xirallic pearlescent pigments, which are used by a number of the major automotive paint and cosmetic manufacturers. Repair work began on 4 April. Just under six weeks later, the Xirallic pigments plant was reopened and Merck expects to be operating at full capacity by the end of June 2011. Because of its proximity to the damaged Fukushima nuclear power station, Merck will be strictly monitoring radioactivity levels at its Onahama complex in order to guarantee workers’ safety. The company will also be testing all products destined for shipment from Onahama. Meanwhile, Merck has commenced construction of a new plant for making Xirallic pigments at its Darmstadt complex (40 km south of Frankfurtam-Main). This plant should be ready to start production before the end of 2011. Farbe und Lack, Jun 2011, 117 (6), 12 (Website: http://www.farbeundlack.de/) (in German)
Germany & US: Heubach – pigment pastes and Heucotint colorants The Heubach group recently brought on-stream new plants in Germany and
in the US. At Langelsheim (50 km south of Braunschweig), the company now has a plant manufacturing 2000 tonnes/y of pigment pastes, suitable for colouring plasterwork as well as for tinting building paints. This plant cost €4 M to build. Heubach will invest another €12 M at Langelsheim over the next 12-18 months, mainly for expanding existing facilities for making inorganic pigments and plastic preparations. At Fairless Hills, PA (40 km northeast of Philadelphia), Heucotech (a wholly-owned subsidiary within the Heubach group) recently completed a new unit for making Heucotint universal colorants, suitable for use in architectural paints, both water-borne and solvent-borne. Heucotint colorants are free from volatile organic compounds and from alkyl phenol ethoxylates. No details were given as to the size of this unit. Paint & Coatings Industry (PCI), Apr 2011, 27 (4), 14 (Website: http://www.pcimag.com) & Farbe und Lack, Jun 2011, 117 (6), 12 (Website: http://www.farbeundlack.de/) (in German)
Germany: BASF – paper colorants As part of the realignment programme for its Paper Chemicals Division, BASF plans to close its plant for making Basazol paper colorants at Ludwigshafen. This will result in 42 full-time employees being made redundant. European customer requirements for Basazol paper colorants will in future be supplied from BASF’s plants at Ankleshwar (India) and Altamira (Mexico). The company’s realignment programme also entails the closure of Tinopal optical brighteners and paper colorants plants at Grenzach-Wyhlen, which had been inherited as part of the Ciba acquisition. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jan 2011, 6). Chemical Business (India), Feb 2011, 25 (2), 69 (Website: http://www.printsjournals.com)
Israel: Tosaf – plastics masterbatch Tosaf has opened a new 50,000 tonnes/y plastics masterbatch plant at Afula (10 km south of Nazareth), bringing the company’s total global capacity to 140,000 tonnes/y. Tosaf already has masterbatch plants in Israel, Turkey, Germany, the
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ON
PIGMENTS
markets”, such as power station desulfurisation and potable water filtration. Industrial Minerals, Oct 2010, (517), 18-19 (Website: http://www.mineralnet.co.uk)
France: Cabot – carbon black On 18 March 2011, Cabot declared force majeure for 14 days on deliveries of carbon black from its Port Jerome plant at Lillebonne (30 km up the River Seine from Le Havre). This was due to a fire in the exhaust stack, which meant that the plant had to be shut down for emergency repairs. European Rubber Journal, Mar/Apr 2011, 193 (2), 3 (Website: http://www.european-rubber-journal.com)
Industrial Minerals, Oct 2010, (517), 43-51 (Website: http://www.mineralnet.co.uk)
Germany & Japan: Merck – Xirallic pearlescent pigments
PLANTS Bulgaria: Kaolin AD – kaolin The Kaolin AD group (headquartered in Senovo, northeastern Bulgaria) now has a total kaolin capacity of nearly 300,000 tonnes/y. It also produces up to 50,000 tonnes/y of dolomite and 120,000 tonnes/y of feldspar. Nearly 50% of the group’s sales revenue is generated from markets in the Middle East and North Africa and these markets were less hard hit by the 2008/09 recession than European kaolin markets. Kaolin AD traces its history back to 1924, when the original enterprise (based in Varna) began working the kaolin deposits near the town of Kaolinovo. In 1947, all mining activities in Bulgaria were nationalised and the operations of the Varnabased enterprise were merged with those of Dunav (based in Ruse), which had been mining deposits in Vetovo and Senovo. The merged entity was named Dimitar Blagoev State Mining Co. After privatisation, Kaolin AD (of Senovo) emerged in 2001 as an enterprise mainly mining dolomite, feldspar and quartz. Between 2003 and 2006, the company extended its mining activities into Serbia, Turkey, Romania and Ukraine. Recently, Mr Konstantin Nenov (Chairman) declared that over the next 10 years, Kaolin AD would focus on developing materials for “green
JULY 2011
Merck’s Onahama complex in Fukushima prefecture was shut down as a result of damage by the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011. One of the plants located at this site is Merck’s only plant in the world for the manufacture of Xirallic pearlescent pigments, which are used by a number of the major automotive paint and cosmetic manufacturers. Repair work began on 4 April. Just under six weeks later, the Xirallic pigments plant was reopened and Merck expects to be operating at full capacity by the end of June 2011. Because of its proximity to the damaged Fukushima nuclear power station, Merck will be strictly monitoring radioactivity levels at its Onahama complex in order to guarantee workers’ safety. The company will also be testing all products destined for shipment from Onahama. Meanwhile, Merck has commenced construction of a new plant for making Xirallic pigments at its Darmstadt complex (40 km south of Frankfurtam-Main). This plant should be ready to start production before the end of 2011. Farbe und Lack, Jun 2011, 117 (6), 12 (Website: http://www.farbeundlack.de/) (in German)
Germany & US: Heubach – pigment pastes and Heucotint colorants The Heubach group recently brought on-stream new plants in Germany and
in the US. At Langelsheim (50 km south of Braunschweig), the company now has a plant manufacturing 2000 tonnes/y of pigment pastes, suitable for colouring plasterwork as well as for tinting building paints. This plant cost €4 M to build. Heubach will invest another €12 M at Langelsheim over the next 12-18 months, mainly for expanding existing facilities for making inorganic pigments and plastic preparations. At Fairless Hills, PA (40 km northeast of Philadelphia), Heucotech (a wholly-owned subsidiary within the Heubach group) recently completed a new unit for making Heucotint universal colorants, suitable for use in architectural paints, both water-borne and solvent-borne. Heucotint colorants are free from volatile organic compounds and from alkyl phenol ethoxylates. No details were given as to the size of this unit. Paint & Coatings Industry (PCI), Apr 2011, 27 (4), 14 (Website: http://www.pcimag.com) & Farbe und Lack, Jun 2011, 117 (6), 12 (Website: http://www.farbeundlack.de/) (in German)
Germany: BASF – paper colorants As part of the realignment programme for its Paper Chemicals Division, BASF plans to close its plant for making Basazol paper colorants at Ludwigshafen. This will result in 42 full-time employees being made redundant. European customer requirements for Basazol paper colorants will in future be supplied from BASF’s plants at Ankleshwar (India) and Altamira (Mexico). The company’s realignment programme also entails the closure of Tinopal optical brighteners and paper colorants plants at Grenzach-Wyhlen, which had been inherited as part of the Ciba acquisition. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jan 2011, 6). Chemical Business (India), Feb 2011, 25 (2), 69 (Website: http://www.printsjournals.com)
Israel: Tosaf – plastics masterbatch Tosaf has opened a new 50,000 tonnes/y plastics masterbatch plant at Afula (10 km south of Nazareth), bringing the company’s total global capacity to 140,000 tonnes/y. Tosaf already has masterbatch plants in Israel, Turkey, Germany, the
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