Evonik to extend Chinese production capacity for HALS ingredient

Evonik to extend Chinese production capacity for HALS ingredient

STRATEGIES water management projects throughout India, the company says. Baerlocher’s one-pack products are supplied under the brand name Baeropan®. ...

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STRATEGIES

water management projects throughout India, the company says. Baerlocher’s one-pack products are supplied under the brand name Baeropan®. According to the company, these are customized additive formulations meeting the needs of a special application, developed together with the customer using Baerlocher know-how. The company claims to have developed the additive one-pack concept, which has since become the state of the art in the industry. The Baerlocher group of companies is a leading provider of additives for the plastics industry, in particular for PVC. Its offering includes a very broad range of stabilizers based on Ca/Zn, Ca/Org, Pb, Ba/Zn and Sn, as well as other additives for all PVC applications. It has 13 production sites around the world, with its headquarters in Munich-Unterschleissheim. Research and development are carried out in Germany (Munich-Unterschleissheim), France (Marseilles), Italy (Lodi) and the USA (Dover, OH). With a sales network covering all major countries, the group has more than 1200 employees and generated worldwide revenues of about E380 million in 2008. Contact: Baerlocher GmbH, Unterschleissheim, Germany. Tel: +49 89 14 37 30, Web: www.baerlocher.com

Nubiola increases production capacity for ultramarine violets and pinks

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panish pigment specialist Nubiola is expanding manufacturing capacity for ultramarine violets and pinks by 30% at its Llodio production plant located in Spain’s Basque Country. The expansion will be achieved by installing new equipment that operates with the company’s unique, proprietary manufacturing technology, and is scheduled to be fully operational in early 2011. This investment strengthens the position of the Llodio plant as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the production of high added value ultramarines specialities, Nubiola says. Ultramarine violets and pinks provide very clean and stable violet and pink coloration and are also used for tinting whites with a neutral shade that is highly appreciated. They are safe products in processing and final end-use, which makes them ideal for use in cosmetics and plastics in contact with food. According to the company, these pig-

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Additives for Polymers

ments are key products in many of its customers’ applications and market demand has been growing significantly in recent years. ‘We want to ensure that our production capacity is sufficient to avoid any supply tightness that could affect the operations of our customers. This additional capacity is another major step forward we want to take as a responsible ultramarines leader’, explains Alex Capuz, Nubiola’s global marketing manager. Family-owned Nubiola, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, claims to be world’s largest producer of ultramarine pigments and also manufactures a wide range of other inorganic pigment types including iron oxides, zinc ferrites, chrome oxide greens, chrome yellows and molybdate oranges, as well as corrosion inhibitors. It employs about 600, has four production plants and serves a wide range of industries in more than 85 countries. Contact: Nubiola Pigmentos, Barcelona, Spain. Tel: +34 93 343 5750, Web: www.nubiola.com

Evonik to extend Chinese production capacity for HALS ingredient

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ssen-based Evonik Industries is to build a new plant for triacetonamine (TAA) derivatives in China in response to recent booming demand for these chemicals. The company says this development will considerably expand its production capacities for these products in China. TAA derivatives are essential intermediates for the manufacture of hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS), which are used to protect plastics in automotive and construction applications as well as in agricultural films. Evonik currently produces TAA derivatives in a joint venture, Evonik Tianda (Liaoyang) Chemical Additive Co, Ltd, in northeastern China. The new facility will also be sited in the Liaoyang region, at its Aromatic Site, one of the country’s largest petrochemical sites. Existing TAA production capacities are to be moved to the new plant, and will also be significantly increased, Evonik says. The foundations for the new facility will be laid as early as this year, with full production scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2011. Apart from the plant in Liaoyang,

October 2010

STRATEGIES

Evonik has further TAA production capacities at Marl Chemical Park in Germany. The company is already one of the world’s leading suppliers of TAA derivatives. The Evonik Group has reported a 24% increase in sales to E7.8 billion in the first six months of 2010, principally due to a sharp rise in demand. EBITDA surged 83% to E1.53 billion compared to E839 million in 1H 2009, and the EBITDA margin was 19.6%, well above the prior year level of 13.4%. EBIT increased by 159% to E1.15 billion, driven mainly by the ‘pleasing’ development of the Chemicals and Energy Business Areas, the company says. Evonik’s net income for the period was E530 million, considerably higher than at the end of the first six months of 2009 (E43 million). Sales and income improved in the second quarter of the year compared to both 1Q 2010 and 2Q 2009. The company’s chemicals businesses registered substantial volume growth in Asia in 1H 2010, while demand picked up perceptibly in Europe and slightly in North America. Overall, sales advanced 34% to E6.28 billion for the six months driven by increased volumes (25 percentage points) and higher selling prices (7 percentage points). Currency effects and changes in the scope of consolidation each contributed 1 percentage point to the rise. EBITDA for this business area climbed 91% to E1.24 billion and EBIT improved 180% to E925 million, principally due to a strong rise in demand and the related improvement in capacity utilization. So far, the clear rise in raw material costs has been offset largely by raising selling prices, Evonik reports. Contact: Evonik Industries AG, Essen, Germany. Tel: +49 201 177 3333, Web: www.evonik.com

According to Huber, the addition of the Kemgard portfolio strengthens its current alumina trihydrate (ATH) and magnesium hydroxide (MDH) product portfolio and builds on its expertise in offering a wider spectrum of non-halogen flame retardant solutions. Describing the acquisition as ‘exciting’, Jerry Bertram, VP and general manager of Huber’s Industrial Minerals business, says it enhances Huber’s presence in the market and will be beneficial to Kemgard customers. ‘The Kemgard products complement our existing line-up perfectly, as the marketplace continues its shift towards more environmentally friendly flame retardants and smoke suppressants’, he says. The Kemgard products are already well-positioned and provide outstanding performance, Bertram explains. ‘We are looking forward to working with this technology and supplying customers with highperforming Kemgard products, backed by Huber’s excellent technical expertise and customer support’, he adds. Huber has been supplying flame retardants for more than 30 years. It produces value-added ATH and MDH products for a variety of end-use applications, including carpet backing, fibre reinforced plastics, roofing, silicone rubber and wire and cable. Its inorganic chemicals portfolio also includes speciality silica and silicates, barium sulphate and natural calcium carbonate. It recently announced plans to more than double silica production capacity at its manufacturing facility in Jhagadia, India, to 33 000 tonnes per year. The new capacity is designed to meet growing demand in India and the surrounding region and is expected to be completed by early 2012. Contact: Huber Engineered Materials, Atlanta, GA, USA. Tel: +1 678 247 7300, Web: www.hubermaterials.com Or contact: Sherwin-Williams Co, 101 Prospect Avenue N.W., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA. Tel: +1 216 566 2000, Web: www.sherwin-williams.com

Huber acquires Kemgard to strengthen flame retardant and smoke suppressant presence

Cristal Global to discontinue TiO2 production at Baltimore facility

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uber Engineered Materials, a division of J.M. Huber Corp, has acquired the Kemgard® flame retardant and smoke suppressant business of Ohio-based paints and coatings firm Sherwin-Williams. The Kemgard products will continue to be manufactured in Coffeyville, KN, USA, and brand grades and product specifications will remain the same.

October 2010

ristal Global, the world’s second-largest producer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments is to cease base pigment manufacturing at its Hawkins Point Plant in Baltimore, MD, USA. The plant was idled in March 2009 as a result of the severe economic downturn. Despite recently improved demand for TiO2, the company says that the long-term outlook for the facility remains

Additives for Polymers

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