- Email: [email protected]
Primalex, the largest Czech paintmaker sold to US investment fund
F O C US
O N
PIGMENTS
Heubach buys up last remaining Avecia pigment assets
Meghmani appoints Azzurro to boost its sales of phthalo pigments in Japan
With effect from early 2001, Heubach Colour took over responsibility for supplying organic pigments to customers formerly catered for by Avecia’s plant at Grangemouth (Scotland). The products involved were mainly phthalo blue pigments and the agreement between Heubach and Avecia (formerly Zeneca Specialities) provided a platform for Avecia to close the Grangemouth plant, while Heubach doubled its own capacity at Ankleshwar (Gujarat province, India). Capacity at Ankleshwar is now 10,000 tonnes/y. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’. Jun 2001, 4). Now Avecia has decided to sever all links with the pigments industry and Heubach has agreed to buy all Avecia’s remaining assets in this field. The value of the transaction has not yet been revealed.
Meghmani Organics (of India) has appointed Azzurro (of Tokyo) as its sales agent for the Japanese market. The two parties are aiming to increase Meghmani’s annual exports to Yen 2 bn worth of phthalocyanine pigments and Yen 1 bn worth of agrochemical intermediates within three years. Meghmani currently produces 12,000 tonnes/y of phthalocyanine blue, 1800 tonnes/y of phthalocyanine green and 240 tonnes/y of Pigment Violet 23.
European Chemical News, 19 Aug 2002, 77 (2018), 9
Ipiranga to sell for Dominion Colour Ipiranga Comercial Quimica SA (of Sao Paulo) has been named as the exclusive distributor of Dominion Colour Corp’s colour pigments for the Brazilian market. Dominion Colour and its parent company, Kikuchi Colour, produce organic and inorganic pigments at seven different sites in Canada, Japan, Venezuela and China. The group’s distributor network encompasses more than 70 countries around the world. Ink Maker, Jul 2002, 80 (7), 10
Kilburn boosts profits again Having survived threatened bankruptcy a few years ago, Kilburn Chemicals – the smallest of the four Indian TiO2 producers – reported further improvement in profitability. For the three months to end-2002, the company declared net profit at Rup 15.474 M on sales of Rup 96.5 M. That compares against Rup 11.829 M on Rup 91.6 M for the first three months of the previous financial year. Kilburn runs a 3800 tonnes/y anatase TiO2 pigment plant at Tuticorin and may renew consideration of an earlier shelved expansion project if sales continue to improve. Business Line, 1 Aug 2002, 9 (212), 9
6
paints in the Czech Republic, has been sold to RiverSide Investments, a US-based investment fund, effective 1 September 2002. The transaction, valued at more than CEK 500 M, was the outcome of a public tender organised by the Prague branch of Wood & Co (financial consultants). Primalex had been part of the Keramika Horni Briza group (headquartered in the town of Horni Briza), which is best known as a supplier of ceramic tiles and kaolin. Hospodarske Noviny, 5 Aug 2002, 46 (150), 17 (in Czech)
Japan Chemical Week, 22 Aug 2002, 43 (2184), 2
Sides to sell for Chrostiki Pan to sell for Gabriel Gabriel Chemie (of Austria) has appointed Pan Polymers as its distributor for small customers in the United Kingdom. Pan Polymers now offers Gabriel’s Unimax universal stock colour masterbatch range and Maxithen additives for the injection moulding market. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 16 Aug 2002, 11
Chrostiki, the best known producer of plastics masterbatch in Greece, has appointed Sides SpA (of Milan) as its exclusive distributor of masterbatches for the Italian market. Sides is a member of the Pluschem group of seven independent distributors, selling products to the plastics, rubber and paint industries. Sides reported turnover at €12 M last year. Plastics Additives and Compounding, Jul 2002, 4 (7), 4
Sharp fall in sales & profits at Precheza Precheza (of Prerov, Czech Republic) reported a 29% fall in profits and a 14% decline in sales for the year to end-December 2001. Post-tax profits were CEK 164.99 M on sales of CEK 1.61 bn. The sharp declines were atributed to weak demand and prices for TiO2 and iron oxide pigments throughout Europe and the United States. In order to avoid excessive inventory build-up, plant operating rates were turned down. The TiO2 plant’s average capacity utilisation rate for the year was 89%, indicating a production figure of 31,150 tones. The iron oxide pigments plant operated at 77% and the sulfuric acid plant at 90% on average. Meanwhile, the company increased its sales of by-product gypsum by 27%. It also increased its sales of speciality colour pigments by 32%. European Paint and Resin News, Jun 2002, 40 (6), 2 & Farbe und Lack, June 2002, 108 (6), 12 (in German)
Primalex, the largest Czech paintmaker sold to US investment fund Primalex (of Brasy), the largest manufacturer of decorative/building
Toyo Ink intends to raise profits through global pigment activities Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co declared operating profits at Yen 6.94 bn on sales of Yen 222.4 bn in the year to end-Mar 2002. That compares against Yen 10.2 bn on Yen 222.2 bn in the previous year. Toyo Ink remains the largest printing ink manufacturer in Japan and it has a strong affiliation with Toppan Printing, which retains a 21% financial stake in Toyo Ink. The company has also built up an impressive business in organic pigments, organised in five business units. Ftalmex (of Mexico) produces phthalocyanine blue and dioxazine violet; Francocolor (of France) produces azo red and yellow, phthalocyanine blue and quinacridone pigments; Toyo Tianjin (of China) produces azo red and yellow pigments; Toyo Zhuhai (of China) produces phthalocyanine blue; and Toyo’s Fuji business unit (in Japan) produces phthalocyanine blue and green, azo reds and yellows and high performance pigments. For the current fiscal year, Toyo Ink is forecasting operating profit at Yen 10 bn on sales of Yen 230 bn. The
SEPTEMBER 2002
O N
PIGMENTS
Heubach buys up last remaining Avecia pigment assets
Meghmani appoints Azzurro to boost its sales of phthalo pigments in Japan
With effect from early 2001, Heubach Colour took over responsibility for supplying organic pigments to customers formerly catered for by Avecia’s plant at Grangemouth (Scotland). The products involved were mainly phthalo blue pigments and the agreement between Heubach and Avecia (formerly Zeneca Specialities) provided a platform for Avecia to close the Grangemouth plant, while Heubach doubled its own capacity at Ankleshwar (Gujarat province, India). Capacity at Ankleshwar is now 10,000 tonnes/y. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’. Jun 2001, 4). Now Avecia has decided to sever all links with the pigments industry and Heubach has agreed to buy all Avecia’s remaining assets in this field. The value of the transaction has not yet been revealed.
Meghmani Organics (of India) has appointed Azzurro (of Tokyo) as its sales agent for the Japanese market. The two parties are aiming to increase Meghmani’s annual exports to Yen 2 bn worth of phthalocyanine pigments and Yen 1 bn worth of agrochemical intermediates within three years. Meghmani currently produces 12,000 tonnes/y of phthalocyanine blue, 1800 tonnes/y of phthalocyanine green and 240 tonnes/y of Pigment Violet 23.
European Chemical News, 19 Aug 2002, 77 (2018), 9
Ipiranga to sell for Dominion Colour Ipiranga Comercial Quimica SA (of Sao Paulo) has been named as the exclusive distributor of Dominion Colour Corp’s colour pigments for the Brazilian market. Dominion Colour and its parent company, Kikuchi Colour, produce organic and inorganic pigments at seven different sites in Canada, Japan, Venezuela and China. The group’s distributor network encompasses more than 70 countries around the world. Ink Maker, Jul 2002, 80 (7), 10
Kilburn boosts profits again Having survived threatened bankruptcy a few years ago, Kilburn Chemicals – the smallest of the four Indian TiO2 producers – reported further improvement in profitability. For the three months to end-2002, the company declared net profit at Rup 15.474 M on sales of Rup 96.5 M. That compares against Rup 11.829 M on Rup 91.6 M for the first three months of the previous financial year. Kilburn runs a 3800 tonnes/y anatase TiO2 pigment plant at Tuticorin and may renew consideration of an earlier shelved expansion project if sales continue to improve. Business Line, 1 Aug 2002, 9 (212), 9
6
paints in the Czech Republic, has been sold to RiverSide Investments, a US-based investment fund, effective 1 September 2002. The transaction, valued at more than CEK 500 M, was the outcome of a public tender organised by the Prague branch of Wood & Co (financial consultants). Primalex had been part of the Keramika Horni Briza group (headquartered in the town of Horni Briza), which is best known as a supplier of ceramic tiles and kaolin. Hospodarske Noviny, 5 Aug 2002, 46 (150), 17 (in Czech)
Japan Chemical Week, 22 Aug 2002, 43 (2184), 2
Sides to sell for Chrostiki Pan to sell for Gabriel Gabriel Chemie (of Austria) has appointed Pan Polymers as its distributor for small customers in the United Kingdom. Pan Polymers now offers Gabriel’s Unimax universal stock colour masterbatch range and Maxithen additives for the injection moulding market. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 16 Aug 2002, 11
Chrostiki, the best known producer of plastics masterbatch in Greece, has appointed Sides SpA (of Milan) as its exclusive distributor of masterbatches for the Italian market. Sides is a member of the Pluschem group of seven independent distributors, selling products to the plastics, rubber and paint industries. Sides reported turnover at €12 M last year. Plastics Additives and Compounding, Jul 2002, 4 (7), 4
Sharp fall in sales & profits at Precheza Precheza (of Prerov, Czech Republic) reported a 29% fall in profits and a 14% decline in sales for the year to end-December 2001. Post-tax profits were CEK 164.99 M on sales of CEK 1.61 bn. The sharp declines were atributed to weak demand and prices for TiO2 and iron oxide pigments throughout Europe and the United States. In order to avoid excessive inventory build-up, plant operating rates were turned down. The TiO2 plant’s average capacity utilisation rate for the year was 89%, indicating a production figure of 31,150 tones. The iron oxide pigments plant operated at 77% and the sulfuric acid plant at 90% on average. Meanwhile, the company increased its sales of by-product gypsum by 27%. It also increased its sales of speciality colour pigments by 32%. European Paint and Resin News, Jun 2002, 40 (6), 2 & Farbe und Lack, June 2002, 108 (6), 12 (in German)
Primalex, the largest Czech paintmaker sold to US investment fund Primalex (of Brasy), the largest manufacturer of decorative/building
Toyo Ink intends to raise profits through global pigment activities Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co declared operating profits at Yen 6.94 bn on sales of Yen 222.4 bn in the year to end-Mar 2002. That compares against Yen 10.2 bn on Yen 222.2 bn in the previous year. Toyo Ink remains the largest printing ink manufacturer in Japan and it has a strong affiliation with Toppan Printing, which retains a 21% financial stake in Toyo Ink. The company has also built up an impressive business in organic pigments, organised in five business units. Ftalmex (of Mexico) produces phthalocyanine blue and dioxazine violet; Francocolor (of France) produces azo red and yellow, phthalocyanine blue and quinacridone pigments; Toyo Tianjin (of China) produces azo red and yellow pigments; Toyo Zhuhai (of China) produces phthalocyanine blue; and Toyo’s Fuji business unit (in Japan) produces phthalocyanine blue and green, azo reds and yellows and high performance pigments. For the current fiscal year, Toyo Ink is forecasting operating profit at Yen 10 bn on sales of Yen 230 bn. The
SEPTEMBER 2002