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Albis to sell for Cabot
F O C US South Africa: Huntsman Tioxide – TiO2 On 28 June 2002, Huntsman Tioxide duly completed the deal to buy-out AECI’s 40% minority stake in Huntsman Tioxide South Africa, operator of the 40,000 tonnes/y sulfate-route TiO2 pigment plant at Umbogintwini (Kwazulu-Natal). The transaction was valued at Rand 84.2 M. Huntsman Tioxide now intends to upgrade the plant and may well increase its capacity. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, May 2002, 6). Chemical Week, 3/10 Jul 2002, 164 (27), 20 & Asian Chemical News, 15 Jul 2002, 8 (364), 4
US: Clariant – masterbatch Following up on the success of its first design centre, opened in Singapore in February 2002, Clariant Masterbatches is planning to open two more design centres: one on the west coast of the US (which will specialise in automotive and packaging applications), the other on the east coast of the US (which will specialise in electronics, business machines and construction plastics). These centres will offer customers services such as 3-dimensional computer modelling, colour matching and rapid prototyping. Plastics News, 12 Jul 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: LTL Color Compounders – plastic compounds Last year, LTL Color Compounders doubled its capacity for making engineering resin colour compounds at Morrisville, PA, to 16,000 tonnes/y. At the same time, it doubled its workforce to 40 people. Most of the company’s sales contracts are for batches of 2000 lb, but it is versatile enough to handle speciality materials in lots of only 55 lb. It works mainly with polycarbonate, acrylic or nylon base resins. Next year, LTL intends to begin producing finished plastic products, including films and sheets. Plastics News, 15 Jul 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
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PIGMENTS
plastic compounding line, with a capacity of 2250 tonnes/y. It is planning to install a seventh line, with a capacity of 4500 tonnes/y, at the end of this year or early in 2003. Both the sixth and seventh lines will focus on making coloured and speciality reinforced compounds. The plant at New Britain covers an area of 100,000 sq ft and completion of the seventh line will raise total plastic compounding capacity here to 18,000 tonnes/y. Oxford Polymers’ sales volume was virtually unchanged in 2001, compared against 2000. For 1H 2002, the company posted a 15% increase. This mainly reflects higher demand from car and furniture manufacturers. A contributory factor was signing-up Prime Alliance as a new distributor, with effect from early 2002.
At its New Britain, CT plant, Oxford Polymers has just installed a sixth
4
Plastics News, 4 Jun 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Connell to sell BASF’s alkali blues Connell Brothers Co Ltd has been named as the main distributor for BASF’s alkali blue pigments for all Asian markets, excluding Japan. Connell sells a variety of speciality chemicals to Asian customers in the ink, coating, plastics and adhesives sectors.
Plastics News, 15 Jul 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Ink Maker, May 2002, 80 (5), 10
US: United Carbon – carbon black
DyStar reduces losses but still not ready for flotation?
United Carbon plans to build the first carbon black plant on the west coast of the United States. The plant will be located at Woodland Hills, CA and it will have a capacity of 62,000 tones/y, of which 22,000 tonnes/y will be accounted for by a facility for incinerating scrap tyres. SNC Lavalin has been appointed as the engineering and construction contractor on the $122 M project. Work on the project is due to begin within 12 months. Chimie Hebdo, 1 Jul 2002, (178), 5 (in French)
COMPANIES Albis to sell for Cabot Cabot Plastics (a subsidiary of Cabot Corp) has appointed Albis to sell its black and white masterbatches throughout Poland. Sales will be coordinated by the Poznan office of Albis Polska. Kunststoffe, Jul 2002, 92 (7), 6 (in German)
Americhem buys Extruded Colors US: Oxford Polymers – plastic compounds
production, while Americhem specialises in colour concentrates for nylon and polyester fibres. Americhem plans to retain all 25 employees who work at the Extruded Colours’ plant in Dalton, GA. Meanwhile, Americhem is increasing its own existing extrusion capacity at Concord, NC and Mansfield, TX.
Americhem has acquired Extruded Colors Inc for an undisclosed sum. Extruded Colors produces colour concentrates for polypropylene fibre
DyStar Textilfarben GmbH & Co KG was created in mid-1995 as the vehicle for amalgamating the textile colorants businesses of Bayer and Hoechst. It automatically became the world’s largest supplier of textile colorants, ahead of BASF, Ciba and Sandoz, with an annual turnover of $1.4 bn. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jan 1995, 1). Subsequently, DyStar acquired Cassella’s sulfur dyes business. Then, with effect from 1 October 2000, BASF transferred its textile colorants business to DyStar, substantially enlarging DyStar and resulting in a change of ownership structure, which became: 35% Aventis (formerly Hoechst), 35% Bayer and 30% BASF. DyStar now has a 23% market share in the global textile colorants business, ahead of Ciba (with 14%) and Clariant (with 8%). At the time of its initial creation and again at the time BASF became involved, there were tentative plans to float DyStar on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as an independent entity. However, realisation of these plans seems to have been postponed again. Meanwhile in March 2002, DyStar celebrated the topping-out ceremony for its new headquarters building at the Frankfurt-Hoechst industrial park. The €20 M building includes offices
AUGUST 2002
US: Clariant – masterbatch Following up on the success of its first design centre, opened in Singapore in February 2002, Clariant Masterbatches is planning to open two more design centres: one on the west coast of the US (which will specialise in automotive and packaging applications), the other on the east coast of the US (which will specialise in electronics, business machines and construction plastics). These centres will offer customers services such as 3-dimensional computer modelling, colour matching and rapid prototyping. Plastics News, 12 Jul 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: LTL Color Compounders – plastic compounds Last year, LTL Color Compounders doubled its capacity for making engineering resin colour compounds at Morrisville, PA, to 16,000 tonnes/y. At the same time, it doubled its workforce to 40 people. Most of the company’s sales contracts are for batches of 2000 lb, but it is versatile enough to handle speciality materials in lots of only 55 lb. It works mainly with polycarbonate, acrylic or nylon base resins. Next year, LTL intends to begin producing finished plastic products, including films and sheets. Plastics News, 15 Jul 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
O N
PIGMENTS
plastic compounding line, with a capacity of 2250 tonnes/y. It is planning to install a seventh line, with a capacity of 4500 tonnes/y, at the end of this year or early in 2003. Both the sixth and seventh lines will focus on making coloured and speciality reinforced compounds. The plant at New Britain covers an area of 100,000 sq ft and completion of the seventh line will raise total plastic compounding capacity here to 18,000 tonnes/y. Oxford Polymers’ sales volume was virtually unchanged in 2001, compared against 2000. For 1H 2002, the company posted a 15% increase. This mainly reflects higher demand from car and furniture manufacturers. A contributory factor was signing-up Prime Alliance as a new distributor, with effect from early 2002.
At its New Britain, CT plant, Oxford Polymers has just installed a sixth
4
Plastics News, 4 Jun 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Connell to sell BASF’s alkali blues Connell Brothers Co Ltd has been named as the main distributor for BASF’s alkali blue pigments for all Asian markets, excluding Japan. Connell sells a variety of speciality chemicals to Asian customers in the ink, coating, plastics and adhesives sectors.
Plastics News, 15 Jul 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Ink Maker, May 2002, 80 (5), 10
US: United Carbon – carbon black
DyStar reduces losses but still not ready for flotation?
United Carbon plans to build the first carbon black plant on the west coast of the United States. The plant will be located at Woodland Hills, CA and it will have a capacity of 62,000 tones/y, of which 22,000 tonnes/y will be accounted for by a facility for incinerating scrap tyres. SNC Lavalin has been appointed as the engineering and construction contractor on the $122 M project. Work on the project is due to begin within 12 months. Chimie Hebdo, 1 Jul 2002, (178), 5 (in French)
COMPANIES Albis to sell for Cabot Cabot Plastics (a subsidiary of Cabot Corp) has appointed Albis to sell its black and white masterbatches throughout Poland. Sales will be coordinated by the Poznan office of Albis Polska. Kunststoffe, Jul 2002, 92 (7), 6 (in German)
Americhem buys Extruded Colors US: Oxford Polymers – plastic compounds
production, while Americhem specialises in colour concentrates for nylon and polyester fibres. Americhem plans to retain all 25 employees who work at the Extruded Colours’ plant in Dalton, GA. Meanwhile, Americhem is increasing its own existing extrusion capacity at Concord, NC and Mansfield, TX.
Americhem has acquired Extruded Colors Inc for an undisclosed sum. Extruded Colors produces colour concentrates for polypropylene fibre
DyStar Textilfarben GmbH & Co KG was created in mid-1995 as the vehicle for amalgamating the textile colorants businesses of Bayer and Hoechst. It automatically became the world’s largest supplier of textile colorants, ahead of BASF, Ciba and Sandoz, with an annual turnover of $1.4 bn. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jan 1995, 1). Subsequently, DyStar acquired Cassella’s sulfur dyes business. Then, with effect from 1 October 2000, BASF transferred its textile colorants business to DyStar, substantially enlarging DyStar and resulting in a change of ownership structure, which became: 35% Aventis (formerly Hoechst), 35% Bayer and 30% BASF. DyStar now has a 23% market share in the global textile colorants business, ahead of Ciba (with 14%) and Clariant (with 8%). At the time of its initial creation and again at the time BASF became involved, there were tentative plans to float DyStar on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as an independent entity. However, realisation of these plans seems to have been postponed again. Meanwhile in March 2002, DyStar celebrated the topping-out ceremony for its new headquarters building at the Frankfurt-Hoechst industrial park. The €20 M building includes offices
AUGUST 2002