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Clariant builds new masterbatches plant in Australia
STRATEGIES
granted a patent on nanodiamond-containing thermoplastic thermal composites and sees ‘great future opportunities for these materials’, he reveals. Contact: Carbodeon Ltd Oy, Vantaa, Finland. Tel: +358 50 567 8828, Web: www.carbodeon.com
COMPANY STRATEGIES ...Continued from front page friendly fire safety products and solutions that meet increasingly stringent regulatory standards’, Elkan concludes. Albemarle and ICL say they will continue to provide independent marketing, sales and technical service to their customers in Europe and worldwide to ensure a smooth transition as EPS and XPS producers shift from HBCD to the polymeric alternative before the REACH cut-off date in August 2015. In a related development, ICL’s board of directors has recently been evaluating the economic profitability of continuing to manufacture certain products, including magnesium metal, bromine compounds and some phosphate downstream products. As a result of its deliberations, the board has now instructed management to develop and implement an efficiency plan designed to significantly improve the profitability of the Bromine Compounds company, which is part of the Industrial Products segment. The board has determined that this plan is required due to ‘the continuing erosion of profits’ on bromine compounds as a result of a decline in demand for flame retardants and a drop in prices, among a number of other global and domestic factors impacting the Israeli business. The plan is expected to include cuts in labour and other costs but ICL cautions that it cannot provide any assurances that such a plan could be successfully implemented. ICL’s board has also instructed management to prepare to close the company’s Dead Sea magnesium plant from January 2017 unless there is a substantial change in the interim in the Israeli government’s stance on tax and royalty issues, which affect the viability of the plant. Contact: Albemarle Corp, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Tel: +1 225 388 7402, Web: www.albemarle.com Or contact: ICL Industrial Products, Beer Sheva, Israel. Tel: +972 8 629 7057, Web: www.icl-ip.com
October 2014
Clariant builds new masterbatches plant in Australia
S
peciality chemicals firm Clariant is constructing a new plant in the greater Sydney area in Australia. The new factory, which will mainly serve the domestic market, will produce a full range of colour and additive masterbatches ‘to meet the growing local needs’, the company says. Construction of the plant is currently underway, with commissioning planned for the fourth quarter of 2014. Working in close cooperation with Clariant’s existing factory in Albany, New Zealand, the new Australian plant will manufacture masterbatch products ‘tailored to local customer requirements’, and will also offer colour matching, quality control and technical services to the local market. The Asia Pacific region is one of Clariant’s stated focal areas for future development. The new Australian facility will support the company’s Masterbatches business ‘to grow and to increase its customer service focus in the region’, comments Clariant executive committee member Mathias Lütgendorf. ‘Building a local masterbatches production plant is a key part of providing fast and reliable service to our Australian customer base, as well as to global and local brand owners’, adds Heiner Mehrtens, head of RBL Masterbatches for Clariant Asia Pacific.
Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6742, Web: www.clariant.com
Lanxess consolidates additives operations in restructure; posts 2Q 2014 results
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ermany’s Lanxess AG is pressing ahead with its restructuring plans by merging business units and trimming its workforce. The company has defined a three-phase realignment programme designed to lower costs and improve the competitiveness of its business and administration, operations and portfolio. Under the first phase of the ‘Let’s Lanxess again’ initiative,
Additives for Polymers
5
granted a patent on nanodiamond-containing thermoplastic thermal composites and sees ‘great future opportunities for these materials’, he reveals. Contact: Carbodeon Ltd Oy, Vantaa, Finland. Tel: +358 50 567 8828, Web: www.carbodeon.com
COMPANY STRATEGIES ...Continued from front page friendly fire safety products and solutions that meet increasingly stringent regulatory standards’, Elkan concludes. Albemarle and ICL say they will continue to provide independent marketing, sales and technical service to their customers in Europe and worldwide to ensure a smooth transition as EPS and XPS producers shift from HBCD to the polymeric alternative before the REACH cut-off date in August 2015. In a related development, ICL’s board of directors has recently been evaluating the economic profitability of continuing to manufacture certain products, including magnesium metal, bromine compounds and some phosphate downstream products. As a result of its deliberations, the board has now instructed management to develop and implement an efficiency plan designed to significantly improve the profitability of the Bromine Compounds company, which is part of the Industrial Products segment. The board has determined that this plan is required due to ‘the continuing erosion of profits’ on bromine compounds as a result of a decline in demand for flame retardants and a drop in prices, among a number of other global and domestic factors impacting the Israeli business. The plan is expected to include cuts in labour and other costs but ICL cautions that it cannot provide any assurances that such a plan could be successfully implemented. ICL’s board has also instructed management to prepare to close the company’s Dead Sea magnesium plant from January 2017 unless there is a substantial change in the interim in the Israeli government’s stance on tax and royalty issues, which affect the viability of the plant. Contact: Albemarle Corp, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Tel: +1 225 388 7402, Web: www.albemarle.com Or contact: ICL Industrial Products, Beer Sheva, Israel. Tel: +972 8 629 7057, Web: www.icl-ip.com
October 2014
Clariant builds new masterbatches plant in Australia
S
peciality chemicals firm Clariant is constructing a new plant in the greater Sydney area in Australia. The new factory, which will mainly serve the domestic market, will produce a full range of colour and additive masterbatches ‘to meet the growing local needs’, the company says. Construction of the plant is currently underway, with commissioning planned for the fourth quarter of 2014. Working in close cooperation with Clariant’s existing factory in Albany, New Zealand, the new Australian plant will manufacture masterbatch products ‘tailored to local customer requirements’, and will also offer colour matching, quality control and technical services to the local market. The Asia Pacific region is one of Clariant’s stated focal areas for future development. The new Australian facility will support the company’s Masterbatches business ‘to grow and to increase its customer service focus in the region’, comments Clariant executive committee member Mathias Lütgendorf. ‘Building a local masterbatches production plant is a key part of providing fast and reliable service to our Australian customer base, as well as to global and local brand owners’, adds Heiner Mehrtens, head of RBL Masterbatches for Clariant Asia Pacific.
Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6742, Web: www.clariant.com
Lanxess consolidates additives operations in restructure; posts 2Q 2014 results
G
ermany’s Lanxess AG is pressing ahead with its restructuring plans by merging business units and trimming its workforce. The company has defined a three-phase realignment programme designed to lower costs and improve the competitiveness of its business and administration, operations and portfolio. Under the first phase of the ‘Let’s Lanxess again’ initiative,
Additives for Polymers
5