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Clariant opens speciality black masterbatches plant at Guangzhou site
STRATEGIES
ment, effective from 1 June 2019. The segment is now composed of three business units rather than two, and a new area of responsibility dedicated to the segment has been created within the board of management, expanding its membership to five. These changes reflect the progressive increase over recent years in the importance of the additives business to the company as a whole. Within the Specialty Additives segment the former Additives business unit has been split into two separate units – Polymer Additives and Lubricant Additives – with the Rhein Chemie business unit remaining unchanged. The Polymer Additives business unit offers ‘high-quality additives and performance chemicals’ for the polymer sector, including phosphorus- and bromine-based flame retardants. Karsten Job has been appointed to lead the new unit. The Lubricant Additives business, headed by Martin Saewe, includes synthetic lubricant base materials, individual additives and additive packages. Rhein Chemie’s portfolio comprises rubber additives and colorants; the business unit will continue to be headed by Philipp Junge. Dr Anno Borkowsky, the head of the erstwhile Additives business unit, has been appointed to run the Specialty Additives segment and given a seat on the company’s board of management. Lanxess’ CEO Matthias Zachert had previously been responsible for the Specialty Additives segment. The additives business has become increasingly important for Lanxess in recent years, not least because of the acquisition of Chemtura [ADPO, November 2016], and the new area of responsibility within the board of management reflects this, comments Zachert. ‘As a leading additives supplier, we still have many more plans, and Anno Borkowsky is the right man to further expand our position here’, he says. Borkowsky joined Bayer AG in 1990 and later became managing director of its Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH subsidiary in Mannheim. As part of the establishment of Lanxess AG in 2004 [ibid., August 2004, p. 5], he was appointed to lead the firm’s Rhein Chemie business unit, a position he held until taking on the role of head of the newly formed Additives business unit in 2017. In another development concerning the company’s Specialty Additives segment, Lanxess reports that it has successfully completed the c. E5 million expansion of its Macrolex dyes plant at the Chempark Leverkusen [ibid., April 2018, p. 8]. As a result, production capacity for the polymer dyes has been increased by about 25% and six additional jobs have been created. The expansion is in
July 2019
response to the increased global demand for high-quality dyes in the plastics industry, according to Junge. The additional capacity will allow the Macrolex business to continue to grow, especially in sensitive application areas such as high-quality plastics packaging, the company says. The soluble, organic dyes are employed for the coloration of polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Typical applications include beverage bottles, electronic equipment, car taillights and children’s toys. Part of the Rhein Chemie business unit, Lanxess’ colorant additives business has a portfolio of 150 dyes and pigments, which it supplies to more than 800 customers worldwide. More information: www.lanxess.com
Clariant opens speciality black masterbatches plant at Guangzhou site
I
n China, Clariant has opened a new plant at its Guangzhou production site, dedicated to the manufacturing of speciality black masterbatches. According to the company, these masterbatches are in ‘high demand’ across a broad range of consumer goods sectors, including packaging, fibre and consumer goods, among others. The plant’s output will serve the fast-growing Chinese market, providing better product access and service proximity, it says. The CHF5 million (c. E4.6 million) investment at Guangzhou also included a state-of-the-art workshop and upgraded lab, Clariant reports. With black polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide (PA) masterbatches for fibre applications developing into a sizable business in China and some other Asian countries, the new plant in Guangzhou will supplement existing product supply to the Greater China Region from Clariant’s facility in Taipei, the company reports. The Taiwanese plant is already fully utilized, Clariant says. Since 2016, the company has been increasing its investments in equipment upgrade and facilities expansion to boost the capacities and capabilities of its plants in China,
Additives for Polymers
7
STRATEGIES
Singapore and the USA, comments Bernd Hoegemann, Clariant’s head of Business Unit Masterbatches. The new production line in Guangzhou will enhance the company’s full-range service in supplying speciality black masterbatch products for the packaging, consumer goods, fibre, automotive and electrical and electronics markets, he says. It also allows Clariant to ‘better serve local expectations’ and continue its commitment to its main local customers in these segments, Hoegemann adds. The new facilities in Guangzhou and additional projects in the pipeline in China are enabling the company to deliver on its ‘corporate vision of bringing China further from the fringe to the core of our development at Clariant, a strategy we call Fringe to Core (F2C)’, explains Fu Cai Wang, Clariant’s China president. The additional facilities at Guangzhou will help the company ‘better satisfy the needs of local customers’ and, together with Clariant’s existing capacities, will help the company further consolidate its position as a leading player in China’s masterbatches sector, which is anticipated to sustain near-term growth in the foreseeable future, he reports. Clariant Masterbatches has had a manufacturing presence in Guangzhou since 1995, focusing on products for fibre, consumer goods and packaging applications. The original operation was replaced with a new colour and additive masterbatches plant some ten years ago [ADPO, February 2009, p. 6]. Together with the previously mentioned Taipei site and its Shanghai facility, which was expanded in 2017, Clariant currently has three masterbatch production sites in the Greater China region. In other masterbatch-related developments, Clariant Masterbatches’ plant in Tangerang, Indonesia, has recently been certified by the Indonesian Council of Ulama (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) as meeting the government’s Halal Product Assurance requirements, which cover not only food and beverages, but also drugs, cosmetics and ‘any goods that can be used and applied by humans’. The law extends to manufacturing processes and requires that packaging, which may include Clariant colour or additive masterbatches, must also comply. According to the company, the Halal certification strengthens its ‘capabilities and leadership position’ as a supplier of high-quality, high-performance colour and additive masterbatches in Southeast Asia. Applications supported by the Tangerang site include plastic caps and closures, food tabs and bottles, as well as film and sheet, it reports. Muslims account for some 87% or 223 million of Indonesia’s population, making it the world’s largest Muslim country.
8
Additives for Polymers
The Tangerang site has also recently received ISO 22000 certification alongside Clariant Masterbatches Barcelona plant in Spain. The certification process was overseen by SQS, a qualified Swiss provider of international certifications and audit systems. Together with its previously certified Singapore site, three of the company’s masterbatch plants have now been certified to meet this key, stringent, international food-contact standard. Clariant says that the plants’ new status will allow it to better support customers in the food-packaging market. More information: www.clariant.com
South Korean trio finalizes the acquisition of Momentive
A
consortium of three South Korean companies has finalized the previously announced purchase of MPM Holdings Inc, the parent company of global silicones and advanced materials producer Momentive Performance Materials Inc [ADPO, November 2018, p. 7]. The US$3.1 billion transaction was financed through a combination of cash and new debt. Completion of the deal was somewhat delayed as a result of the US government shutdown but KCC Corp, Wonik QnC Corp and SJL Partners LLC successfully concluded the agreement on 15 May 2019. As a result, Momentive is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the investor group. According to Momentive’s CEO and president Jack Boss, the acquisition is expected to boost the company’s global position, especially within the silicones sector where there is potential for greater combination with KCC’s silicones division. This is expected to enhance Momentive’s product portfolio and geographic reach, as well as strengthening its financial position, Boss says. SJL Partners is a private equity investment manager, KCC is a Seoul-based chemical engineering, paint and building materials company, while Wonik QnC specializes in the manufacture of quartz and ceramics for silicon wafers.
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information: www.momentive.com information: www.kccworld.co.kr information: www.sjlpartners.com information: www.wonikqnc.com
July 2019
ment, effective from 1 June 2019. The segment is now composed of three business units rather than two, and a new area of responsibility dedicated to the segment has been created within the board of management, expanding its membership to five. These changes reflect the progressive increase over recent years in the importance of the additives business to the company as a whole. Within the Specialty Additives segment the former Additives business unit has been split into two separate units – Polymer Additives and Lubricant Additives – with the Rhein Chemie business unit remaining unchanged. The Polymer Additives business unit offers ‘high-quality additives and performance chemicals’ for the polymer sector, including phosphorus- and bromine-based flame retardants. Karsten Job has been appointed to lead the new unit. The Lubricant Additives business, headed by Martin Saewe, includes synthetic lubricant base materials, individual additives and additive packages. Rhein Chemie’s portfolio comprises rubber additives and colorants; the business unit will continue to be headed by Philipp Junge. Dr Anno Borkowsky, the head of the erstwhile Additives business unit, has been appointed to run the Specialty Additives segment and given a seat on the company’s board of management. Lanxess’ CEO Matthias Zachert had previously been responsible for the Specialty Additives segment. The additives business has become increasingly important for Lanxess in recent years, not least because of the acquisition of Chemtura [ADPO, November 2016], and the new area of responsibility within the board of management reflects this, comments Zachert. ‘As a leading additives supplier, we still have many more plans, and Anno Borkowsky is the right man to further expand our position here’, he says. Borkowsky joined Bayer AG in 1990 and later became managing director of its Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH subsidiary in Mannheim. As part of the establishment of Lanxess AG in 2004 [ibid., August 2004, p. 5], he was appointed to lead the firm’s Rhein Chemie business unit, a position he held until taking on the role of head of the newly formed Additives business unit in 2017. In another development concerning the company’s Specialty Additives segment, Lanxess reports that it has successfully completed the c. E5 million expansion of its Macrolex dyes plant at the Chempark Leverkusen [ibid., April 2018, p. 8]. As a result, production capacity for the polymer dyes has been increased by about 25% and six additional jobs have been created. The expansion is in
July 2019
response to the increased global demand for high-quality dyes in the plastics industry, according to Junge. The additional capacity will allow the Macrolex business to continue to grow, especially in sensitive application areas such as high-quality plastics packaging, the company says. The soluble, organic dyes are employed for the coloration of polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Typical applications include beverage bottles, electronic equipment, car taillights and children’s toys. Part of the Rhein Chemie business unit, Lanxess’ colorant additives business has a portfolio of 150 dyes and pigments, which it supplies to more than 800 customers worldwide. More information: www.lanxess.com
Clariant opens speciality black masterbatches plant at Guangzhou site
I
n China, Clariant has opened a new plant at its Guangzhou production site, dedicated to the manufacturing of speciality black masterbatches. According to the company, these masterbatches are in ‘high demand’ across a broad range of consumer goods sectors, including packaging, fibre and consumer goods, among others. The plant’s output will serve the fast-growing Chinese market, providing better product access and service proximity, it says. The CHF5 million (c. E4.6 million) investment at Guangzhou also included a state-of-the-art workshop and upgraded lab, Clariant reports. With black polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide (PA) masterbatches for fibre applications developing into a sizable business in China and some other Asian countries, the new plant in Guangzhou will supplement existing product supply to the Greater China Region from Clariant’s facility in Taipei, the company reports. The Taiwanese plant is already fully utilized, Clariant says. Since 2016, the company has been increasing its investments in equipment upgrade and facilities expansion to boost the capacities and capabilities of its plants in China,
Additives for Polymers
7
STRATEGIES
Singapore and the USA, comments Bernd Hoegemann, Clariant’s head of Business Unit Masterbatches. The new production line in Guangzhou will enhance the company’s full-range service in supplying speciality black masterbatch products for the packaging, consumer goods, fibre, automotive and electrical and electronics markets, he says. It also allows Clariant to ‘better serve local expectations’ and continue its commitment to its main local customers in these segments, Hoegemann adds. The new facilities in Guangzhou and additional projects in the pipeline in China are enabling the company to deliver on its ‘corporate vision of bringing China further from the fringe to the core of our development at Clariant, a strategy we call Fringe to Core (F2C)’, explains Fu Cai Wang, Clariant’s China president. The additional facilities at Guangzhou will help the company ‘better satisfy the needs of local customers’ and, together with Clariant’s existing capacities, will help the company further consolidate its position as a leading player in China’s masterbatches sector, which is anticipated to sustain near-term growth in the foreseeable future, he reports. Clariant Masterbatches has had a manufacturing presence in Guangzhou since 1995, focusing on products for fibre, consumer goods and packaging applications. The original operation was replaced with a new colour and additive masterbatches plant some ten years ago [ADPO, February 2009, p. 6]. Together with the previously mentioned Taipei site and its Shanghai facility, which was expanded in 2017, Clariant currently has three masterbatch production sites in the Greater China region. In other masterbatch-related developments, Clariant Masterbatches’ plant in Tangerang, Indonesia, has recently been certified by the Indonesian Council of Ulama (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) as meeting the government’s Halal Product Assurance requirements, which cover not only food and beverages, but also drugs, cosmetics and ‘any goods that can be used and applied by humans’. The law extends to manufacturing processes and requires that packaging, which may include Clariant colour or additive masterbatches, must also comply. According to the company, the Halal certification strengthens its ‘capabilities and leadership position’ as a supplier of high-quality, high-performance colour and additive masterbatches in Southeast Asia. Applications supported by the Tangerang site include plastic caps and closures, food tabs and bottles, as well as film and sheet, it reports. Muslims account for some 87% or 223 million of Indonesia’s population, making it the world’s largest Muslim country.
8
Additives for Polymers
The Tangerang site has also recently received ISO 22000 certification alongside Clariant Masterbatches Barcelona plant in Spain. The certification process was overseen by SQS, a qualified Swiss provider of international certifications and audit systems. Together with its previously certified Singapore site, three of the company’s masterbatch plants have now been certified to meet this key, stringent, international food-contact standard. Clariant says that the plants’ new status will allow it to better support customers in the food-packaging market. More information: www.clariant.com
South Korean trio finalizes the acquisition of Momentive
A
consortium of three South Korean companies has finalized the previously announced purchase of MPM Holdings Inc, the parent company of global silicones and advanced materials producer Momentive Performance Materials Inc [ADPO, November 2018, p. 7]. The US$3.1 billion transaction was financed through a combination of cash and new debt. Completion of the deal was somewhat delayed as a result of the US government shutdown but KCC Corp, Wonik QnC Corp and SJL Partners LLC successfully concluded the agreement on 15 May 2019. As a result, Momentive is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the investor group. According to Momentive’s CEO and president Jack Boss, the acquisition is expected to boost the company’s global position, especially within the silicones sector where there is potential for greater combination with KCC’s silicones division. This is expected to enhance Momentive’s product portfolio and geographic reach, as well as strengthening its financial position, Boss says. SJL Partners is a private equity investment manager, KCC is a Seoul-based chemical engineering, paint and building materials company, while Wonik QnC specializes in the manufacture of quartz and ceramics for silicon wafers.
More More More More
information: www.momentive.com information: www.kccworld.co.kr information: www.sjlpartners.com information: www.wonikqnc.com
July 2019