- Email: [email protected]
FMC adds warning on Asian business
February 1998
Additives for Polymers
that Allied Colloids offered high growth potential, a reputation for innovation and technological leadership, and better profit margins than the current average at Ciba. Contact: Allied Colloids Ltd, PO Box 38, Cleckheaton Rd, Low Moor, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD12 OJZ, UK; fax: + 44-12 74 606499
Akzo Nobel expects dynamic growth - in Asia also More dynamic growth in 1998 is predicted for Akzo Nobel NV by chairman and chief executive Cees van Lede. In the traditional New Year address to employees, he said that the company had surpassed almost all its 1997 growth targets, and sales were now approaching NLG25 billion, largely thanks to the focus on relaunching growth. “Given our performance in 1997, the state of the western economies and our still relatively small position in Asia, we have good reason to have a positive outlook for 1998”, he said. He did not believe that the fundamental economies in Asia had changed, but there will be lower growth than had been the custom. The sudden changes in Asia underlined the need to understand the rapidly changing dynamics of the market place, and the ability to act expediently. He urged the company to take an even more dynamic approach towards markets and clients, understanding needs, anticipating requirements and tailoring products and services to meet real desires. As a first step, he announced a critical review of information technology within Akzo Nobel. Contact: Akzo Nobel NV, Vekenveg 76, PO Box 9300, 6800 SB Arnhem, The Netherlands; tel: +31-26 366 4343;.fax: 131-26 366 4940
FMC adds warning on Asian business FMC Corp has added its voice to the growing warnings, saying that a slow-down in
4
sales in South-East Asia (even before the present currency crisis) and in South America will hit its fourth quarter results. Both industrial chemicals and agricultural products are involved. In industrial chemicals, the company says the “precipitous decline in gold prices” and its subsequent effect on mining activity was putting pressure on the sodium cyanide business, while hydrogen peroxide volumes had been driven lower by reduced demand from the Canadian pulp industry. But US opinions on the economic developments in Asia are mixed. A recent survey of 3000 chief financial officers, of a cross-section of US corporations, found that 63% did not expect the economic turmoil in Asia to have an effect on their company profits.
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Contact: FMC Carp, Chemical Products Group, I735 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA; tel: +1-215 299 6000; fax: t l-2 I5 299 5999
E3m expansion plan for PU dispersions by Baxenden A new plant for water-based polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) has been commissioned by Baxenden Chemicals, UK, consolidating its position as one of the major suppliers in Europe, leading the market into the next millennium. A &3 million expansion programme increases capacity by 6000 tonnes a year, with new manufacturing and supporting facilities. The company, which is a subsidiary of Witco Corp, USA and Croda International, UK, has taken advantage of the latest technology to install advanced process control. Baxenden sells the dispersions under the name Witcobond for many applications, including coatings, paints and lacquers. They provide better physical properties than other water-based resins such as acrylics, and can be compounded with pigments, fillers, waxes and other additives to produce fully
01998 Elsevier Science
Additives for Polymers
that Allied Colloids offered high growth potential, a reputation for innovation and technological leadership, and better profit margins than the current average at Ciba. Contact: Allied Colloids Ltd, PO Box 38, Cleckheaton Rd, Low Moor, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD12 OJZ, UK; fax: + 44-12 74 606499
Akzo Nobel expects dynamic growth - in Asia also More dynamic growth in 1998 is predicted for Akzo Nobel NV by chairman and chief executive Cees van Lede. In the traditional New Year address to employees, he said that the company had surpassed almost all its 1997 growth targets, and sales were now approaching NLG25 billion, largely thanks to the focus on relaunching growth. “Given our performance in 1997, the state of the western economies and our still relatively small position in Asia, we have good reason to have a positive outlook for 1998”, he said. He did not believe that the fundamental economies in Asia had changed, but there will be lower growth than had been the custom. The sudden changes in Asia underlined the need to understand the rapidly changing dynamics of the market place, and the ability to act expediently. He urged the company to take an even more dynamic approach towards markets and clients, understanding needs, anticipating requirements and tailoring products and services to meet real desires. As a first step, he announced a critical review of information technology within Akzo Nobel. Contact: Akzo Nobel NV, Vekenveg 76, PO Box 9300, 6800 SB Arnhem, The Netherlands; tel: +31-26 366 4343;.fax: 131-26 366 4940
FMC adds warning on Asian business FMC Corp has added its voice to the growing warnings, saying that a slow-down in
4
sales in South-East Asia (even before the present currency crisis) and in South America will hit its fourth quarter results. Both industrial chemicals and agricultural products are involved. In industrial chemicals, the company says the “precipitous decline in gold prices” and its subsequent effect on mining activity was putting pressure on the sodium cyanide business, while hydrogen peroxide volumes had been driven lower by reduced demand from the Canadian pulp industry. But US opinions on the economic developments in Asia are mixed. A recent survey of 3000 chief financial officers, of a cross-section of US corporations, found that 63% did not expect the economic turmoil in Asia to have an effect on their company profits.
??
Contact: FMC Carp, Chemical Products Group, I735 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA; tel: +1-215 299 6000; fax: t l-2 I5 299 5999
E3m expansion plan for PU dispersions by Baxenden A new plant for water-based polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) has been commissioned by Baxenden Chemicals, UK, consolidating its position as one of the major suppliers in Europe, leading the market into the next millennium. A &3 million expansion programme increases capacity by 6000 tonnes a year, with new manufacturing and supporting facilities. The company, which is a subsidiary of Witco Corp, USA and Croda International, UK, has taken advantage of the latest technology to install advanced process control. Baxenden sells the dispersions under the name Witcobond for many applications, including coatings, paints and lacquers. They provide better physical properties than other water-based resins such as acrylics, and can be compounded with pigments, fillers, waxes and other additives to produce fully
01998 Elsevier Science