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Iran: PIIC — carbon black
F O C U S declared a net profit of Rup 59.3 M. At its Trivandrum plant, he company produced 13,311 tonnes of TiO2 pigment, compared against 14,624 tonnes in the previous year. Historically, TTP has been mainly concerned with serving the Indian market, but it recently reported shipping out its first pigment export consignment to the US. TTP has a long-standing project to increase its TiO2 capacity at Trivandrum from the current level of 15,000 tonnes/y to 24,500 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2000, 7). As an interim move, the company is now considering investing Rup 20 M to raise capacity to 20,000 tonnes/y. It is also considering converting its pigment production from 100% anatase grades to 100% rutile grades. On the Indian market at the present time, anatase TiO2 pigment grades sell for Rup 65,000 per tonne, but rutile TiO2 pigment grades sell for Rup 110,000 per tonne. Chemical Weekly, 8 Oct 2002, 48 (7), 107
Iran: PIIC – carbon black The Petrochemical Industries Investment Co (PIIC) plans to double its capitalisation to Rial 700 bn, bringing in additional finance to complete a series of projects, including a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Abadan and a citric acid plant at Kermanshah. Also in the programme is an expansion of the carbon black plant at Saveh, from 16,000 tonnes/y to 30,000 tonnes/y. These figures are slightly different from those reported by ‘ACN’ about 18 months ago: at that time it stated that capacity at the Saveh carbon black plant was being raised from 18,000 tonnes/y to 38,000 tonnes/y. It also identified the operating company as Doudeh Sanati, in which PIIC had a 58% financial stake. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jun 2001, 4).
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mid-2000 and the processing facilities are located at the nearby city of Vorkuta. Industrial Minerals, Sep 2002, (420), 21
UK: Alcan – alumina trihydrate Last January, Alcan Chemical announced its intention to withdraw from the European speciality chemicals sector. The company has now confirmed that it will close its 100,000 tonnes/y alumina trihydrate (ATH) plant at Burntisland (County Fife), with the loss of 370 jobs. In a mood of optimism, the plant’s capacity was doubled three years ago. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 1998, 5). It is Alcan’s only ATH plant in Europe. However, the operation is now recording losses of around $ 1 M per month in an oversupplied market.
US: Ticona – plastics colorants Ticona Inc has completed a 30% expansion in the unit making plastic colour concentrates at Florence, KY. The company has also completed a 20% expansion in its capacity for making glass-filled polymers at Shelby, NC. Chemical Week, 28 Aug-4 Sep 2002, 164 (34), 39
COMPANIES US: Columbian – carbon black Columbian Chemicals closed its 54,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant at El Dorado, AR in Oct 2001 as part of a general response to oversupply in the global market for carbon black. The company recently completed a reappraisal of the situation, the result of which will be to leave the plant closed and kept on a “care and maintenance basis”. Columbian will not reopen the El Dorado plant until it is economically feasible to do so.
Americhem buys Extruded Colors Americhem Inc has acquired the entire business and assets of Extruded Colors Inc (based in Dalton, GA). The latter company is a mediumsized producer of colour concentrates for polypropylene and other synthetic fibres. Chemical Fibers International, Sep 2002, 52 (4), 225
Ampacet’s masterbatch sales rising faster than the market average
Rubber and Plastics News, 21 Oct 2002, 32 (6), 4
US: Hartford Steel – zinc oxide At a cost of $20 M, Hartford Steel is building an 18,000 tonnes/y zinc oxide plant at Senatobia, MS, which is due to come on-stream in early 2003. Depending on market conditions, the company may double capacity here within the next few years. Chimie Hebdo, 30 Sep 2002, (186), 4 (in French)
Russia: Khoilinsky – barytes
OCTOBER 2002
Plastics News, 24 Sep 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 20 Sep 2002, 3
Asian Chemical News, 23 Sep 2002, 8 (372), 6
Having successfully commissioned its first 60,000 tonnes/y barytes concentrator, JSC Khoilinsky GOK is now planning to install a second similar facility in 2003. Work on the Khoilinsky barytes deposit began in
line – raises total capacity here to 150,000 stons/y. The company now has 100 employees. It specialises in making compounds containing up to 80% calcium carbonate, talc and/or other filler materials. About 75% of its output is based on polyethylene and about 67% of its output is sold to manufacturers of plastic film.
US: Heritage – plastic compounds For the fourth time in five years, Heritage Plastics has implemented an expansion in its polyolefin compounds capacity at Picayune, MS. The latest addition – a 25,000 stons/y extrusion
Ampacet, the world’s largest masterbatch supplier, has been obliged to revise its growth plans. The company had set $700 M as its sales target for 2002, but it is now forecasting sales at only $530 M. Nevertheless, this still represents a healthy 5% increase on last year. Ampacet believes that the world market for masterbatch is now worth about $5 bn, with a long-term average growth rate of 3% per annum. In 2001, Ampacet sold 300,000 stons of masterbatch to world markets, of which North America accounted for 67%, Europe for 25% and the rest of the world for 8%. Around 70% of the company’s output consists of masterbatches for plastic films, including BOPP film for food packaging and blow PE film for
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Iran: PIIC – carbon black The Petrochemical Industries Investment Co (PIIC) plans to double its capitalisation to Rial 700 bn, bringing in additional finance to complete a series of projects, including a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Abadan and a citric acid plant at Kermanshah. Also in the programme is an expansion of the carbon black plant at Saveh, from 16,000 tonnes/y to 30,000 tonnes/y. These figures are slightly different from those reported by ‘ACN’ about 18 months ago: at that time it stated that capacity at the Saveh carbon black plant was being raised from 18,000 tonnes/y to 38,000 tonnes/y. It also identified the operating company as Doudeh Sanati, in which PIIC had a 58% financial stake. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jun 2001, 4).
O N
PIGMENTS
mid-2000 and the processing facilities are located at the nearby city of Vorkuta. Industrial Minerals, Sep 2002, (420), 21
UK: Alcan – alumina trihydrate Last January, Alcan Chemical announced its intention to withdraw from the European speciality chemicals sector. The company has now confirmed that it will close its 100,000 tonnes/y alumina trihydrate (ATH) plant at Burntisland (County Fife), with the loss of 370 jobs. In a mood of optimism, the plant’s capacity was doubled three years ago. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 1998, 5). It is Alcan’s only ATH plant in Europe. However, the operation is now recording losses of around $ 1 M per month in an oversupplied market.
US: Ticona – plastics colorants Ticona Inc has completed a 30% expansion in the unit making plastic colour concentrates at Florence, KY. The company has also completed a 20% expansion in its capacity for making glass-filled polymers at Shelby, NC. Chemical Week, 28 Aug-4 Sep 2002, 164 (34), 39
COMPANIES US: Columbian – carbon black Columbian Chemicals closed its 54,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant at El Dorado, AR in Oct 2001 as part of a general response to oversupply in the global market for carbon black. The company recently completed a reappraisal of the situation, the result of which will be to leave the plant closed and kept on a “care and maintenance basis”. Columbian will not reopen the El Dorado plant until it is economically feasible to do so.
Americhem buys Extruded Colors Americhem Inc has acquired the entire business and assets of Extruded Colors Inc (based in Dalton, GA). The latter company is a mediumsized producer of colour concentrates for polypropylene and other synthetic fibres. Chemical Fibers International, Sep 2002, 52 (4), 225
Ampacet’s masterbatch sales rising faster than the market average
Rubber and Plastics News, 21 Oct 2002, 32 (6), 4
US: Hartford Steel – zinc oxide At a cost of $20 M, Hartford Steel is building an 18,000 tonnes/y zinc oxide plant at Senatobia, MS, which is due to come on-stream in early 2003. Depending on market conditions, the company may double capacity here within the next few years. Chimie Hebdo, 30 Sep 2002, (186), 4 (in French)
Russia: Khoilinsky – barytes
OCTOBER 2002
Plastics News, 24 Sep 2002 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 20 Sep 2002, 3
Asian Chemical News, 23 Sep 2002, 8 (372), 6
Having successfully commissioned its first 60,000 tonnes/y barytes concentrator, JSC Khoilinsky GOK is now planning to install a second similar facility in 2003. Work on the Khoilinsky barytes deposit began in
line – raises total capacity here to 150,000 stons/y. The company now has 100 employees. It specialises in making compounds containing up to 80% calcium carbonate, talc and/or other filler materials. About 75% of its output is based on polyethylene and about 67% of its output is sold to manufacturers of plastic film.
US: Heritage – plastic compounds For the fourth time in five years, Heritage Plastics has implemented an expansion in its polyolefin compounds capacity at Picayune, MS. The latest addition – a 25,000 stons/y extrusion
Ampacet, the world’s largest masterbatch supplier, has been obliged to revise its growth plans. The company had set $700 M as its sales target for 2002, but it is now forecasting sales at only $530 M. Nevertheless, this still represents a healthy 5% increase on last year. Ampacet believes that the world market for masterbatch is now worth about $5 bn, with a long-term average growth rate of 3% per annum. In 2001, Ampacet sold 300,000 stons of masterbatch to world markets, of which North America accounted for 67%, Europe for 25% and the rest of the world for 8%. Around 70% of the company’s output consists of masterbatches for plastic films, including BOPP film for food packaging and blow PE film for
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