- Email: [email protected]
Milliken increases Asian presence with new plant in Singapore
STRATEGIES
Milliken increases Asian presence with new plant in Singapore
P
olymer additives and colorants producer Milliken & Co is investing in the construction of a new, state-of-the-art chemical manufacturing plant and knowledge centre in Singapore in order to meet increasing demand across the Asian region. The new facility is expected to commence operations in the first quarter of 2021 but no further details concerning the scale of the investment or the plant’s capacity have been revealed. The Singapore plant will have the capability to manufacture several of Milliken’s additives for plastics and in particular the company’s Hyperform® family of nucleating agents for polypropylene and polyethylene. It will also produce speciality colorants for a broad range of product applications, including polyurethane foams, home and laundry care, personal care, and industrial and institutional cleaners. The new facility will be staffed with a skilled workforce including research and development chemists, chemical engineers and technical support, Milliken says. According to the company, the investment demonstrates its ‘unwavering’ commitment to growing markets in Asia. ‘This new manufacturing facility strategically positions us to better serve our customers throughout Asia’, comments Zhaolin Zhou, Asia Pacific VP of Milliken’s Chemical division. Localized production capabilities and increased technical expertise will allow the company to ‘rapidly customize’ its solutions to meet the ‘evolving and diverse needs’ of the Asia market, he adds. Milliken already operates an applications laboratory and technical service and sales office in Singapore, and recently celebrated its 20-year presence in the Asian region. More information: www.milliken.com
Chemours acquires Southern Ionics Minerals to expand TiO2 ore sources
T
itanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment producer Chemours has acquired Florida-headquartered minerals exploration, mining and manufacturing
6
Additives for Polymers
company Southern Ionics Minerals (SIM) for US$25 million. The transaction includes a titanium and zirconium mineral sands mine and processing plant, providing Chemours with access to an additional internal source of ilmenite ore, nearly doubling its capacity, it reports. SIM mines mineral sands at a site in Charlton County, GA, tapping into a similar geological formation to that exploited by Chemours at its existing mineral sands mine on the Trail Ridge in Northeast Florida, which it has worked for more than 70 years. Its acquisition therefore provides Chemours with ‘tremendous flexibility and scalability to internally source ore’, increasing capacity almost two-fold, it says. Also included in the transaction are a mineral sands processing plant in Offerman, GA, mineral rights held by SIM, administrative offices in Jacksonville, FL, and all employees. Previously owned by Mississippi-based Southern Ionics Inc, SIM is now a full subsidiary of Chemours and will be integrated into its existing operations. The SIM assets complement Chemours’ long-term business goals, according to Bryan Snell, president of the company’s Titanium Technologies business. The two companies are already working together in Georgia, where SIM has undertaken to process mineral sands on behalf of Chemours from the latter’s new surface mine site in Jesup, GA, which is currently under development and due to begin full operations next year. ‘Their facilities for separating and processing the minerals were essential to our growth plans’, Snell comments. According to Chemours, it has the ‘unique capability’ of producing its Ti-Pure™ brand of TiO2 pigments from a wide variety of ores. In acquiring the SIM assets, the company will have additional access to large, high-value ilmenite ore deposits to produce these pigments. Having access to these internally produced ores delivers advantages for the business and provides a stable and predictable cost structure for customers, Chemours explains. The deal also supports the company’s Ti-Pure value stabilization (TVS) strategy of investing in capacity enhancement and product innovation. For the second quarter of 2019, Chemours reported net income of $96 million on net sales of $1.4 billion. This compares to net income of $282 million and record net sales of $1.8 billion in 2Q 2018. The 22% year-on-year decrease in net sales was primarily due to lower volume in Titanium Technologies, with currency and price additional ‘small headwinds’ in the quarter, the company says. Adjusted EBITDA was $283 million in 2Q 2019 compared to $497 million a year earlier as a result of lower volumes across all three of its segments.
October 2019
Milliken increases Asian presence with new plant in Singapore
P
olymer additives and colorants producer Milliken & Co is investing in the construction of a new, state-of-the-art chemical manufacturing plant and knowledge centre in Singapore in order to meet increasing demand across the Asian region. The new facility is expected to commence operations in the first quarter of 2021 but no further details concerning the scale of the investment or the plant’s capacity have been revealed. The Singapore plant will have the capability to manufacture several of Milliken’s additives for plastics and in particular the company’s Hyperform® family of nucleating agents for polypropylene and polyethylene. It will also produce speciality colorants for a broad range of product applications, including polyurethane foams, home and laundry care, personal care, and industrial and institutional cleaners. The new facility will be staffed with a skilled workforce including research and development chemists, chemical engineers and technical support, Milliken says. According to the company, the investment demonstrates its ‘unwavering’ commitment to growing markets in Asia. ‘This new manufacturing facility strategically positions us to better serve our customers throughout Asia’, comments Zhaolin Zhou, Asia Pacific VP of Milliken’s Chemical division. Localized production capabilities and increased technical expertise will allow the company to ‘rapidly customize’ its solutions to meet the ‘evolving and diverse needs’ of the Asia market, he adds. Milliken already operates an applications laboratory and technical service and sales office in Singapore, and recently celebrated its 20-year presence in the Asian region. More information: www.milliken.com
Chemours acquires Southern Ionics Minerals to expand TiO2 ore sources
T
itanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment producer Chemours has acquired Florida-headquartered minerals exploration, mining and manufacturing
6
Additives for Polymers
company Southern Ionics Minerals (SIM) for US$25 million. The transaction includes a titanium and zirconium mineral sands mine and processing plant, providing Chemours with access to an additional internal source of ilmenite ore, nearly doubling its capacity, it reports. SIM mines mineral sands at a site in Charlton County, GA, tapping into a similar geological formation to that exploited by Chemours at its existing mineral sands mine on the Trail Ridge in Northeast Florida, which it has worked for more than 70 years. Its acquisition therefore provides Chemours with ‘tremendous flexibility and scalability to internally source ore’, increasing capacity almost two-fold, it says. Also included in the transaction are a mineral sands processing plant in Offerman, GA, mineral rights held by SIM, administrative offices in Jacksonville, FL, and all employees. Previously owned by Mississippi-based Southern Ionics Inc, SIM is now a full subsidiary of Chemours and will be integrated into its existing operations. The SIM assets complement Chemours’ long-term business goals, according to Bryan Snell, president of the company’s Titanium Technologies business. The two companies are already working together in Georgia, where SIM has undertaken to process mineral sands on behalf of Chemours from the latter’s new surface mine site in Jesup, GA, which is currently under development and due to begin full operations next year. ‘Their facilities for separating and processing the minerals were essential to our growth plans’, Snell comments. According to Chemours, it has the ‘unique capability’ of producing its Ti-Pure™ brand of TiO2 pigments from a wide variety of ores. In acquiring the SIM assets, the company will have additional access to large, high-value ilmenite ore deposits to produce these pigments. Having access to these internally produced ores delivers advantages for the business and provides a stable and predictable cost structure for customers, Chemours explains. The deal also supports the company’s Ti-Pure value stabilization (TVS) strategy of investing in capacity enhancement and product innovation. For the second quarter of 2019, Chemours reported net income of $96 million on net sales of $1.4 billion. This compares to net income of $282 million and record net sales of $1.8 billion in 2Q 2018. The 22% year-on-year decrease in net sales was primarily due to lower volume in Titanium Technologies, with currency and price additional ‘small headwinds’ in the quarter, the company says. Adjusted EBITDA was $283 million in 2Q 2019 compared to $497 million a year earlier as a result of lower volumes across all three of its segments.
October 2019