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Russia: Clariant – plastics masterbatch
FOCUS Czech Republic: Precheza – TiO2 With the completion of the latest set of debottlenecking measures, Precheza has attained a capacity of 50,000 tonnes/y at its sulfate-route TiO2 pigment plant at Prerov (Moravia). The plant came on-stream in 1968, with an initial capacity of 20,000 tonnes/y. On 8 October 2009, it celebrated the cumulative production of 1 M tonnes of TiO2. Precheza is a subsidiary of Precolor, which is a subsidiary within the Agrofert group (headquartered in Prague). Technicky Tydenik, 20 Apr 2010, 58 (8 (Plastics Supplement)), I (in Czech)
Germany & Netherlands: CPS Color – tinting systems & colorants CPS Color (headquartered at Vantaa, Finland) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of tinting systems and tinting colorants. The company was created as a spin-off from Tikkurila Oy, part of the Kemira group. Prior to the spin-off, CPS Color had consolidated its assets portfolio by a series of mergers and acquisitions, notably including WinterBouts (of the Netherlands) and Corob (of Italy). Its European production network now consists of plants in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy. The company has a number of German customers, whose requirements are normally catered for by CPS Color GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary. The German company recently relocated its main office from Bornich (50 km south of Koblenz) to Huckelhoven (near the Dutch border). In fact, the new site is only 25 km east of Sittard (in the Netherlands), where CPS Color manufactures tinting pigment pastes. As well as office accommodation, the new 460 sq m site at Huckelhoven also has a warehouse and a showroom for displaying tinting equipment. Farbe und Lack, Mar 2010, 116 (3), 11 (in German)
India & Vietnam: Phillips – carbon black Phillips Carbon Black (part of the RP Goenka group) recently reported sales revenues from carbon black for the quarter to end-March 2010 at Rup 3.47 bn, representing a new quarterly record and nearly double the sales
JUNE 2010
ON
PIGMENTS
revenues reported for the equivalent period of 2009. Towards the end of last year, the company commissioned its new 90,000 tonnes/y plant at Mundra (Gujarat). In addition to this plant, Phillips operates carbon black plants at Durgapur, West Bengal (145,000 tonnes/y); at Vadodara, Gujarat (95,000 tonnes/y); and at Kochi, Kerala (90,000 tonnes/y). It now plans to establish another carbon black plant in India, somewhere in the southern half of the country. The location for the 50,000 tonnes/y project will be determined during June 2010. Meanwhile, the project for establishing a 60,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant and a 12 MW power plant in Vietnam is nearing completion. Investment in this project is budgeted at $63 M.
producing more than 1100 tonnes/y of plastic masterbatch. Clariant has acquired the entire operating capital of Euromaster and it has agreed to take on all 48 employees. Farbe und Lack, Jan 2010, 116 (1), 11 (in German)
Singapore: Denka – fused silica Denka Advantech is contemplating another expansion step at its Singapore plant for the production of fused silica. The previous expansion, completed towards the end of 2007, raised capacity here to 13,000 tonnes/y. Denka’s fused silica is used mainly as a functional filler in semiconductors for electronic equipment. Japan Chemical Web, 23 Apr 2010, (Website: http://www.japanchemicalweb.jp)
The Hindu, 1 May 2010, 133 (103), 18
South Africa: Namaqua – wollastonite India: KMML – TiO2 Kerala Minerals & Metals Ltd (KMML) achieved a new record for monthly production of TiO2 pigment at its Sankaramangalam plant in January 2010 – 3925 tonnes. That beat the previous record of 3910 tonnes achieved in August 2008. The company also reported a new record for synrutile production in January 2010 – 3800 tonnes, beating the previous record of 3790 tonnes in May 2008. The latest achievements reflect the benefits achieved from a substantial plant overhaul and maintenance campaign during the last two months of calendar year 2009. Chemical Weekly, 16 Feb 2010, 55 (27), 124
Russia: Clariant – plastics masterbatch Towards the end of last year, Clariant was apparently studying possible sites for the establishment of a new plastics masterbatch plant in the Tatarstan autonomous republic, about 800-1000 km east of Moscow. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2009, 5-6). But in the end, rather than invest in a greenfields venture, Clariant decided to acquire an existing operation at Nizhnekamsk (about 170 km east of Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan). The operation, run by Euromaster Ltd and employing 48 people, had been
Namaqua Wollastonite Pty Ltd has reopened a wollastonite mine at Magata (about 14 km northeast of Garies in the Namaqualand region of Northern Cape Province). The company has held mining and prospecting rights here since 1994, when it acquired them from Pella Refractories Pty Ltd. Wollastonite resources in the Magata district are assessed at 3.2 M tonnes, with an average grade of 52%. However, after a brief spell in production, Namaqua ceased wollastonite mining in 1999. Seven years later, Nulane Investments Pty Ltd acquired 100% control of Namaqua Wollastonite. Its subsidiary Siyaghope Trading developed a dry metallurgical process and tested its suitability in a pilot plant before proceeding with the Magata project. Ms Mari-Alet Van Der Merwe (Chief Executive Officer of Namaqua Wollastonite) commented: “The commercialisation of this project had failed a number of times before, primarily due to the ineffective wet metallurgical processes resulting in the production of off-spec wollastonite for target markets and low production yields.” For the year to end-April 2011, Namaqua expects to produce 9000 tonnes of wollastonite. Assuming satisfactory market growth, production will be stepped up to 17,400 tonnes in the year to end-April 2012 and to 23,300 tonnes in the year to end-April
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Germany & Netherlands: CPS Color – tinting systems & colorants CPS Color (headquartered at Vantaa, Finland) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of tinting systems and tinting colorants. The company was created as a spin-off from Tikkurila Oy, part of the Kemira group. Prior to the spin-off, CPS Color had consolidated its assets portfolio by a series of mergers and acquisitions, notably including WinterBouts (of the Netherlands) and Corob (of Italy). Its European production network now consists of plants in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy. The company has a number of German customers, whose requirements are normally catered for by CPS Color GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary. The German company recently relocated its main office from Bornich (50 km south of Koblenz) to Huckelhoven (near the Dutch border). In fact, the new site is only 25 km east of Sittard (in the Netherlands), where CPS Color manufactures tinting pigment pastes. As well as office accommodation, the new 460 sq m site at Huckelhoven also has a warehouse and a showroom for displaying tinting equipment. Farbe und Lack, Mar 2010, 116 (3), 11 (in German)
India & Vietnam: Phillips – carbon black Phillips Carbon Black (part of the RP Goenka group) recently reported sales revenues from carbon black for the quarter to end-March 2010 at Rup 3.47 bn, representing a new quarterly record and nearly double the sales
JUNE 2010
ON
PIGMENTS
revenues reported for the equivalent period of 2009. Towards the end of last year, the company commissioned its new 90,000 tonnes/y plant at Mundra (Gujarat). In addition to this plant, Phillips operates carbon black plants at Durgapur, West Bengal (145,000 tonnes/y); at Vadodara, Gujarat (95,000 tonnes/y); and at Kochi, Kerala (90,000 tonnes/y). It now plans to establish another carbon black plant in India, somewhere in the southern half of the country. The location for the 50,000 tonnes/y project will be determined during June 2010. Meanwhile, the project for establishing a 60,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant and a 12 MW power plant in Vietnam is nearing completion. Investment in this project is budgeted at $63 M.
producing more than 1100 tonnes/y of plastic masterbatch. Clariant has acquired the entire operating capital of Euromaster and it has agreed to take on all 48 employees. Farbe und Lack, Jan 2010, 116 (1), 11 (in German)
Singapore: Denka – fused silica Denka Advantech is contemplating another expansion step at its Singapore plant for the production of fused silica. The previous expansion, completed towards the end of 2007, raised capacity here to 13,000 tonnes/y. Denka’s fused silica is used mainly as a functional filler in semiconductors for electronic equipment. Japan Chemical Web, 23 Apr 2010, (Website: http://www.japanchemicalweb.jp)
The Hindu, 1 May 2010, 133 (103), 18
South Africa: Namaqua – wollastonite India: KMML – TiO2 Kerala Minerals & Metals Ltd (KMML) achieved a new record for monthly production of TiO2 pigment at its Sankaramangalam plant in January 2010 – 3925 tonnes. That beat the previous record of 3910 tonnes achieved in August 2008. The company also reported a new record for synrutile production in January 2010 – 3800 tonnes, beating the previous record of 3790 tonnes in May 2008. The latest achievements reflect the benefits achieved from a substantial plant overhaul and maintenance campaign during the last two months of calendar year 2009. Chemical Weekly, 16 Feb 2010, 55 (27), 124
Russia: Clariant – plastics masterbatch Towards the end of last year, Clariant was apparently studying possible sites for the establishment of a new plastics masterbatch plant in the Tatarstan autonomous republic, about 800-1000 km east of Moscow. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2009, 5-6). But in the end, rather than invest in a greenfields venture, Clariant decided to acquire an existing operation at Nizhnekamsk (about 170 km east of Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan). The operation, run by Euromaster Ltd and employing 48 people, had been
Namaqua Wollastonite Pty Ltd has reopened a wollastonite mine at Magata (about 14 km northeast of Garies in the Namaqualand region of Northern Cape Province). The company has held mining and prospecting rights here since 1994, when it acquired them from Pella Refractories Pty Ltd. Wollastonite resources in the Magata district are assessed at 3.2 M tonnes, with an average grade of 52%. However, after a brief spell in production, Namaqua ceased wollastonite mining in 1999. Seven years later, Nulane Investments Pty Ltd acquired 100% control of Namaqua Wollastonite. Its subsidiary Siyaghope Trading developed a dry metallurgical process and tested its suitability in a pilot plant before proceeding with the Magata project. Ms Mari-Alet Van Der Merwe (Chief Executive Officer of Namaqua Wollastonite) commented: “The commercialisation of this project had failed a number of times before, primarily due to the ineffective wet metallurgical processes resulting in the production of off-spec wollastonite for target markets and low production yields.” For the year to end-April 2011, Namaqua expects to produce 9000 tonnes of wollastonite. Assuming satisfactory market growth, production will be stepped up to 17,400 tonnes in the year to end-April 2012 and to 23,300 tonnes in the year to end-April
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