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US & Belgium: MTI – PCC, GCC, talc & synthetic sodium silicate
FOCUS closure will follow earlier Clariant plant closures at Oswaldtwistle (Lancashire, 40 jobs); Beverley (Humberside, 120 jobs); and Widnes (Cheshire, 63 jobs). Clariant will also be cutting 100 jobs at its Muttenz headquarters in order to streamline the organisation. Globally, Clariant will still be employing more than 21,000 people. Press Release from: Clariant, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland. Website: http://www.clariant.com (7 Nov 2007) & Chemical Week, 14 Nov 2007, (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
Spain: Nubiola – ultramarine Nubiola (headquartered in Barcelona) has announced plans to increase its global ultramarine capacity by 25% from 12,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes/y. The major increase will presumably come from Nubiola’s plant at Llodio in Alava province (northwestern Spain), but the company is also raising ultramarine capacity elsewhere. Around the world, Nubiola has seven inorganic pigment manufacturing sites – Rousse (Bulgaria), Shanghai (China), Medellin (Colombia), Nagar Chennai (India), Doicesti (Romania), Norcross, GA (United States) and Llodio (Spain). Its product range encompasses pigments based on iron oxides, chromates, molybdates, chromium oxide green and ultramarine, as well as zinc ferrites and various types of anticorrosive pigments. As background to the expansion, Mr Jaime Juhera (Commercial Manager) said: “The ultramarine blue and violet pigments market is now witnessing an unprecedented change. Earlier this year, a competitor announced the closure of one of its two sites. (This was Holliday’s Hull plant. See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Aug 2007, 3). This has caused a major shift towards Nubiola, which we are striving to deal with. At present, our production facilities are working at full capacity, with output exceeding planned production by 10%. This has had a detrimental effect on the standards of service that Nubiola lives up to, so all our efforts are now concentrated on trying to remedy the situation. The current shortage is being addressed by several investments in different sites, which will bring additional capacity (4000 tonnes/y) to meet our commitments.
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We would like to emphasise that ultramarine remains a strategic business line for Nubiola. We employ high technology and our factories are located around the world, thus enabling us to ensure good quality, offer product consistency and meet delivery terms. Moreover, we are continually enhancing our portfolio with new speciality products designed for applications that need further development.” Press Release from: Nubiola, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 648, E-08010 Barcelona, Spain. Tel: +34 933 435730. Website: http://www.nubiola.com (3 Dec 2007)
Ukraine: Sumy Khimprom – TiO2 Capital expenditure devoted to the sulfate-route TiO2 pigment operations of OJSC Sumy Khimprom will amount to $9.7 M for full-year 2007. This should facilitate increased production of R-206, which is the company’s best-selling TiO2 pigment grade. Further modernisation is planned for 2008/09 and overall TiO2 capacity at Sumy should increase to about 50,000 tonnes. Hitherto, the Ukrainian Government has owned 100% of Sumy Khimprom, but the State Property Fund of Ukraine recently announced its intention to sell off all the shares in Sumy Khimprom, promising to reveal details of the “privatisation” procedure on 26 December. Vestnik Khimicheskoi Promyshlennosty, 28 Sep 2007, 43 (3), 57 (in Russian) & RIA Oreanda, 12 Dec 2007
US & Belgium: MTI – PCC, GCC, talc & synthetic sodium silicate Minerals Technologies Inc (MTI, of New York) reported a net loss of $80.3 M on sales revenue of $827.2 M for the first nine months of 2007 and it is heading for the worst full-year performance in its history. The company was founded in October 1992 as a spin-off from Pfizer Inc and its three main lines of business have always been: precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC); processed mineral fillers, notably ground calcium carbonate (GCC) and talc; and monolithic refractories. A series of steps are underway to restore profitability. MTI is to quit the synthetic sodium silicate industry, stating: “Initial
success with our Synsil range proved to be unsustainable at higher operating rates and fill ratios.” MTI is offering for sale its Synsil plants at Chester, SC and Cleburne, TX, as well as a customer sampling facility at Woodville, OH (all in the United States). MTI is also offering for sale two plants in the US Midwest, at Mount Vernon, IN and Wellsville, OH, which mainly process imported crude talc from China. It is also offering for sale a speciality PCC plant at Brookhaven, MS. A plant at Hermalle (Belgium) which makes coating grades of PCC will be shut down. The company will retain its four fully integrated operations. Three of these – Adams, MA; Canaan, CT; and Lucerne Valley, CA – supply GCC to the construction and automotive industries. The fourth – at Barretts, MT – mines and processes indigenous talc. To try to boost its share price, MTI has also authorised a $75 M programme to repurchase some of its own shares. Chemical Week, 7 Nov 2007, 9 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
US: Americhem – masterbatch Americhem Inc (of Cuyahoga Falls, OH) has announced plans to close by April 2008 its plant at Salisbury, MD, for manufacturing custom colour concentrates and additive masterbatches. Production will be transferred to Americhem’s facilities at Concord, NC and Mansfield, TX, which will both be expanded by 1020%. Some of the 30 workers from Salisbury will be redeployed within the Americhem group. Earlier this year, Americhem stepped up its masterbatch capacity at Dalton, GA. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2007, 5-6). Plastics News, 26 Oct 2007, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: Daleco – kaolin Daleco Resources is making progress on developing its kaolin resources in Cibolta County (southwestern New Mexico). Indicated resources are 200 M tonnes of kaolin and 1.5 bn tonnes of calcium carbonate. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, May 2005, 6). Tests recently carried out by DL
JANUARY 2008
Spain: Nubiola – ultramarine Nubiola (headquartered in Barcelona) has announced plans to increase its global ultramarine capacity by 25% from 12,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes/y. The major increase will presumably come from Nubiola’s plant at Llodio in Alava province (northwestern Spain), but the company is also raising ultramarine capacity elsewhere. Around the world, Nubiola has seven inorganic pigment manufacturing sites – Rousse (Bulgaria), Shanghai (China), Medellin (Colombia), Nagar Chennai (India), Doicesti (Romania), Norcross, GA (United States) and Llodio (Spain). Its product range encompasses pigments based on iron oxides, chromates, molybdates, chromium oxide green and ultramarine, as well as zinc ferrites and various types of anticorrosive pigments. As background to the expansion, Mr Jaime Juhera (Commercial Manager) said: “The ultramarine blue and violet pigments market is now witnessing an unprecedented change. Earlier this year, a competitor announced the closure of one of its two sites. (This was Holliday’s Hull plant. See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Aug 2007, 3). This has caused a major shift towards Nubiola, which we are striving to deal with. At present, our production facilities are working at full capacity, with output exceeding planned production by 10%. This has had a detrimental effect on the standards of service that Nubiola lives up to, so all our efforts are now concentrated on trying to remedy the situation. The current shortage is being addressed by several investments in different sites, which will bring additional capacity (4000 tonnes/y) to meet our commitments.
6
ON
PIGMENTS
We would like to emphasise that ultramarine remains a strategic business line for Nubiola. We employ high technology and our factories are located around the world, thus enabling us to ensure good quality, offer product consistency and meet delivery terms. Moreover, we are continually enhancing our portfolio with new speciality products designed for applications that need further development.” Press Release from: Nubiola, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 648, E-08010 Barcelona, Spain. Tel: +34 933 435730. Website: http://www.nubiola.com (3 Dec 2007)
Ukraine: Sumy Khimprom – TiO2 Capital expenditure devoted to the sulfate-route TiO2 pigment operations of OJSC Sumy Khimprom will amount to $9.7 M for full-year 2007. This should facilitate increased production of R-206, which is the company’s best-selling TiO2 pigment grade. Further modernisation is planned for 2008/09 and overall TiO2 capacity at Sumy should increase to about 50,000 tonnes. Hitherto, the Ukrainian Government has owned 100% of Sumy Khimprom, but the State Property Fund of Ukraine recently announced its intention to sell off all the shares in Sumy Khimprom, promising to reveal details of the “privatisation” procedure on 26 December. Vestnik Khimicheskoi Promyshlennosty, 28 Sep 2007, 43 (3), 57 (in Russian) & RIA Oreanda, 12 Dec 2007
US & Belgium: MTI – PCC, GCC, talc & synthetic sodium silicate Minerals Technologies Inc (MTI, of New York) reported a net loss of $80.3 M on sales revenue of $827.2 M for the first nine months of 2007 and it is heading for the worst full-year performance in its history. The company was founded in October 1992 as a spin-off from Pfizer Inc and its three main lines of business have always been: precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC); processed mineral fillers, notably ground calcium carbonate (GCC) and talc; and monolithic refractories. A series of steps are underway to restore profitability. MTI is to quit the synthetic sodium silicate industry, stating: “Initial
success with our Synsil range proved to be unsustainable at higher operating rates and fill ratios.” MTI is offering for sale its Synsil plants at Chester, SC and Cleburne, TX, as well as a customer sampling facility at Woodville, OH (all in the United States). MTI is also offering for sale two plants in the US Midwest, at Mount Vernon, IN and Wellsville, OH, which mainly process imported crude talc from China. It is also offering for sale a speciality PCC plant at Brookhaven, MS. A plant at Hermalle (Belgium) which makes coating grades of PCC will be shut down. The company will retain its four fully integrated operations. Three of these – Adams, MA; Canaan, CT; and Lucerne Valley, CA – supply GCC to the construction and automotive industries. The fourth – at Barretts, MT – mines and processes indigenous talc. To try to boost its share price, MTI has also authorised a $75 M programme to repurchase some of its own shares. Chemical Week, 7 Nov 2007, 9 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
US: Americhem – masterbatch Americhem Inc (of Cuyahoga Falls, OH) has announced plans to close by April 2008 its plant at Salisbury, MD, for manufacturing custom colour concentrates and additive masterbatches. Production will be transferred to Americhem’s facilities at Concord, NC and Mansfield, TX, which will both be expanded by 1020%. Some of the 30 workers from Salisbury will be redeployed within the Americhem group. Earlier this year, Americhem stepped up its masterbatch capacity at Dalton, GA. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2007, 5-6). Plastics News, 26 Oct 2007, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: Daleco – kaolin Daleco Resources is making progress on developing its kaolin resources in Cibolta County (southwestern New Mexico). Indicated resources are 200 M tonnes of kaolin and 1.5 bn tonnes of calcium carbonate. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, May 2005, 6). Tests recently carried out by DL
JANUARY 2008