- Email: [email protected]
US: DuPont – TiO2
FOCUS (LCD) panels. Flat screens incorporating LCD panels are rapidly substituting for conventional screens based on cathode ray tubes (CRTs) both for televisions and for computerlinked screens. The global usage of LCD panels has been rising at more than 25% per annum in recent years and this pace of growth will be sustained into the medium-term. Taiwan is home to a number of multinational suppliers of consumer electronic and business electronic devices. Consumption of LCD materials in Taiwan is booming right now and by 2006 it is expected to reach up to treble the 2004 level. JSR’s main manufacturing base for LCD materials is at Yokkaichi (Japan). Also in Japan, the company’s whollyowned subsidiary, JSR Micro Kyushu, runs a smaller plant for making LCD materials at Saga. Another whollyowned subsidiary, JSR Micro Korea, was recently established in the region of Chingcheongbuk-Do (South Korea). Press release from: JSR Corp, Japan. Website: http://www.jsr.co.jp (7 Feb 2005)
Thailand & UK: Matrix Plastics – masterbatch Matrix Plastics (of Marlow, UK) has announced that it will close its plastics masterbatch and compounding plant at Rayong, with effect from 1 March 2005. The company states that it has decided that the Rayong plant “would not provide a positive return on further investment.” The Rayong plant was only opened at the beginning of 2004 and a lot of new equipment was installed there. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2004, 4). All this equipment will be shipped to the Matrix factory in Slough. Also, all the staff currently employed at Rayong will be offered new job placements at Slough. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 25 Feb 2005, 3
Ukraine: Titan Crimea – TiO2 Titan Crimea reported a 39% increase in its TiO2 pigment sales volume from 56,023 tonnes in 2003 to 77,875 tonnes in full-year 2004. The company’s total sales revenue – derived from TiO2, red iron oxide pigment, ammonium phosphate, sulfuric acid and sundry other chemicals – increased by 66.9% to
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UAH 599.859 M in 2004. Thanks to the injection of funds from RSJ Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Titan Crimea is investing in a number of improvements to its Armyansk plant on the Crimean peninsula. At the same time, the company plans to expand its total TiO2 pigment capacity to 120,000 tonnes/y by 2007, with the installation of a third 40,000 tonnes/y production line. Installation should be completed by August 2006, with testing and commissioning scheduled for the last four months of the year. In January 2005, Titan Crimea signed a €540,000 contract with two German companies – Haver & Boecker and Beumer – for the installation of an automated packaging line at its TiO2 plant. The new line will be capable of packaging 220 x 25 kilo bags per hour (equivalent to 5500 kilos per hour or nearly 45,000 tonnes/y). Titan Crimea’s TiO2 pigment production target for 2005 is 86,400 tonnes. To minimise downtime, it will concentrate on producing three grades: CR-02, CR-03 and CR-07. Interfax Chemicals, Jan 2005 (1), 4 (Website: http://www.interfax-news.com) & Industrial Minerals, Mar 2005 (450), 22-23
UK: Ciba – textile dyes & colour formers Ciba Speciality Chemicals declared last October that its textile dyes and colour formers plant at Clayton (near Manchester) would be closed by mid2007. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jan 2005, 7). More recently, Ciba declared that it was taking a SFR 80 M charge against 4Q 2004 profits, a significant proportion of which would be accounted for by costs associated with the closure of the Clayton facilities. Another contributing factor was costs associated with the integration of the newly acquired Raisio Chemicals into Ciba’s watertreatment and paper chemicals business. At Clayton, 164 employees will be made redundant in March 2005, followed by 84 in 2006 and 46 in 1H 2007. A few employees will then be retained to implement final closure of the site. Worldwide, Ciba’s workforce will be reduced by 950, with the Clayton works representing about one-third of the total reduction. European Chemical News, 7 Feb 2005, 82 (2133), 7 & 21 Feb 2005, 82 (2135), 6
US: Chroma – plastics colorants Chroma Corp brought a new manufacturing line into production in mid-January, increasing the total capacity for colour concentrates and compounds at McHenry, IL to 35 M lbs/y or just under 16,000 tonnes/y. Its product range includes metallic, pearlescent and edge-glow effect additives. Chroma has three buildings on its factory site, with 130,000 sq ft of floor space. It plans to increase its workforce by 12-15 people during 2005. Last year, Chroma’s sales revenue increased by 10-15% and the company is planning a further 15-20% increase this year. About 60% of the company’s sales are accounted for by customers in the packaging sector. Plastics News, 10 Mar 2005 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: Daleco – kaolin Significant kaolin and calcium carbonate deposits in Cibolta County (New Mexico) belonging to Daleco Resources Inc and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Clean Age Minerals Inc, are to be developed with technical assistance from Tecumseh Professional Associates Inc (of Albuquerque, NM). Tecumseh will take the lead project management role for the ongoing commercialisation of the resources. Preliminary estimates indicate 1.5 bn tonnes of calcium carbonate and 200 M tonnes of kaolin. Press release from: Daleco Resources Corp, 120 North Church Street (Suite 615), West Chester, PA 19380, USA, Tel: +1 610 429 0181. Website: http://www.descartes.com (15 Feb 2005)
US: DuPont – TiO2 According to a brief survey in ‘CW’, DuPont intends to raise capacity at its De Lisle TiO2 plant in Mississippi by 40,000-50,000 tonnes/y in the near future. The De Lisle plant consists of two standard chlorination/oxidation lines and currently has a nameplate capacity of 300,000 tonnes/y. Chemical Week, 16 Mar 2005, 167 (9), 33 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
US: Huber – ground calcium carbonate JM Huber’s calcium carbonate granulation unit at Benicia (California)
MAY 2005
Thailand & UK: Matrix Plastics – masterbatch Matrix Plastics (of Marlow, UK) has announced that it will close its plastics masterbatch and compounding plant at Rayong, with effect from 1 March 2005. The company states that it has decided that the Rayong plant “would not provide a positive return on further investment.” The Rayong plant was only opened at the beginning of 2004 and a lot of new equipment was installed there. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2004, 4). All this equipment will be shipped to the Matrix factory in Slough. Also, all the staff currently employed at Rayong will be offered new job placements at Slough. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 25 Feb 2005, 3
Ukraine: Titan Crimea – TiO2 Titan Crimea reported a 39% increase in its TiO2 pigment sales volume from 56,023 tonnes in 2003 to 77,875 tonnes in full-year 2004. The company’s total sales revenue – derived from TiO2, red iron oxide pigment, ammonium phosphate, sulfuric acid and sundry other chemicals – increased by 66.9% to
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PIGMENTS
UAH 599.859 M in 2004. Thanks to the injection of funds from RSJ Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Titan Crimea is investing in a number of improvements to its Armyansk plant on the Crimean peninsula. At the same time, the company plans to expand its total TiO2 pigment capacity to 120,000 tonnes/y by 2007, with the installation of a third 40,000 tonnes/y production line. Installation should be completed by August 2006, with testing and commissioning scheduled for the last four months of the year. In January 2005, Titan Crimea signed a €540,000 contract with two German companies – Haver & Boecker and Beumer – for the installation of an automated packaging line at its TiO2 plant. The new line will be capable of packaging 220 x 25 kilo bags per hour (equivalent to 5500 kilos per hour or nearly 45,000 tonnes/y). Titan Crimea’s TiO2 pigment production target for 2005 is 86,400 tonnes. To minimise downtime, it will concentrate on producing three grades: CR-02, CR-03 and CR-07. Interfax Chemicals, Jan 2005 (1), 4 (Website: http://www.interfax-news.com) & Industrial Minerals, Mar 2005 (450), 22-23
UK: Ciba – textile dyes & colour formers Ciba Speciality Chemicals declared last October that its textile dyes and colour formers plant at Clayton (near Manchester) would be closed by mid2007. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jan 2005, 7). More recently, Ciba declared that it was taking a SFR 80 M charge against 4Q 2004 profits, a significant proportion of which would be accounted for by costs associated with the closure of the Clayton facilities. Another contributing factor was costs associated with the integration of the newly acquired Raisio Chemicals into Ciba’s watertreatment and paper chemicals business. At Clayton, 164 employees will be made redundant in March 2005, followed by 84 in 2006 and 46 in 1H 2007. A few employees will then be retained to implement final closure of the site. Worldwide, Ciba’s workforce will be reduced by 950, with the Clayton works representing about one-third of the total reduction. European Chemical News, 7 Feb 2005, 82 (2133), 7 & 21 Feb 2005, 82 (2135), 6
US: Chroma – plastics colorants Chroma Corp brought a new manufacturing line into production in mid-January, increasing the total capacity for colour concentrates and compounds at McHenry, IL to 35 M lbs/y or just under 16,000 tonnes/y. Its product range includes metallic, pearlescent and edge-glow effect additives. Chroma has three buildings on its factory site, with 130,000 sq ft of floor space. It plans to increase its workforce by 12-15 people during 2005. Last year, Chroma’s sales revenue increased by 10-15% and the company is planning a further 15-20% increase this year. About 60% of the company’s sales are accounted for by customers in the packaging sector. Plastics News, 10 Mar 2005 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: Daleco – kaolin Significant kaolin and calcium carbonate deposits in Cibolta County (New Mexico) belonging to Daleco Resources Inc and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Clean Age Minerals Inc, are to be developed with technical assistance from Tecumseh Professional Associates Inc (of Albuquerque, NM). Tecumseh will take the lead project management role for the ongoing commercialisation of the resources. Preliminary estimates indicate 1.5 bn tonnes of calcium carbonate and 200 M tonnes of kaolin. Press release from: Daleco Resources Corp, 120 North Church Street (Suite 615), West Chester, PA 19380, USA, Tel: +1 610 429 0181. Website: http://www.descartes.com (15 Feb 2005)
US: DuPont – TiO2 According to a brief survey in ‘CW’, DuPont intends to raise capacity at its De Lisle TiO2 plant in Mississippi by 40,000-50,000 tonnes/y in the near future. The De Lisle plant consists of two standard chlorination/oxidation lines and currently has a nameplate capacity of 300,000 tonnes/y. Chemical Week, 16 Mar 2005, 167 (9), 33 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
US: Huber – ground calcium carbonate JM Huber’s calcium carbonate granulation unit at Benicia (California)
MAY 2005