- Email: [email protected]
US: Goldsmith & Eggleston – rubber masterbatch
F O C US At present, the ownership structure of the joint venture company – Titanium Products Pvt Ltd (TPPL) – is: 51% Russian State Property Management Enterprise, 45% Saraf Agencies (of Kolkata, India) and 4% Tekhnokhim (of Moscow). Saraf might withdraw from the project, but it would then seek compensation of Rup 5 bn ($107.5 M) plus expenses incurred to date.
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on the Springbank Industrial Estate in Belfast. This unit will specialise in the manufacture of lower-temperature, underwater pelletised polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds for medical applications. Plastics News, 9 Dec 2009, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) & Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 11 Dec 2009, 1
Chemical Weekly, 6 Oct 2009, 55 (8), 126
UK: Matrix – plastics masterbatch Mexico & US: Lanxess – organic pigments for plastics Lanxess Functional Chemicals has announced that it will cease manufacturing Macrolex organic pigments at its Lerma site in Mexico by April 2010. This will entail the loss of 120 jobs. Production will be transferred to existing facilities at Leverkusen (Germany). Macrolex pigments are mainly marketed to the plastics industry. In a separate development, Lanxess declared that it has sold the infrastructure and support services at its Bushy Park site in South Carolina, US. Cooper River Partners LLC, an investment company, paid $10 M to take over the site. Lanxess will continue to manufacture rubber chemicals at Bushy Park and it has signed a long-term lease agreement with Cooper River Partners. The organic pigments plants at Bushy Park, formerly operated by Bayer, were sold off to Sun Chemical in 2002, prior to the creation of Lanxess. Press Release from: Lanxess AG, D-51379 Leverkusen, Germany, website: http://www.lanxess.com (15 Dec 2009)
UK: Colorite/TeknoPlex – plastics masterbatch Colorite Europe (a wholly-owned subsidiary within the TeknoPlex group, headquartered at Somerville, NJ) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-quality plastic masterbatch and compounds for medical tubing, equipment and disposable items. As well as the plant at Belfast (Northern Ireland), TeknoPlex produces these products at Sparks, NV (in the US) and at Suzhou (Jiangsu province, China). Colorite recently announced plans to invest £3 M in a new unit at its plant
FEBRUARY 2010
Matrix Plastics Ltd (of Slough) recently announced its latest expansion programme, which will include installing a new twin-screw extruder and various associated pieces of equipment supplied by Boy Ltd (of Blakelands, Bucks, UK). Matrix is also modernising its laboratory facilities as part of ongoing improvement in the colour-matching service. Overall capital investment will exceed £70,000. Currently, Matrix can produce up to 8500 tonnes/y of plastic masterbatch, offering to supply customers with product in sacks (15 or 25 kilos) or octabins (500 or 1000 kilos). Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 13 Nov 2009, 6
US: Goldsmith & Eggleston – rubber masterbatch Goldsmith & Eggleton Inc specialises in reprocessing rubber and supplies black masterbatches and other rubber raw materials from its plant at Wadsworth, OH. It has recently completed a three-phase expansion, installing new dual-drive batch-off mills, equipped with programmable logic controllers, integrated with the previously installed F-270 mixer to create a state-of-the-art masterbatch mixing system. Rubber and Plastics News, 16 Nov 2009, 39 (8), 6
COMPANIES
range of Plasblak, Plaswite, Plasgrey and Plasadd products. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 13 Nov 2009, 6
Clariant plans more cuts, including two European pigment plant closures At the beginning of 2009, Clariant had a global workforce numbering 20,100 people, but with demand at a low ebb it was obvious that drastic cost-cutting measures were going to be enacted. The company declared that it planned to cut a further 1350 jobs during 2009, following a workforce reduction of around 800 during 2008. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2009, 5). For the first nine months of 2009, Clariant reported a post-tax loss of SFR 127 M on sales of SFR 4.904 bn. Compared against the equivalent period of 2008, sales of pigments and additives were down by 32% at SFR 1.08 bn; sales of masterbatches were down by 17% at SFR 842 M; sales of functional chemicals were down by 17% at SFR 1.765 bn; sales of textile, leather and paper chemicals were 24% down at SFR 1.217 bn. Soon after announcing these results, the company revealed plans to close six plants between now and 2013, including two organic pigment plants at Huningue (France) and Frankfurt (Germany). The closure of these six plants will result in 570 job losses, including 262 at Huningue. Clariant is also considering the sale or closure of its organic pigments plant at Onsan (South Korea). The company has already sold off its masterbatch manufacturing operation in South Korea and rationalised its activities in the UK. Besides the Huningue and Frankfurt pigment plants, other facilities scheduled for closure include plants making functional chemicals at Pontypridd (Wales), Cuernavaca (Mexico) and Gendorf (Germany). La Tribune, 19 Nov 2009, (Website: http://www.latribune.fr) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 23 Nov 2009, (487), 5 (in French) & Neue Zuercher Zeitung, 5 Nov 2009, 230 (257), 13 (in German)
Cabot appoints Distrupol to sell masterbatches in Eire Cabot Corp has appointed Distrupol Ireland Ltd (of Blanchardstown, Dublin) as its distributor for masterbatches in the Irish market. The agreement covers Cabot’s full
Elian intends to raise export/sales ratio to 10-20% Elian SA produces up to 6000 tonnes/y of colour masterbatches at its Bellignat plant, about 100 km
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PIGMENTS
on the Springbank Industrial Estate in Belfast. This unit will specialise in the manufacture of lower-temperature, underwater pelletised polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds for medical applications. Plastics News, 9 Dec 2009, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) & Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 11 Dec 2009, 1
Chemical Weekly, 6 Oct 2009, 55 (8), 126
UK: Matrix – plastics masterbatch Mexico & US: Lanxess – organic pigments for plastics Lanxess Functional Chemicals has announced that it will cease manufacturing Macrolex organic pigments at its Lerma site in Mexico by April 2010. This will entail the loss of 120 jobs. Production will be transferred to existing facilities at Leverkusen (Germany). Macrolex pigments are mainly marketed to the plastics industry. In a separate development, Lanxess declared that it has sold the infrastructure and support services at its Bushy Park site in South Carolina, US. Cooper River Partners LLC, an investment company, paid $10 M to take over the site. Lanxess will continue to manufacture rubber chemicals at Bushy Park and it has signed a long-term lease agreement with Cooper River Partners. The organic pigments plants at Bushy Park, formerly operated by Bayer, were sold off to Sun Chemical in 2002, prior to the creation of Lanxess. Press Release from: Lanxess AG, D-51379 Leverkusen, Germany, website: http://www.lanxess.com (15 Dec 2009)
UK: Colorite/TeknoPlex – plastics masterbatch Colorite Europe (a wholly-owned subsidiary within the TeknoPlex group, headquartered at Somerville, NJ) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-quality plastic masterbatch and compounds for medical tubing, equipment and disposable items. As well as the plant at Belfast (Northern Ireland), TeknoPlex produces these products at Sparks, NV (in the US) and at Suzhou (Jiangsu province, China). Colorite recently announced plans to invest £3 M in a new unit at its plant
FEBRUARY 2010
Matrix Plastics Ltd (of Slough) recently announced its latest expansion programme, which will include installing a new twin-screw extruder and various associated pieces of equipment supplied by Boy Ltd (of Blakelands, Bucks, UK). Matrix is also modernising its laboratory facilities as part of ongoing improvement in the colour-matching service. Overall capital investment will exceed £70,000. Currently, Matrix can produce up to 8500 tonnes/y of plastic masterbatch, offering to supply customers with product in sacks (15 or 25 kilos) or octabins (500 or 1000 kilos). Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 13 Nov 2009, 6
US: Goldsmith & Eggleston – rubber masterbatch Goldsmith & Eggleton Inc specialises in reprocessing rubber and supplies black masterbatches and other rubber raw materials from its plant at Wadsworth, OH. It has recently completed a three-phase expansion, installing new dual-drive batch-off mills, equipped with programmable logic controllers, integrated with the previously installed F-270 mixer to create a state-of-the-art masterbatch mixing system. Rubber and Plastics News, 16 Nov 2009, 39 (8), 6
COMPANIES
range of Plasblak, Plaswite, Plasgrey and Plasadd products. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 13 Nov 2009, 6
Clariant plans more cuts, including two European pigment plant closures At the beginning of 2009, Clariant had a global workforce numbering 20,100 people, but with demand at a low ebb it was obvious that drastic cost-cutting measures were going to be enacted. The company declared that it planned to cut a further 1350 jobs during 2009, following a workforce reduction of around 800 during 2008. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2009, 5). For the first nine months of 2009, Clariant reported a post-tax loss of SFR 127 M on sales of SFR 4.904 bn. Compared against the equivalent period of 2008, sales of pigments and additives were down by 32% at SFR 1.08 bn; sales of masterbatches were down by 17% at SFR 842 M; sales of functional chemicals were down by 17% at SFR 1.765 bn; sales of textile, leather and paper chemicals were 24% down at SFR 1.217 bn. Soon after announcing these results, the company revealed plans to close six plants between now and 2013, including two organic pigment plants at Huningue (France) and Frankfurt (Germany). The closure of these six plants will result in 570 job losses, including 262 at Huningue. Clariant is also considering the sale or closure of its organic pigments plant at Onsan (South Korea). The company has already sold off its masterbatch manufacturing operation in South Korea and rationalised its activities in the UK. Besides the Huningue and Frankfurt pigment plants, other facilities scheduled for closure include plants making functional chemicals at Pontypridd (Wales), Cuernavaca (Mexico) and Gendorf (Germany). La Tribune, 19 Nov 2009, (Website: http://www.latribune.fr) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 23 Nov 2009, (487), 5 (in French) & Neue Zuercher Zeitung, 5 Nov 2009, 230 (257), 13 (in German)
Cabot appoints Distrupol to sell masterbatches in Eire Cabot Corp has appointed Distrupol Ireland Ltd (of Blanchardstown, Dublin) as its distributor for masterbatches in the Irish market. The agreement covers Cabot’s full
Elian intends to raise export/sales ratio to 10-20% Elian SA produces up to 6000 tonnes/y of colour masterbatches at its Bellignat plant, about 100 km
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