- Email: [email protected]
US: Imerys — kaolin
FOCUS Association, CMC states that every year about 300 M scrap tyres are generated across the country. Assuming an average weight per tyre of 10.2 kilos (or 22.5 pounds), this translates to 2.72 M tonnes (or 6 bn pounds) of material generated per year in the US. Currently, 52% of this total is burned for fuel; 12% is used for crumb-rubber products (such as doormats and carpet underlay); 16% is used for civil engineering applications; and 14% is dumped at landfill sites (usually after being chipped or ground). CMC believes that up to 40% of the 2.72 M tonnes/y of scrap tyre material could be processed at plants using its technology. This would recover 454 M litres (or 120 M US gallons) per annum. Also, assuming that 18 US gallons of oil equivalent are required to produce 100 pounds of carbon black – the metric equivalents are 150 litres of oil equivalent per 100 kilos of carbon black – the substitution of carbon black by ApexCM could “save” 409 M litres (or 108 M US gallons) of oil. Rubber and Plastics News, 30 Jun 2008, 37 (24), 12
US: Daleco & Clean Age Minerals – kaolin & calcium carbonate Clean Age Minerals Inc, a subsidiary of Daleco Resources Corp, has submitted an application for a mining permit, outlining a plan of operation for mining kaolin and calcium carbonate in Sierra County, New Mexico. The application was drawn up with assistance from Tecumseh consultants. Indicated resources of kaolin are 1.4 M tonnes, while inferred resources are of the order of 2 M tonnes. However, the mineral deposits lie within the Gila National Forest and the project will require approval from the US Forest Service. Asian Ceramics, May 2008, 64 & Industrial Minerals, Jun 2008, (489), 9
US: Imerys - kaolin Imerys has announced another round of retrenchment at its Dry Branch kaolin operations in Georgia. Towards the end of 2005, about 60 employees here were made redundant. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Dec 2005, 5). This time, another 50 employees will lose their jobs, leaving a workforce of
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about 30 at Dry Branch. Calcined kaolin capacity at Dry Branch will be reduced, with customers being catered for by calcined kaolin from the Sandersville plant. Industrial Minerals, Jun 2008, (489), 9
US & Canada: PolyOne – plastic colorants & compounds PolyOne (headquartered at Avon Lake, OH) has announced plans to close seven of its plants in North America because of falling demand. The affected plants include: a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounding unit at Plaquemine, LA; part of a PVC compounding operation at Avon Lake, OH; facilities for making speciality engineered materials at Macedonia, OH and at Valleyfield, PQ; a colour and additives plant at St Peter’s, MO; and units for making plastisols at Commerce, CA and at Sussex, WI. In addition, a plant for making coated fabric materials at Bolton (northwest England) will be closed. Altogether, 150 jobs will be lost. The programme of closures should be completed by May 2009 and will entail PolyOne taking charges of $31 M in its accounts, of which $18 M as noncash expenses. On the upside, PolyOne is stepping up capacity by 50% at its liquid colorants plant at Massillion, OH. It has also established a liquid colorants facility in Tianjin in northern China. Rubber and Plastics News II, 4 Aug 2008, 29 (17), (Website: http://rpnii.rubbernews.com)
Vietnam: Cavico/Kasvina - GCC Kasvina, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cavico (a Vietnamese building company) plans to establish a 60,000 tonnes/y ground calcium carbonate (GCC) plant at the NamCam Industrial Park in NgheAn province, central Vietnam. The plant should be ready for operation by the end of 2008. Raw materials for the new plant will be sourced from ThungVoi and ThungTom mines. Investment in the NamCam project will be around $5 M, with a forecast payback period of 3648 months. Cavico is also considering establishing another GCC plant, based on raw material from its ThungXan mine. Chemical Engineering (New York), Jul 2008, 115 (7), 63
COMPANIES BMCI & Matrixx come under the common ownership of Wind Point Partners Wind Point Partners (a private equity firm, based in Chicago) has acquired Bulk Molding Compounds Inc (BMCI, of West Chicago, IL) and plans to integrate the business with that of its subsidiary, Matrixx Group Inc (of Evansville, IN). BMCI makes thermoset bulk moulding plastic compounds, especially for automotive applications, in the US, Mexico and China. Matrixx produces plastic colorants and additives in the US and Italy. The two companies will keep their separate US headquarters, at least for the time being. Combined annual sales revenues were $255 M for full-year 2007 and the combined workforce is around 500. Plastics News, 4 Jun 2008, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Clariant buys Rite Systems & Ricon Clariant International recently acquired the entire assets of Rite Systems Inc and Ricon Colors Inc to boost its prominence in the US plastics masterbatch sector. Rite Systems and Ricon Colors are associated companies, both founded in 1987 and both based in Chicago. Altogether, they have three US masterbatch plants – at West Chicago, IL; Mooresville, NC; and Chino, CA. They also have a plant in Vienna (Austria). Their combined annual sales revenue is $150 M, they employ 150 people and their portfolio comprises 67% liquid masterbatches and 33% solid masterbatches. Clariant’s restructuring programme continues. Its global workforce was reduced by 4% to 20,931 at the end of 2007. During 1H 2008, a further 750 jobs were cut. Profitability continues to improve: the company reported an overall average operating profit margin of 7.3% for 1H 2008, compared against 6.8% for 1H 2007. Total sales revenue was down by 2%, at SFR 4.233 bn for 1H 2008. This included: SFR 1.068 bn from the Pigments & Additives segment (up 1%) and SFR 682 M from Masterbatches (down 6%). Earlier this year, there was
SEPTEMBER 2008
US: Daleco & Clean Age Minerals – kaolin & calcium carbonate Clean Age Minerals Inc, a subsidiary of Daleco Resources Corp, has submitted an application for a mining permit, outlining a plan of operation for mining kaolin and calcium carbonate in Sierra County, New Mexico. The application was drawn up with assistance from Tecumseh consultants. Indicated resources of kaolin are 1.4 M tonnes, while inferred resources are of the order of 2 M tonnes. However, the mineral deposits lie within the Gila National Forest and the project will require approval from the US Forest Service. Asian Ceramics, May 2008, 64 & Industrial Minerals, Jun 2008, (489), 9
US: Imerys - kaolin Imerys has announced another round of retrenchment at its Dry Branch kaolin operations in Georgia. Towards the end of 2005, about 60 employees here were made redundant. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Dec 2005, 5). This time, another 50 employees will lose their jobs, leaving a workforce of
6
ON
PIGMENTS
about 30 at Dry Branch. Calcined kaolin capacity at Dry Branch will be reduced, with customers being catered for by calcined kaolin from the Sandersville plant. Industrial Minerals, Jun 2008, (489), 9
US & Canada: PolyOne – plastic colorants & compounds PolyOne (headquartered at Avon Lake, OH) has announced plans to close seven of its plants in North America because of falling demand. The affected plants include: a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounding unit at Plaquemine, LA; part of a PVC compounding operation at Avon Lake, OH; facilities for making speciality engineered materials at Macedonia, OH and at Valleyfield, PQ; a colour and additives plant at St Peter’s, MO; and units for making plastisols at Commerce, CA and at Sussex, WI. In addition, a plant for making coated fabric materials at Bolton (northwest England) will be closed. Altogether, 150 jobs will be lost. The programme of closures should be completed by May 2009 and will entail PolyOne taking charges of $31 M in its accounts, of which $18 M as noncash expenses. On the upside, PolyOne is stepping up capacity by 50% at its liquid colorants plant at Massillion, OH. It has also established a liquid colorants facility in Tianjin in northern China. Rubber and Plastics News II, 4 Aug 2008, 29 (17), (Website: http://rpnii.rubbernews.com)
Vietnam: Cavico/Kasvina - GCC Kasvina, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cavico (a Vietnamese building company) plans to establish a 60,000 tonnes/y ground calcium carbonate (GCC) plant at the NamCam Industrial Park in NgheAn province, central Vietnam. The plant should be ready for operation by the end of 2008. Raw materials for the new plant will be sourced from ThungVoi and ThungTom mines. Investment in the NamCam project will be around $5 M, with a forecast payback period of 3648 months. Cavico is also considering establishing another GCC plant, based on raw material from its ThungXan mine. Chemical Engineering (New York), Jul 2008, 115 (7), 63
COMPANIES BMCI & Matrixx come under the common ownership of Wind Point Partners Wind Point Partners (a private equity firm, based in Chicago) has acquired Bulk Molding Compounds Inc (BMCI, of West Chicago, IL) and plans to integrate the business with that of its subsidiary, Matrixx Group Inc (of Evansville, IN). BMCI makes thermoset bulk moulding plastic compounds, especially for automotive applications, in the US, Mexico and China. Matrixx produces plastic colorants and additives in the US and Italy. The two companies will keep their separate US headquarters, at least for the time being. Combined annual sales revenues were $255 M for full-year 2007 and the combined workforce is around 500. Plastics News, 4 Jun 2008, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
Clariant buys Rite Systems & Ricon Clariant International recently acquired the entire assets of Rite Systems Inc and Ricon Colors Inc to boost its prominence in the US plastics masterbatch sector. Rite Systems and Ricon Colors are associated companies, both founded in 1987 and both based in Chicago. Altogether, they have three US masterbatch plants – at West Chicago, IL; Mooresville, NC; and Chino, CA. They also have a plant in Vienna (Austria). Their combined annual sales revenue is $150 M, they employ 150 people and their portfolio comprises 67% liquid masterbatches and 33% solid masterbatches. Clariant’s restructuring programme continues. Its global workforce was reduced by 4% to 20,931 at the end of 2007. During 1H 2008, a further 750 jobs were cut. Profitability continues to improve: the company reported an overall average operating profit margin of 7.3% for 1H 2008, compared against 6.8% for 1H 2007. Total sales revenue was down by 2%, at SFR 4.233 bn for 1H 2008. This included: SFR 1.068 bn from the Pigments & Additives segment (up 1%) and SFR 682 M from Masterbatches (down 6%). Earlier this year, there was
SEPTEMBER 2008