UK: Omya – GCC

Omya has opened a new groundcalcium carbonate plant at MeltonMowbray in Leicestershire. Thegrades produced here are said to beparticularly suited to polyvinyl chloride(PVC) compounders because theycan be used at higher loadings thanmost other fillers currently available.Capacity details have not beendisclosed.

Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 23 Apr 2004, 12

US: F & D Plastics – plastics colorants

F & D Plastics has stepped up colourconcentrates capacity at itsLeominster, MA, plant with theinstallation of a sixth twin-screwextrusion line. The company’sfacilities are currently housed at a27,000 sq ft site at Leominster and90% of its output is sold to customersin the Northeast and Midwest US,particularly in the cosmetics,housewares and electrical cable andwiring sectors. F & D Plastics is nowconsidering setting up amanufacturing unit in the SouthernStates.

The company currently employs 44 people and increased its salesrevenue by 15% to $9 M in 2003. It isaiming to reach the $10 M mark forsales this year.

Plastics News, 9 Mar 2004 (Website:http://www.plasticsnews.com)

US: Huber/Omya – GCC

J.M.Huber Corp has acquired fromOmya a calcium carbonateprocessing plant, located at Quincy,IL. The plant is believed to have beenproducing various “industrial grades”of ground calcium carbonate (GCC).Huber intends to transfer productionof these GCC grades to its ownexisting facilities in Illinois and willpresumably close the Quincy plant.

Rubber and Plastics News, 5 Apr 2004, 33 (18), 19

Vietnam: Lidisaco – TiO2 pigment

Mineral Development Co No.6 (akaLidisaco) has been grantedGovernment approval to go aheadwith its plan to build a 10,000 tonnes/yTiO2 pigment plant at an undisclosedlocation in Vietnam. Investment in the

project is budgeted at $25 M. Theplant will employ Altair’s novel AHPtechnology, using locally minedilmenite. This will be the country’s firstTiO2 pigment plant and it will also bethe first commercial-scale TiO2 plantusing AHP technology.

TiO2 Worldwide Update, Jan/Apr 2004, 12 (1/2), 22

COMPANIESBarloworld acquires ICC

International Chemical Corp (ICC),which claims to be the largestdecorative paint colorantmanufacturer in South Africa, hasbeen acquired by Barloworld,described as a “global industrial brandmanagement group.” ICC’s businesswill now be integrated with that ofLongridge Colorant (Pty) Ltd.

European Paint and Resin News, Mar 2004, 42 (3), 8

Clariant’s gradual rehabilitation toprofitability thanks to cost-cutting

Despite a downturn in profits in itsPigments & Additives segment, due tothe impact of costs associated withplant closures in the UK andGermany, the Clariant groupincreased its overall operating profitby 62% to SFR 167 M in 1Q 2004,compared against 1Q 2003. Salesrevenue increased by 6% to SFR 474M for Pigments & Additives and by9% to SFR 286 M for Masterbatches.It looks as though the group’sextensive cost-cutting campaign isbeginning to achieve a “gradualrehabilitation.” (See also ‘Focus onPigments’, May 2004, 5).

Neue Zuercher Zeitung, 5 May 2004, 225 (103), 17 (inGerman)

Great Lakes & OxyChem pool resourcesin antimony oxide & related activities

Great Lakes Chemical Corp (GLCC)and Laurel Industries (part of theOxyChem group, affiliated toOccidental Petroleum) havecompleted a transaction merging theirantimony activities in a 50:50 jointventure, named GLCC Laurel LLC.Manufacturing will be consolidated atthe existing GLCC complex atReynosa in Mexico, while Laurel’santimony-related plants at LaPorte in

Texas will be closed down by the endof 2004. The joint venture will take onresponsibility for making and sellingTimonox, TMS, and Trutint antimonyoxide pigments and flame retardants;Pyrobloc sodium antimonate and zincborate synergists; Oncor Smokeblocand Ongard smoke-suppressants;Fireshield and Thermoguard productsbased on antimony oxide and PetCatcatalysts.

Press release from: Great Lakes Chemical Corp, POBox 2200, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA. Website:http://www.greatlakeschem.com (26 Apr 2004)

Hickson & Welch becomes C6Solutions after Dunedin takeover

Hickson & Welch (of Castleford,Yorkshire) was sold by ArchChemicals to Dunedin CapitalPartners towards the end of last year.(See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Oct 2003,5). The business has now beenrenamed C6 Solutions and it intendsto focus on speciality chemicals,including optical brighteners andpigment intermediates, as well as onintermediates for use in cropprotection, healthcare and nutrition.

European Paint and Resin News, Mar 2004, 42 (3), 5

Holliday appoints Pavilion as MiddleEast sales agent

Holliday Dispersions has appointedPavilion Chemicals to marketHolliday’s water-borne and solvent-borne pigment dispersions in Yemen,Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In duecourse, the arrangement may beextended to cover other markets inthe Middle East region.

PPCJ, Polymers, Paint, Colour Journal, Apr 2004, 198(4472), 13

Lyondell to absorb Millennium

Lyondell Chemical will effectivelyacquire Millennium Chemicals, theworld’s second largest TiO2 pigmentproducer, via a shares-exchangearrangement worth $2.3 bn. Thetransaction should be finalised by theend of September 2004 and it willcreate the third-largest US chemicalcompany (after Dow Chemical andDuPont), with pro forma salesrevenue in excess of $11 bn and aninitial market capitalisation of $4 bn.

6 JUNE 2004

F O C U S O N P I G M E N T S