GLCC Laurel was created in April2004 as a 50:50 joint venturebetween Great Lakes Chemical Corp(GLCC) and the Laurel Industriesbusiness unit of OccidentalPetroleum. The company is theworld’s largest supplier of antimonytrioxide pigments and flameretardants (possibly apart from theleading Chinese suppliers) and itsglobal production is centralised atReynosa (Mexico) following theclosure of plants at Laredo (Texas)and Newcastle (UK). A new source ofantimony in Mexico would no doubtbe of great interest to GLCC Laurel.

GLCC Laurel currently sources itsantimony requirements from “aminimum of five different countries” –one of which is South Africa. Thecompany has a joint venture withConsolidated Murchison in SouthAfrica, which supplies almost 7000tonnes/y of material to the Reynosaplant.

Chinese suppliers account forabout 90% of world antimonyproduction, but because they areincreasingly catering for China’s ownrequirements, a shortage ofexportable antimony has developed.World antimony metal prices are nowat about $4400 per tonne, the highestlevel for 10 years, and they areforecast to rise still further.

Against this background, GLCCLaurel and other non-Chineseproducers of antimony trioxide areanxious to find alternative sources ofraw material.

Industrial Minerals, Feb 2006, (461), 11

Russia: Amtel/Omsk – carbon black

The Amtel-Vredestein group has soldits 200,000 tonnes/y carbon blackplant at Volgograd to a group ofcompanies associated with OmskCarbon Black Works. Proceeds fromthe sale are estimated at $21 M. Untilearly 2003, the Volgograd plant hadbeen operated by Tehuglerod. (See‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2003, 5).

Amtel had emerged as one ofRussia’s largest tyre manufacturers inthe early 1990s. In April 2005, itacquired Vredestein Banden (of theNetherlands), a premium-quality tyremanufacturer formerly affiliated toGoodyear. The transaction was one ofthe first acquisitions of a major West

European company by a Russiancompany. In addition to a tyremanufacturing plant at Enschede(Netherlands), Vredestein controlledvarious outsourced operations inMalaysia, India, Thailand andIndonesia. It also had a wellestablished tyre distribution networkcovering North America, SoutheastAsia and Europe, with 30% of its totalsales revenue attributable to theGerman market. Amtel-Vredesteinhas been able to use this internationaldistribution network to promote salesof its Russian-made tyres.

In Russia, Amtel-Vredesteinproduces tyres at the Povolzhe factoryin Kirov, at the Chernozemye factory inVoronezh and at a factory inKrasnoyarsk. It also operates theKuzbass chemical complex atKemerovo.

The already realised disposal ofthe Volgograd carbon black and theplanned disposal of the Krasnoyarskfactory (producing 2 M tyres perannum) represent key features ofAmtel-Vredestein’s restructuringprogramme, which will enable thecompany to concentrate on its mostproductive tyre manufacturingoperations.

Rubber and Plastics News, 23 Jan 2006, 35 (13), 15

Russia: Lukoil – TiO2

Almost three years ago, Lukoil paid$180 M to acquire the assets ofYaregsky Oil & Titanium, whichcontrols the large shale oil deposits inthe Yarega district within the Komiregion (formerly an autonomousSoviet republic) of northwesternRussia. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’,Jun 2003, 5). Now, Lukoil hasembarked on a $270-300 Mprogramme of investment designed toextract marketable hydrocarbons andtitanium minerals from the shale oil.Total recoverable reserves areassessed at 31 M tonnes ofhydrocarbons and 640 M tonnes oftitanium minerals (predominantlyilmenite). Lukoil’s facilities willproduce about 650,000 tonnes/y ofhydrocarbons and titanium mineralsand they should be ready to beginproduction by 2011, with full-scaleoperations being attained by 2014.

Interfax Petroleum, 19 Jan 2006, (4) (Website:http://www.interfax-news.com)

Saudi Arabia: NTDC/Cristal – TiO2

National Titanium Dioxide Co (Cristal)completed the installation of a fifthproduction line at its Yanbu chloride-route TiO2 pigment plant towards theend of 2005. This raised total capacityhere to 115,000-120,000 tonnes/y. Asixth line is due to be commissionedin early 2007, raising total capacityhere to 140,000 tonnes/y. Aftersubsequent debottlenecking andaltering the TiO2 feedstock blend toincorporate natural rutile from Bemax(Australia), TiO2 pigment capacity atYanbu will be raised to 150,000tonnes/y.

According to ICIS, Cristal nowintends to install a seventh line byearly 2008, raising total capacity atYanbu to 180,000 tonnes/y. ICISnotes that these expansions – virtuallydoubling the size of the Yanbu plantover a period of less than three years– will enable Cristal to step up its TiO2sales to markets in the Arabian Gulfregion, but in fact Cristal’s marketingactivities extend much wider than thisto encompass all the major markets inNorth Africa, the Middle East, Europeand Asia.

Following the sale of Shairco’sinterest in Cristal in 2004, thecompany is now owned 66% by theNational Industrialisation Co (NIC, ofRiyadh) and 32% by Gulf InvestmentCorp (of Safat, Kuwait). The balanceof NTDC/Cristal shares, representing2% of the equity, remain in the handsof private individual investors.

Bemax recently opened its Gingkomine in the Murray Basin region ofAustralia and all the rutile output fromthis source will be supplied to Cristal,which owns a 32.7% stake in Bemax.Rutile output from Gingko will be ofthe order of 65,000 tonnes/y.

ICIS Chemical Business, 30 Jan 2006 (Website:http://icischemicalbusiness.com) & TiO2 WorldwideUpdate, Jan/Feb 2006, (14), 1, 10

Singapore: Huntsman –polyetheramines

Huntsman Corp is building a 16,000tonnes/y plant for makingpolyetheramines at its complex onJurong Island. Commissioning isscheduled for 1Q 2007.Polyetheramines are used aschemical intermediates formanufacturing organic pigments, aswell as epoxy coatings, fuel and

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lubricant additives, herbicides andpesticides.

Chemical Engineering Progress, Jan 2006, 102 (1), 14

UK: Prisma Colour – plasticsmasterbatch

Prisma Colour has raised its capacityfor making plastics masterbatches atits Leigh (Lancashire) factory to morethan 8000 tonnes/y. At this location,Prisma Colour manufactures a broadline of polymer-specific additive andcolour masterbatches, as well as roto-moulding powders. Prisma Colouralso has a plant at Glossop(Derbyshire) making colourmasterbatches for the rubber industry.

Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 20 Jan 2006, 6

US: Ciba – optical brighteners

Ciba Specialty Chemicals willdebottleneck its optical brightenersplant at McIntosh, Alabama, toincrease capacity in order to meetlong-term growth in demand from theNorth American paper industry. Thecompany will also upgrade thetechnology employed here. Theproduct mix will be changed and theproduction of certain products will betransferred to Ciba’s Europeanfacilities. It remains true that opticalbrighteners consumption in the NorthAmerican paper industry is very muchlower than in the European paperindustry.

The McIntosh plant was damagedduring the hurricane season last year,but by the end of the year productionof optical brighteners had beenrestored to previous levels.

Chemical Week, 25 Jan 2006, 168 (3), 23 (Website:http://www.chemweek.com) & Chemical andEngineering News, 23 Jan 2006, 84 (4), 23-24(Website: http://www.cen-online.org)

US: DuPont – TiO2

Less than five months after suffering a“direct hit” from Hurricane Katrina atthe end of August 2005, DuPont hasrestarted production at its 350,000tonnes/y TiO2 plant at DeLisle,Mississippi. Major structural damageto the site was prevented by stringentengineering standards that wereapplied during the plant’s originalconstruction in 1979, but there wasextensive flooding. Virtually everyelectrical and electronic system at the

plant had to be replaced or rebuilt.Also, immense quantities of debrishad to be removed and infrastructure(such as railroad tracks) had to berebuilt. The total cost of repairs hasnot yet been determined.

As a result of the plant closure,DuPont notified its customers that aforce majeure event had occurred,preventing and excusing DuPont fromperforming its obligations undersupply contracts. The companyintends to lift the force majeuredeclaration once DeLisle production isstable and reliable. Finally, it isinteresting to note that DuPont hasnow adopted “DeLisle” as the spellingfor this plant’s location.

Press Release from: DuPont, 1007 Market Street,Wilmington, DE 19898, USA. Website:http://www.dupont.com (25 Jan 2006)

US: Tri-Western Resources – GCC

Tri-Western Resources (formerlyAlpha Minerals & Chemicals) hasopened its new Monarch calciumcarbonate mine in eastern KernCounty, California, following theapproval of the company’s miningplans by the US Bureau of LandManagement on 16 November 2005.Tri-Western Resources is a 50:50 jointventure between Trans-WesternMaterials LLC and Select ResourcesCorp (a subsidiary of Tri-Valley Corp).The Monarch deposit contains 15 Mtonnes of high-white calcium andcalcite marble, which Tri-Westernplans to mine at a rate of 150,000-200,000 tonnes/y.

In a separate development, Tri-Valley began quarrying basalt at adeposit near Boron, California, lastSeptember. With these two projectsunderway, Tri-Valley has decided topostpone for the time being furtherwork on its Admiral Calder calciumcarbonate resource in Alaska. (Seealso ‘Focus on Pigments’, Oct 2005, 4).

Industrial Minerals, Jan 2006, (460), 18

COMPANIESAmerichem buys CAT and studiesexpansions in China & Europe

Americhem recently acquired ColorAdditive Technologies (CAT), whichemploys 45 people and produces

colour and additive masterbatches forplastic fibres and films at a plant inDalton, Georgia. This plant has a floorarea of 90,000 square feet.

Americhem Inc was founded in1941 and it claims to be one of theworld’s largest privately ownedproducers of plastics masterbatches,serving customers in about 25different countries across the world. Ithas 650 employees worldwide. Inaddition to Dalton, its manufacturingplant locations comprise: CuyahogaFalls, Ohio (two sites); Elgin, Illinois;Mansfield, Texas; Concord, NorthCarolina; Salisbury, Maryland – all inthe eastern United States; and atManchester (UK) and Suzhou(China). The company has a numberof sales offices, including one atMexico City (opened in 2004) and oneat Seoul, South Korea (opened in2005). Americhem’s global salesreached $200 M in 2005. By 2009,sales outside the US will account foran estimated 20-25% of the total.

At Suzhou in China, Americhemhas a plant with a current floor area of35,000 square feet, operated by 30employees. The plant can beextended to 80,000 square feet aswarranted by growth in demand. InEurope, Americhem studying optionsfor expansion, either at Manchester orat a new site.

Press Release from: Americhem Inc, 225 BroadwayEast, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221, USA. Website:http://www.americhem.com (3 Dec 2005)

Avocet appoints sales agents for India,Morocco & Portugal

Avocet has extended the territory ofEnequimica (of Sabadell, Barcelona)to cover Portugal and Morocco, aswell as Spain, in respect of itsCetaflam flame retardants for textiles.Also, Yogeshwar Chemicals Ltd (ofMumbai) has been designated byAvocet as its exclusive sales agent forthe Indian market in respect of theentire product range of flameretardants, dyes and textileauxiliaries. Avocet currently retainssales agents for nine other markets,namely: Australia, Belgium, Canada,Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea,United States and Vietnam.

Chemical Business (India), Oct 2005, 19 (10), 70 &Press Release from: Avocet Dyes & Chemicals Co,Birds Royd Lane, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD61LQ, UK. Website: http://www.avocet-dyes.co.uk (3Feb 2006)

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