france & thailand: toyo ink – colorants for inks & plastics

whiter. Initially, the Goller Creek plantwill be producing 200,000 tonnes/yand this will be expanded to 350,000tonnes/y in 2008/09 and then to 1 Mtonnes/y by 2018, if warranted bymarket demand.

Industrial Minerals, May 2008, 15

China, Indonesia & Thailand: Clariant– plastic masterbatch

Clariant is steadily increasing itscapacity for making plasticmasterbatches in China andSoutheast Asia. The company nowhas three masterbatch plants in China– at Beijing (with a capacity of 1000tonnes/y and 40 employees); atShanghai (3500 tonnes/y and 100employees); and at Guangzhou (3000tonnes/y and 70 employees). Aproject due for completion later thisyear will raise capacity at Guangzhouby 10%. Meanwhile, a three-layerblow-moulding machine was installedat the Shanghai plant towards the endof 2007 with the aim of developingnew colour effects for plastic bottles.Clariant also operates a 5000tonnes/y plant at Taoyuan (Taiwan).

Clariant’s new masterbatch plant atChon Buri (Thailand) commencedproduction in 3Q 2007. The company’sproject to raise masterbatch capacity atTangerang (Indonesia) was completedin January 2008.

Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 26 May 2008, (424), 9(Website: http://www.france-chimie.com) (in French)& Plastics News, 12 May 2008 (Website:http://www.plasticsnews.com)

China: Cabot/Bluestar – fumed silica

Cabot Corp signed a joint ventureagreement with the China NationalBluestar group on 16 May for theestablishment of a 7000 tonnes/yfumed silica plant at Tianjin, whichshould be ready for operation by early2010. The project will cost $40 M. Noindication has been given of therespective financial shares in the jointventure.

Cabot and Bluestar already have a4800 tonnes/y fumed silica plant inoperation at Jiujang-Xinghuo (Jiangxiprovince). This plant came on-streamin mid-2006 and it cost $30 M to build,of which 90% was contributed byCabot and 10% by Bluestar.

Press Release from: Cabot Corp, 2 Seaport Lane, Suite1300, Boston, MA 02210 2019, USA (16 May 2008)

China: Jindian Mining – zinc oxide

Jindian Mining Co Ltd plans to spendRMB Yuan 20 M to build a new zincoxide plant in Wengyuan County(Guangdong province). The plant willbe capable of producing 23,000tonnes/y of zinc oxide, of which 5000tonnes/y as nanoparticulate ZnO. Itwill employ about 100 people. Anenvironmental impact report wassubmitted with the project application,indicating that appropriate measureswill be put in place to deal with thesulfur oxide and sulfuric acid mistemissions.

China Chemical Reporter, 26 Mar 2008, 19 (9), 15

China: Schlenk – aluminium pigments

The Schlenk group has opened a newaluminium pigments plant at Taixing,following a three-year constructionprogramme. The plant incorporatesthe same process and product qualitystandards that apply at its plants inRoth-Barmsdorf and Bitterfeld(Germany) and Ashland, MA (UnitedStates). The parent company wasfounded by Mr Carl Schlenk in 1879and it changed its official name toSchlenk Metallic Pigments GmbH lastNovember.

Paint & Coatings Industry (PCI), May 2008, 24 (5), 22

China: Sichuan Lomon – TiO2

The massive earthquake that hitSichuan provinces on 12 May 2008,followed by a number of strongaftershocks, severely damagedseveral chemical facilities and causedmajor disruptions to the transportationof chemicals and raw materials. At anearly stage, the Central Government’sState Administration of Work Safetyordered all chemical plants, powergenerating facilities and coal minesnear the epicentre to stop production inorder to prevent additional casualtiesand to facilitate emergency rescue andrelief efforts. Sichuan Lomon dulyclosed its 80,000 tonnes/y TiO2pigment plant at Mianzhu (DeyangCounty, near the city of Chengdu). It isinteresting to note that ‘ICIS-CBN’reports the plant location as Chengdu,whereas ‘JCW’ refers to the moreprecise location – Mianzhu.

Only a few weeks before theearthquake, Sichuan Lomon haddeclared its intention to expand its

TiO2 capacity to 200,000 tonnes/ynext year, with plans to raise itsexports to 70,000-80,000 tonnes/y.‘JCW‘ noted that the existing plantconsisted of two 40,000 tonnesproduction lines and that theexpansion designed by SichuanLomon’s own engineers would entailthe installation of two 60,000 tonnes/yproduction lines. In the next stage ofthe company’s programme, TiO2pigment capacity was to be boostedto 500,000 tonnes/y by 2015. It is tooearly to assess whether theearthquake-related damage will resultin serious delays to this programme.

ICIS Chemical Business, 28 Apr 2008 & 19 May 2008,(Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com) & JapanChemical Week, 17 Apr 2008, 49 (2462), 10

Czech Republic: Lasselsberger - kaolin

The Lasselsberger group(headquartered at Poechlarn,Niederösterreich) joined the ranks ofEurope’s kaolin producers in the late1990s with the acquisition of controllinginterests in Chlumcanske KeramickeZavody (CHKZ) and Keramika HorniBriza (KHB), both in the CzechRepublic. Lasselberger’s production ofkaolin last year reached 500,000tonnes, of which 35% was paper-grade,34% was fibreglass-grade and 22%was ceramics-grade. The other 9% wasaccounted for by other grades. Thecompany currently operates threekaolin mines in the Plzen region – atKaznejov, Horni Briza and Chlumcany.

As well as kaolin, Lasselsbergerproduces several other mineralproducts for the ceramics sector,notably 400,000 tonnes/y of ball claysand 200,000 tonnes/y of feldspar. Asignificant proportion of its mineraloutput is consumed captively.

Lasselsberger is one of the world’stop four ceramic tile manufacturers,with 55 production lines at 12 differentsites in the Czech Republic, Hungary,Romania and Slovakia. It reported tileproduction at 58 M sq m for full-year2007.

Industrial Minerals, Mar 2008, (486), 69-71

France & Thailand: Toyo Ink –colorants for inks & plastics

Toyo Ink is poised to bring on-streamthree new plants as part of itsbusiness growth plan. At Villiers StPaul (France), Toyo Ink is

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commissioning a Yen 1.2 bn plant formaking colorants for colour-resist inks.

On the Wellgrow Estate, justoutside Bangkok, the company isabout to bring into production a Yen 1bn plant for making 25,000 tonnes/yof plastic colorants.

Toyo Ink’s first ink manufacturingplant in India is scheduled to comeon-stream in June 2008. Located onthe outskirts of New Delhi, the planthave an initial capacity of 3000tonnes/y of ink for sheet-fed offsetprinting presses. This plant costbetween Yen 2 bn and Yen 3 bn tobuild.

For the fiscal year to end-March2008, Toyo Ink reported operatingincome at Yen 12 bn on sales of Yen260 bn. Its business growth planprojects operating income at Yen 20bn on sales of Yen 300 bn for thefiscal year to end-March 2011.

Japan Chemical Week, 10 Apr 2008, 49 (2461), 2,5

France: Cristal – TiO2

In accordance with the announcementmade last November, Cristal Globalhas closed its 65,000 tonnes/ysulfate-route TiO2 pigment plant at LeHavre, with the loss of 285 jobs.Operating losses at this plant hadaccumulated to €157 M over the past10 years. (See also ‘Focus onPigments’, Jan 2008, 2). This plantwas one of three sulfate-route TiO2plants inherited by Cristal as part ofthe acquisition of Millennium InorganicChemicals in May 2007. There are noplans to close the other two plants,one at Thann (France), the other atArembepe (Brazil). Meanwhile, Cristalhas a project underway to add 80,000tonnes/y at its Yanbu chloride-routeTiO2 plant in Saudi Arabia.

ICIS Chemical Business, 12 May 2008, (Website:http://icischemicalbusiness.com)

Germany: Allessa – Reflex Bluepigments

Reflex Blue pigments have beenmanufactured at the Offenbach site(near Frankfurt) since 1970, originallyby Casella Chemie (an affiliate ofFarbwerke Hoechst). Clariantacquired Hoechst’s pigments,colorants and masterbatchesbusiness in 1997 and four years later

it floated off Casella as anindependent entity in July 2001.Casella was renamed AllessaChemie.At that time, a long-term agreementwas signed whereby Allessa continuedto make Reflex Blue at Offenbachexclusively for sale to Clariant. Theagreement has now expired and witheffect from 1 July 2008 Allessa hastaken over the entire Reflex Bluebusiness from Clariant.

ICIS Chemical Business, 12 May 2008, (Website:http://icischemicalbusiness.com)

Germany: BASF – plastics masterbatch& organic pigments

BASF recently completed therestructuring of its European plasticsmasterbatch business, which nowoperates as BASF Color Solutions. Asa result, there are now much closerlinkages in applications technicalknowhow between the company’s fivemasterbatch plants – Cologne(Germany), Apeldoorn (Netherlands),Clermont-Ferrand (France), Kuurne(Belgium) and Cervello (Spain).

In its latest Annual Report, BASFpublished global capacity figures forcertain major product categories –21,000 tonnes/y for organic pigments(mainly in Europe); 445,000 tonnes/yfor paints, of which 400,000 tonnes/ysolvent-based and 45,000 tonnes/ywater-based. Capacity data was notrevealed for plastics masterbatch.

Kunststoffe, Mar 2008, 98 (3), 8 (in German) &Annual Report 2007 from: BASF, D-67056Ludwigshafen, Germany, website: http://www.basf.de

India: IRE & Saraf & Technokhim –ilmenite & TiO2 pigment

Saraf has reached an agreement withIndian Rare Earths (IRE) for thesupply of 200,000 tonnes/y of ilmenitefrom IRE’s mines in Orissa provinceat the “market price” of around $100per tonne. Earlier reports hadindicated that IRE was promising tosupply no more than 50,000 tonnes/yof ilmenite to the Saraf pigmentventure. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’,Mar 2008, 4). The Indian Governmentintends to contribute $125 M to helpfund the project, on the understandingthat this will be regarded as a way ofpartially offsetting the outstandingdebt owed by the Indian Governmentto the Russian Government.

Industrial Minerals, Mar 2008, (486), 23

India: Plastiblends – masterbatch

Uttarkhand (formerly Uttaranchal),bordering Nepal and Tibet in the farnorth, became the 27th province inIndia following the partition of UttarPradesh in November 2000. It is alsohome to India’s largest producer ofplastic masterbatches – PlastiblendsIndia (PBI, part of the Kolsite group),which claims a 19% share of theIndian market. The Plastiblends plantat Daman has a capacity of 40,000tonnes/y and the company has justannounced a 10,000 tonnes/yexpansion, scheduled for completionby the end of May 2008.

Plastiblends reported annual salesrevenue at Rup 1.5 bn for the latestfiscal year and it plans to double thisfigure within three years.

Plastics News, 22 Apr 2008, (Website:http://www.plasticsnews.com)

Japan: Mitsubishi Chemical, LionChemical & Akzo Nobel – carbon black

Ketjenblack is a highly electro-conductive carbon black which isoften used for heat-resistantengineering plastics. The Yokkaichiplant for manufacturing this productnow has a capacity of 4000 tonnes/y,having been expanded by 600tonnes/y in October 2006 and by afurther 400 tonnes/y in early 2008.The plant is operated as a jointventure between MitsubishiChemical (50%), Lion Chemical(25%) and Akzo Nobel (25%). Thepartners are now consideringestablishing a new plant forKetjenblack, outside Japan.

Japan Chemical Week, 17 Apr 2008, 49 (2462), 1,4

Mexico: Birla – carbon black

Aditya Birla Nuvo plans to invest$140 M to build a new carbon blackplant in the Altamira port area ofeastern Mexico. An agreement forbuying or leasing the land from theport authority was due to be signedat the end of April. Birla currentlyoperates carbon black plants inEgypt, India and Thailand, with acombined capacity of 750,000tonnes/y.

Business Standard, 21 Apr 2008, 10 (251), I.4

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