which will entail a significantexpansion of the company’s sulfate-route TiO2 pigment plant at Armyanskon the Crimean peninsula. It will alsoentail installing additional sulfuric acidcapacity and – for the first time –producing ilmenite in its own right.Effective capacity at Armyansk iscurrently 60,000 tonnes/y and actualproduction has moved steadily nearerto this figure in recent years.Meanwhile, sulfuric acid capacity wasincreased by 50% to 540,000tonnes/y in July 2004.

RSI Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft(a German investment fund) is keento buy a stake in Krym Titan, providingfinance for the planned expansion.This same German investment fundacquired an 89.48% shareholding inthe Crimean soda ash company inFebruary 2004.

Interfax Chemicals, Jul 2004, (109), 3 (published by:Interfax Information Services BV, website:http://www.interfax-news.com) & TiO2 WorldwideUpdate, May/Aug 2004, 12 (3/4), 23

UK: Clariant – plastics masterbatch

Clariant has installed new extrusionequipment at its Wigan plant, raisingcolour masterbatch capacity here by1000 tonnes/y, at a cost of £500,000.The company declared that theinvestment underlines its ongoingcommitment to the UK masterbatchmarket. Meanwhile, Clariant hasceased masterbatch production atWatford, effective 1 August 2004,though it will retain a productwarehouse and customer serviceoffice at theWatford site.

Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 25 Jun 2004, 1

US: ColorMatrix – plastics colorants

ColorMatrix Corp, which claims to bethe world’s leading supplier of liquidcolorants, plans to close itsmanufacturing operations atCleveland by November 2004,transferring them to its existing plantat Berea (also in Ohio). The Bereaplant offers a total floor area of130,000 sq ft. All 150 employees atCleveland will be offered jobs atBerea. ColorMatrix believes the movewill lead to improvements inmanufacturing efficiency of 20-30%and it should enable the company toincrease its sales by at least 10%beyond the $100 M achieved last

year. Growth in sales to the plasticpackaging sector continues tounderpin the success of ColorMatrix.

Plastics News, 4 May 2004, (Website:http://www.plasticsnews.com)

US: Colors For Plastics – plasticscolorants

Colors For Plastics Inc has steppedup capacity for making colourconcentrates at Elk Grove, IL, from3175 tonnes/y to 5445 tonnes/y. Thecompany has also increasedincreased its liquid colorants capacityat Elk Grove to 1135 tonnes/y.Meanwhile, at Spartanburg, SC, thecompany increased liquid colorantscapacity from 680 tonnes/y to 1135tonnes/y. It also retains capacity formaking 2720 tonnes/y of colourconcentrates at Spartanburg.

Colors For Plastics has recruited10 new employees since thebeginning of 2004. It is forecastingsales of $16 M for full-year 2004, ofwhich 70% will be derived from thepolyolefin and polystyrene sectors.

Plastics News, 2 Jul 2004, (Website:http://www.plasticsnews.com)

US: Polymer Valley Chemicals – carbonblack & mineral fillers for rubber

Polymer Valley Chemicals Inc, thecarbon black and mineral fillersupplier, is to double processing andtreatment capacity at its two plants inMacon, GA. The company says theexpansion is necessary because ofincreased demand from the tyreindustry.

Rubber and Plastics News, 31 May 2004, 33 (22), 3

US: Primary Colors Inc – pigments forpaint

Primary Colors Inc is about to movefrom its factory at Westborough to anew factory at Grafton, also inMassachusetts. The company isspending $2.5 M to establish theGrafton factory, designed with a floorarea of 2800 sq metres and a ceilingheight of 6.7 metres. In recent years,Primary Colors Inc has been growingits business at 5-7% per annum andsales revenue this year shouldexceed $5 M.

PPCJ, Polymers, Paint, Colour Journal, Jun 2004, 194(4477), 8

US: Techmer – plastics colorants

Techmer PM will substantiallyincrease its colour concentratescapacity, with the installation of sevennew twin-screw extrusion lines. Twonew lines will be installed at Clinton,TN, bringing the total there to four. Anew line was recently added at theRancho Dominguez, CA, plant. Threenew lines will be added in total at thetwo plants in Georgia (Dalton andGainesville). All these new facilitieswill produce a range of colour andadditive concentrates. Techmer hasadded several new types of colourconcentrates to its portfolio this year.

Also, the upgrading of downstreamequipment at Wichita, KS, hasincreased capacity there by 15%. Forfull-year 2003, Techmer declaredsales at $130 M, of which 30% wasderived from sales to the syntheticfibres sector.

Plastics News, 19 Jul 2004 (Website:http://www.plasticsnews.com)

TECHNOLOGYCiba’s non-warping blue for mouldedplastics & “green” Micranyl for PVC

Ciba Specialty Chemicals hasdeveloped a blue pigment that doesnot warp in moulded plastics. Basedon phthalocyanine blue, the newproduct is currently available fordelivery in sample quantities tointerested potential customers.Designated Cromophthal Blue PD-4167, the new pigment should besuitable for polyolefin mouldings,synthetic films and fibres.

Ciba has also launched a newseries of mono-pigment preparationsfor use in both flexible and rigid formsof polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Thesepigment preparations, sold under theMicranyl NQ-F brandname, do notcontain cadmium or lead and they arebased on a carrier that is free fromphthalates. An accuracy rate for firsttime coloration of 95% is claimed.

European Chemical News, 9/16 Aug 2004, 81 (2112),31 & 26 Jul 2004, 81 (2110), 24

Clariant’s new quinacridone pigments

Clariant has launched two new high-fastness quinacridone pigments that

6 AUGUST 2004

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