DSM Powder Coating Resins
and DSM NeoResins+ merge
DSM has announced a reorganization
that will see its business units DSM Powder Coating Resins and DSM NeoResins+
merged into a single new unit—DSM
Coating Resins. In the restructuring towards one coating resins unit, a subdivision will be made based on different
market dynamics, which will be reflected
in the organizational approach for these
subdivisions. DSM Coating Resins will be
headed by Patrick Niels, currently business unit director of the Powder Coating
Resins unit, and will be led from Zwolle,
the Netherlands. Steve Hartig, currently
business unit director of DSM NeoResins+ will move to lead another unit
within DSM.
Cabot plans to expand carbon
black capacity
Cabot Corp. plans to invest more than
$180 million between now and 2013 to
expand manufacturing capacity at plants
in China, Indonesia, Brazil and Argentina,
as well as adding capacity at three facilities in Europe. The expansions will increase Cabot’s annual global carbon black
output by approximately 15 percent, or
more than 300,000 metric tons. Carbon
black is an intensely black performance
material, used as a reinforcing agent in
rubber as well as a pigmenting, UV stabilizing and conductive additive in a variety
of other specialty products.
“We are making investments in sup-
port of Cabot’s long-term strategy to grow
in emerging markets,” said Patrick Pre-
vost, Cabot president and chief executive
officer. “We already have a strong pres-
ence in many of the fastest growing re-
gions in the world. These investments will
further accelerate our growth.”
Investments in South America, specifi-
cally in Brazil and Argentina, will increase
Cabot’s capacity in that region by ap-
proximately 20 percent. In Indonesia,
Cabot is increasing capacity by approxi-
mately 50 percent, through a newly an-
nounced expansion project in Cilegon,
and a previously announced expansion in
Merak. In Europe, Cabot is also prepar-
ing debottlenecking actions in Europe,
which will expand the company’s capac-
ity by 10 percent. Additionally, in China,
Cabot has announced it has entered into
a joint venture with Risun Chemicals
Company, Ltd., to construct a state-of-the-art carbon black facility in Xingtai.
The new facility will expand Cabot’s capacity in China by approximately 25 percent, with 130,000 metric tons of
capacity and the potential for expansion
to 300,000 metric tons.
Lanxess expands in Middle East
Lanxess is expanding its global presence
and has founded a dedicated company for
the Middle East. The office of Lanxess
Middle East GmbH is located in Dubai.
Lanxess currently supplies customers in
the Middle East primarily with specialty
chemicals, color pigments for the construction industry and high-tech plastics
and rubbers. Elie Saad has been appointed
managing director of the Dubai office.
Saad previously held various positions in
the Lanxess group. His most recent function was as head of the global polymer additives business in the Functional
Chemicals business unit.
Celanese appoints Algol
Chemicals distributor for
Russia and Ukraine
Celanese Emulsions Polymers has appointed Algol Chemicals as its distributor
in Russia and the Ukraine for all its water-based binders into all end use applications. Algol Chemicals plans to open a
coatings laboratory in the Moscow area,
to provide formulation and application
development assistance for local paint
manufacturers. The lab will focus on the
Mowilith brand of dispersions for use in
waterborne paints, which are gaining
favor in Russia for their reduced emissions and costs versus solventborne alternatives. Celanese Emulsion Polymers will
continue to handle international key accounts directly through its local sales
manager in Moscow.
Lucite Int’l to open methacrylic
acid manufacturing facility
Lucite International Group Ltd.,
Southampton, UK, a group company of
Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., has decided
to construct a new plant for the manufac-
ture of methacrylic acid (MAA)
at its facility in Beaumont,
Texas/USA. Total planned investment is approximately $36.2 million and production capacity will be
23,000 tons per year. The tentative construction is scheduled to start in July 2011
and production is scheduled to start in the
fourth quarter of 2012. With the economic growth of emerging countries, supply of MAA remains tight in Asia,
especially China, as well as in North and
South America. Because demand for MAA
is expected to grow, Lucite International
has decided to build a supply base for
MAA in the Americas region. MAA,
which is produced using acetone cyanohydrin (ACH) as its main ingredient, is used
as a raw material primarily in paint, adhesives, synthetic rubber and admixture
for concrete.
AkzoNobel to boost Expancel
expandable microspheres
capacity in Sweden
AkzoNobel is boosting capacity in Sweden for its Expancel expandable microspheres in order to meet growing global
demand. Used as a blowing agent or
lightweight filler, the Expancel product
line is continuing to evolve and find new
applications in markets such as thermoplastics, printing inks, coatings and paper
and board.
The extra capacity, due to come on
stream in early 2012, will be added at the
company’s site in Stockvik. Part of the investment will also be used to further improve eco-efficiency at the facility and to
implement several additional upgrades.
Expancel is made up of small plastic
spheres filled with gas. When the gas inside the shell is heated, it increases its pressure and the thermoplastic shell softens,
resulting in an increase in the volume of
the spheres. When fully expanded, the volume of these spheres increases more than
50 times.
Some of the newest Expancel products
include ultra-high temperature microspheres for engineering plastics, which reduce weight and save on raw materials
costs. Available in both unexpanded and
expanded versions, more common applications include fillers for vehicle bodies,
