Lanxess to Build Iron Oxide Red Pigments
Production Plant in China
Lanxess is expanding its global production network for inorganic pigments in
China. A new high-tech facility for premium iron oxide red pigments is being
constructed at the Ningbo Chemical Park
on the Chinese East Coast.
The plant, with modern environmental standards, will initially have an annual capacity of 25,000 metric tons. The
investment of approximately € 55 million
will create 150 new jobs. Construction
will begin in the second quarter 2013.
The production startup is scheduled for
the first quarter of 2015.
Lanxess will manufacture high quality
iron oxide red pigments at the new plant
using an improved and highly sustainable
Penniman process.
“With our advanced and innovative
production process, we are raising the bar
for the production of iron oxide pigments
worldwide especially in terms of water
treatment, waste gas cleaning and energy
consumption,” said Joerg Hellwig, head
of the inorganic pigments business unit.
“In addition, the new plant will strength-
en our global production network of
existing plants in Germany, China and
Brazil.”
The company will market their yel-
low shaded red pigments globally under
the brand Bayferrox. Key customers are
manufacturers of paints and coatings.
Furthermore the construction and plas-
tics industries will be supplied.
Lanxess already operates one of
China’s largest and most modern plants
for iron oxide pigments in Jinshan,
Shanghai. This plant has an annual capacity of 38,000 metric tons of high-quality
iron oxide yellow and black pigments
each year.
Huntsman Launches
Transformation Program
Huntsman Corporation plans to launch
a global transformational change program across its Advanced Materials division, as part of an on-going strategic
plan designed to improve the company’s
manufacturing efficiencies, enhance commercial excellence and ensure its long-term global competitiveness.
Weak economic conditions in key
global markets, combined with rising
fixed costs and continued volatility in
the cost of raw materials, are driving
Huntsman’s Advanced Materials division to implement an improvement program which will align resources to focus
on attractive higher-growth markets, the
company reported. The company expects
benefits to the business in the range of
$70 million.
Huntsman said its Advanced Materials
business will further increase its focus
on opportunities in industries such as
aerospace, adhesives, high-performance
coatings, power generation, green electronics and large-scale engineering projects which will drive maximum value for
all stakeholders.
“The planned program is designed
to ensure that the Advanced Materials
business is strongly positioned to com-
pete successfully in a challenging market-
place,” said James Huntsman, president
of the Advanced Materials division. “We
will continue to invest significantly in our
business, in order to help our customers
around the world address some of the
engineering challenges they face over the
coming years to produce lighter, more ef-
ficient materials.”
The transformation program is sched-
uled to begin in the first quarter 2013,
with full implementation expected to be
completed over the next 18 months.
Lonza Completes Sale of
Performance Urethanes
and Organics Business to
Monument Chemical
Lonza Group and Monument Chemical
have completed the sale of Lonza Group’s
Performance Urethanes and Organics
business located in Brandenburg,
Kentucky. This sale enables Lonza
to focus on more core activities and
helps fulfill a strategic growth area for
Monument Chemical.
As part of the Arch Chemicals Inc.
acquisition in October, 2011 Lonza considered the divestiture of certain Arch
business and assets. A formal divestiture
process for Brandenburg was initiated
in July of 2012. The Arch Performance
Urethanes and Organics Business has
been a leading supplier of specialty urethane and organic chemicals for more
than 40 years, developing and manufacturing products used in applications including products for coatings, adhesives,
sealants and elastomers, flexible and rigid
foams, coolants and solvents. The business also supplies polyols, glycols and glycol ethers for such industrial applications
as coolants, solvents and food additives.
BASF to Enhance Global
Capacity of Hexanediol
BASF will increase its annual global capacity for manufacturing the chemical
intermediate 1, 6-hexanediol (HDO)
by more than 20 percent to more than
50,000 tons per annum by 2014. For this
purpose, the company will further optimize its production processes, carry out
various infrastructure projects and enhance its logistical processes. BASF will
invest more than € 30 million. Through
these measures BASF will strengthen its
position as the globally leading HDO
supplier. BASF operates HDO production
facilities at its Verbund sites in Freeport,
Texas, and Ludwigshafen, Germany.
“By increasing our capacity and
further optimizing our operations we
respond to the growing demand for inno-
vative high-performance formulations,”
said Sanjeev Gandhi, president, BASF
Intermediates division. “By aligning with
the growth of our customers and ensur-
ing the availability of high-quality HDO
we continue to serve our global custom-
ers as a reliable partner.”
BASF’s customers use the intermediate
