to meet the regional demand.
Indonesia remains a strategic country for Cabot’s carbon
black business. Its tire manufacturing industry supplies growing local
and global demand. Cabot is committed
to engaging with customers currently
served from the Merak plant to determine how best to meet their needs during
and after the shutdown of production.
Cabot will leverage its global manufacturing reach to continue to offer quality
products and technical services to its customers in Indonesia as well as throughout
Asia Pacific.
“We wish to recognize our colleagues
in Merak, who have worked diligently
over the years to take care of our cus-
tomers and keep the facility operating as
competitively as possible,” said Jeff Zhu,
president, Cabot Asia Pacific region. “The
decision to close the facility is very diffi-
cult due to the impact on our people and
the community. We have high regard for
those who are affected by these actions,
and we greatly appreciate their contribu-
tions to the company.”
Cabot expects the closure plan will
result in a pre-tax charge to earnings of
approximately $33 million, of which ap-
proximately $8 million of this amount
is cash and $25 million is a non-cash
charge. Annual savings related to the clo-
sure are estimated to be approximately
$8 million, of which approximately $5
million is cash.
Clariant Holds
Groundbreaking Ceremony
for Multi-purpose Facility in
Indonesia
Clariant announced its latest double digit
million investment at the groundbreaking ceremony held on November 5, 2015
at the Java Integrated Industrial & Port
Estate (JIIPE) in Gresik, Surabaya, where
construction has officially commenced
to develop the first phase of a multi-purpose facility that would allow Clariant
to establish its presence even further in
Indonesia and Asia.
With already five production sites
and three technical centers established in
Indonesia, Clariant’s new site in East Java
— the upcoming chemical industry hub
in Indonesia, is going to further reinforce
Clariant’s commitment to opportunities
in the emerging Asian market.
By establishing its new site at the
JIIPE, Clariant is taking advantage of
the industrial park’s first-class support
in many aspects of its operation. For in-
stance, the deep sea port, toll roads and
the international airport located in the
vicinity of JIIPE will offer strong logistics
support for shipments destined for both
domestic and international markets.
The first facility to start operation at
the new site is going to be a new bleaching earth plant for Clariant’s Functional
Minerals Business Unit. It is expected to
come on-stream early 2017 with facilities
from other Clariant Business Units that
could join and co-develop the new site
in becoming a multi-purpose facility for
Clariant in the future.
BASF Hosts Ten Day
Program
To mark its 150th anniversary, BASF hosted a ten-day program in Ludwigshafen
focusing on one of the most pressing
global challenges: Given the limited resources, how can we secure our energy
supply also in the future? Following stops
in Mumbai, Shanghai, New York, Sao
Paulo and Barcelona, the Creator Space
tour will conclude in Ludwigshafen,
Germany. Experts, students, scientists and
employees as well as representatives from
politics, business and society were invited
to join BASF from November 20 to 30,
2015, to work on solutions to this challenge together. The events took place in
the new BASF Conference Center, which
is being transformed into a creative and
inspiring environment with the Creator
Space furnishings that have been used
around the world.
By 2050, global energy demand is forecast to rise by more than 50%. In order
to secure our energy supply in the future,
new solutions will have to be developed.
Germany, in particular, is in the midst of
an energy transition: Electricity genera-
tion is becoming increasingly decentral-
ized. As a result, electricity grids and
energy markets will have to change and
become more flexible. Therefore, BASF
chose to make “smart energy” the theme
of the tour stop in Germany. “Industrial
and energy companies, politicians, sci-
entists and interested public will have to
work together if we are to find efficient
solutions for the energy supply of tomor-
row. At the Creator Space Ludwigshafen,
we want to discuss technologies, storage
systems and business models for intel-
ligent energy supply with our partners,”
said Margret Suckale, member of the
Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE.
With products such as insulation materials, catalysts and materials for lightweight automotive construction, BASF
helps conserve resources. At the same
time, energy is an important factor in determining competitiveness in the chemical
industry: “As a major energy consumer,
we are aware how important it is to operate in an energy-efficient way. That is
why Creator Space is exploring questions like how renewable energies can be
supplied at competitive costs,” said Dr.
Friedrich Seitz, Site Manager of BASF in
Ludwigshafen.
The program of Creator Space
Ludwigshafen included numerous
events for students, visitors, experts,
scientists and representatives from business and politics.
• Designathon: Following the official
opening of Creator Space, a 24-
hour creative marathon starts today.
Young people will look for new applications for smart energy solutions
in public spaces. An area in the center of Ludwigshafen will serve as the
example. The ideas will be presented
to a jury of experts on Saturday,
November 21.
•Open house: From 10 a.m. until
3 p.m. on Sunday, November 22,
visitors can expect exhibits and site
tours as well as an artistic program
that makes energy visible at the
BASF Visitor Center and Conference
Center D 105.
•Summit: From 8: 30 a.m. on
November 23 until 5: 30 p.m. on
November 24, more than 70 experts
will be discussing renewable energies, decentralized technologies and
the social prerequisites for these to
be implemented. Participants will
develop ideas in six workshops and
