Coatings World - February 2014

Orion Engineered Carbons GmbH has ceased production at its Sines, Portugal facility affecting immediately approximately 36 of the 40 positions at the plant.

The shutdown will take place while investments are being made in the company’s other carbon black plants. The restructuring investments will increase manufacturing efficiencies enabling Orion to better meet customer needs in response to today’s highly competitive environment dominated by volatile raw material and high energy costs, the company reported.

Jack Clem, Orion’s CEO, said that in order for the company to remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, it must fully utilize the capabilities of its carbon black operations, concentrating resources at more efficient facilities that can compete in today’s challenging environment.

“Orion remains committed to
significant investments needed to
maintain its position as the leading
producer of specialty carbon blacks
and a major supplier of carbon blacks
to the tire and rubber industries world-
wide,” he added. “Realignment of the
company’s manufacturing operations
in Europe will allow Orion to better
serve the market and respond more ef-
ficiently to customer needs. We regret
the impact this restructuring will have
on our employees and their families,”
said Clem. “The men and women who
work in our Sines carbon black opera-
tion have contributed significantly to
our success over the many years it has
been in existence.”
Clem said Orion will assist employees di-
rectly impacted by the closure through out-
placement assistance including job search
and counseling, and severance benefits.

According to Clem, once manufacturing has ceased the plant would continue to ship carbon black products until depletion of existing stocks to fulfill existing customer commitments. After this, the site will be deactivated.

AkzoNobel Joins Together
for Sustainability to
Enhance Global Supply
Chain

AkzoNobel has underlined its commitment to driving improvements throughout its global supply chains by signing up to the Together for Sustainability (TfS) initiative.

Founded in 2011, the purpose of TfS is to develop and implement a global audit program to assess and improve sustainability practices within the supply chains of the chemical industry.

The company has joined forces with the six existing members – BASF, Bayer, Evonik Industries, Henkel, LANXESS and Solvay – with the aim of building on established principles such as the United Nations Global Compact and the Responsible Care Global Charter.

“We already carry out extensive sus-
tainability assessments in our own supply
chains,” explained Ton Geurts, AkzoNobel’s
chief procurement officer. “But by integrat-
ing TfS into our existing strategy we will
enhance our current processes and further
improve the quality of our supply chains
for the benefit of our customers.”
The TfS initiative involves indepen-
dent experts carrying out assessments
and audits of suppliers, avoiding the need
for each of the members to conduct their
own. Results and scorecard ratings are
then shared within TfS on a web-based
collaborative platform.

As well as avoiding double audits and assessments, other benefits include quality assurance, a reduction in the bureaucratic burden for suppliers and the lowering of risks in relation to sustainability requirements.

DRT Increases Capital in its
Joint-Venture

A global leader in the development of
rosin and turpentine extracted from pine
resin, DRT has announced an increase in
capital of its joint venture with the Indian
company Crown Chemicals to the level
of 50 percent. Specialized in the manu-
facture of synthetic piperonal, Crown
Chemicals and DRT have provided for
several years a sustainable alternative to
piperonal and planvto double their pro-
duction capacity in 2014.

Applied Minerals Launches
AMIRON Advanced Natural
Iron Oxides

Applied Minerals, Inc., a leading producer of halloysite clay and technical grade iron oxides, has launched AMIRON advanced natural iron oxide family of products produced from its domestic wholly-owned Dragon Mine. As part of the initial launch, four Amiron products are now commercially available on a global basis.

Bayer Increases Investment
in Production Sites of
Polyether Polyol

Bayer MaterialScience has increased its investment in its production sites for polyether polyols in South Charleston, West Virginia and Channelview, Texas.

Both sites produce polyether polyols, which is a key component in the development of polyurethanes. The market relies heavily on these sites, which are of significant size, making Bayer’s investments vital to supporting growing demand in the NAFTA market for this versatile and essential material. More specifically, investments in the Channelview, Texas, plant further build on Bayer’s market-leading IMPACT technology, which is based on its proprietary double metal catalyst (DMC), while taking advantage of the plant’s economies-of-scale.

These capital investments are increasing plant capacities, providing Bayer with additional volume to support growing demand around the world. The investments are an example of Bayer’s longstanding commitment to these facilities and also give Bayer the ability to participate in continued market growth.