Profiles are presented of 142companies involved in manufacturingand selling plastic masterbatches, ofwhich 67 companies are head-quartered in the Asia/Pacific region,45 in Europe and 30 in NorthAmerica. They include: Americhem,Ampacet, BASF, ChromafloTechnologies, Clariant, Colortech,Dainichiseika, DIC Corp, DongguanJinZhen Plastic Masterbatch Co, DowCorning, Ferro Corp, Gabriel Chemie,Hubron, Ingenia Polymers, Italmaster,Multibase, PolyOne (including ColorMatrix), Plastika Kritis, PolyplastMuller, Ravago, RTP Co, Schulman,TABB Packaging Solutions, andTeknor Apex.

Original Source: ‘Masterbatch: a Global StrategicBusiness Report’ (reference MCP-6474), 404 pp, 157tables & charts. Price: $4950 (electronic *.PDFformat). Available from: Global Industry Analysts Inc,6150 Hellyer Avenue, San Jose, CA 95138, USA, tel:+1 (408) 528 9966 & +44 (0)20 8123 2220, website:http://www.strategyr.com. © GIA 2013

PLANTSChina: Albemarle & Senze Meilu –alumina trihydrate

Albemarle Corp (of Baton Rouge, LA)and Senze Meilu Co (a privatecompany headquartered in LiulinCounty, Shanxi province) have set upa joint venture – Albemarle SenzeChemicals – to build and operate a50,000 tonnes/y alumina trihydrate(ATH) plant at Lvliang (190 kmsouthwest of Taiyuan) in Shanxiprovince. The plant will employAlbemarle’s proprietary technology formaking fine precipitated ATH and thefinal product will be marketed underthe Martinal brandname for flameretardant applications in the wire andcable sector. Albemarle will have amajority shareholding in the jointventure and it will be exclusivelyresponsible for marketing the output,mainly in the Asia/Pacific region. TheLvliang plant should come on-streamin mid-2015.

Albemarle’s wholly-ownedsubsidiary Martinswerk operates theworld’s largest ATH plant, with acapacity of 145,000 tonnes/y atBergheim (Germany). The companyalso has a 25,000 tonnes/y ATH plantat Pasadena, TX in the United States.Within China, Albemarle established a4000 tonnes/y plant for making

phosphorus-based flame retardants atNanjing about five years ago. (See‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 2008, 3).

Mr Matt Juneau (of Albemarle)said: “We have worked for some timeto identify the right partner to developa plant to produce Martinal flameretardants in China. We are verypleased to partner with Senze, whichis back-integrated into the rawmaterials essential to efficient ATHproduction.” Senze Meilu’s mainactivities are bauxite and coal miningin Shanxi province. It commissioned a600,000 tonnes/y alumina plant lastyear, employing technology licensedfrom Bayer.

Original Source: Double Liaison, Jun 2013, (593), 6(Website: http://www.groupe-etai.com) (in French) © ETAI Information 2013

China: Asia Carbon – carbon black

By the end of September 2013, AsiaCarbon Industries will have completedits programme to convert all of its fiveproduction lines from making standardtyre grades of carbon black to makingspeciality grades. Originally, thecompany was going to confine itself toconverting three of its five productionlines. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’,Dec 2012, 3). Presenting thecompany’s quarterly financial resultsin mid-May, Ms Yao Guoyun(Chairman) said: “We have dedicatedthe past six months to completing theconversion of our manufacturingfacilities. Although this has impactedon our operating results during thisperiod, we expect to see returns onthis investment as soon as the newproduction goes on-line in the thirdquarter. Speciality carbon blackscommand prices ranging upwardsfrom $2400 per tonne, whiletraditional carbon black is typicallysold for less than $1000 per tonne.We undertook this project to betterserve the tyre manufacturers,particularly those who produce higherquality tyres. China is not only theworld’s largest producer of tyres, it isalso the largest consumer.” During 1Q2013, Asia Carbon reported sales ofcarbon black and naphthalene oil at7268 tonnes, compared against13,623 tonnes in 1Q 2012.

Asia Carbon Industries has beenlisted on the New York Stock Exchangesince October 2010. When theconversion programme is completed,

it will have 53,000 tonnes/y ofcapacity altogether, derived from twoplants, one operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary Jinzheng LiteweisiCarbon Taiyuan, the other operatedby its majority controlled subsidiaryTaiyuan HongXing Carbon Black.

Asia Carbon Industries Inc, 11 East 86th Street (Suite19B), New York, NY 10028-0501, USA, tel: +1 (626)386 8062, website:http://www.asicarbonindustries.com (15 May 2013) © Asia Carbon Industries 2013

China, Thailand & Europe: MTI –precipitated calcium carbonate

Minerals Technologies Inc (MTI,headquartered in New York) remainsthe undisputed leader in theprecipitated calcium carbonate (PCC)business, with about 60 operationalplants around the world. Over the pastthree years, the company’s majorfocus of attention has been themarketing of its Fulfill suite of processtechnologies, aimed at increasingPCC loadings in finished paperproducts by 1-10% so as to cut downon the consumption of relativelyexpensive wood-pulp. (See also‘Focus on Pigments’, Dec 2012, 4).Nevertheless, the company continuesto sign up customers for new PCCprojects.

On 7 August 2013, MTI announcedthat it had agreed to install a 14,000tonnes/y satellite PCC plant for apaper mill in Europe for “anestablished paper company thatwishes to remain unnamed forcompetitive reasons.” The plant willgenerate mainly filler grades of PCCand it should come on-stream in 4Q2014. It will be MTI’s eleventh PCCplant in Europe.

On 22 July, MTI declared that ithad completed the first phase of aproject to expand ultrafine PCCcapacity at its Adams, MA plant (225km west of Boston). The secondphase should be completed by 1Q2014 and this will result in an increasein overall ultrafine PCC capacity atthis site from 28,000 tonnes/y to38,000 tonnes/y. MTI’s ultrafine PCCshave median particle sizes rangingfrom 60 nanometres to 150nanometres. They are marketed inNorth America under the brandnamesThixo-Carb and Ultra-Pflex forapplications in food, pharmaceuticals,sealants and adhesives. MTI alsomakes ultrafine PCCs at Lifford (10

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