US: Akrochem – plastics masterbatch

Akrochem Corp is moving itscorporate headquarters and somemanufacturing activities from the long-established Fountain Street site incentral Akron (Ohio) to Fairlawn, anorthwestern suburb of Akron. Thenew site offers 15,000 sq ft moremanufacturing space. Meanwhile,Akrochem’s main manufacturing sitewill remain at the 40,000 sq ft site atNorton (about 15 km southwest ofAkron city-centre), which was openedin 1982. The company was founded in1929 by Mr J Robinson Silver and it isnow owned and managed by third-and fourth-generation members of theSilver family. Akrochem producesplastics masterbatches, pigmentpaste dispersions and thermoplasticcolour concentrates. It also suppliesmineral fillers, notably Act-Min PG andPolyfil kaolin-based products andKanasil amorphous silica-basedproducts.

Original Source: Rubber World, Dec 2012, 247 (3), 7(Website: http://www.rubberworld.com/) © RubberWorld Magazine 2012

COMPANIESImerys acquires Goonvean to boost itsCornish kaolin assets

The Imerys group has agreed toacquire the kaolin mining operationsof Goonvean Ltd from GoonveanHoldings, subject to approvals fromthe UK anti-trust authority. The valueof the transaction was not disclosed.Goonvean’s business in aggregatesfor the highways and constructionsector is unaffected by the deal. Thisbusiness will continue to be owned byGoonvean Holdings. The secondaryaggregate feed into these operationswill be provided by Imerys under along-term commercial supplyagreement.

Goonvean is a family-ownedbusiness, established in 1931 asGoonvean & Rostowrack China ClayCo Ltd. The company changed itsname in 1996 and it now employs 140people, operating five kaolin quarriesor pits in mid-Cornwall, namely: GreatWheal Prosper, Greensplat, TrelavourDowns, Rostowrack and Goonvean.The company also operates a drier at

Trelavour. Imerys stated: “We are notannouncing any job losses. It isanticipated that the Goonveanoperations will be merged over timewith our existing structure into aunified production platform. In today’sdifficult trading environment, thisacquisition will ensure the future ofchina clay (kaolin) mining in Cornwall,providing a continuous supply ofproducts, with a high reputation, to awide range of markets. This willmaintain the competitiveness of UKchina clay production in serving theexport markets to which the majorityof volumes are sold. It is a necessaryprogression to ensure that, in the faceof ever increasing competition andmarket shifts, a sustainable extractionof these world-renowned china claydeposits continues.”

Imerys already employs about1000 people in Cornwall at operationsthat are mainly to the north of StAustell, including seven open-castmines and three refineries, as well asdeep-water port facilities at Fowey.

Original Source: Imerys Pigments for Paper &Packaging, Par Moor Road, Par, Cornwall PL24 2SQ,UK, tel: +44 (0)1726 818000, website:http://www.imerys-perfmin.com/eu (8 Nov 2012) © Imerys 2012

Imerys buys Itatex & sells off one ofits two kaolin terminals in Brazil

In its latest Annual Report, Imerysreported on two recent transactionsaffecting its Brazilian kaolin business.Imerys acquired control of Rio CapimCaulim in November 1999 and itacquired control of Para Pigmentos inJuly 2010. This resulted in aduplication of certain infrastructurefacilities, notably at the port ofBarcarena in northern Brazil. On 14December 2012, Imerys completedthe sale of the former Para Pigmentosfacilities at Barcarena plus someadjacent real estate. The purchaserwas Archer Daniels Midlands Inc andthe price paid was €67 M. Earlier inthe year, Imerys had acquired Itatex,formerly a family-owned company. Atits complex in Campinas (Sao Pauloprovince), Itatex specialises in theprocessing of kaolin to makespeciality grades for paint, polymerand rubber industry applications. Thecompany employed about 115 peopleand generated sales revenues of €10M in 2011.

In 2007, Imerys completed the€140 M acquisition of Astron’s zircon-related businesses in China, whichincluded the manufacture of fusedzirconia and various zirconiumchemicals. Evidently, the Chinesefused zirconia operations have notperformed as well as originallyanticipated. In its full-year 2012accounts, Imerys recorded a chargeof €29.5 M (after tax), representingthe partial impairment of goodwill onthe Chinese fused zirconiaoperations.

Imerys SA, 154 Rue de l’Université, 75007 Paris,France, tel: +33 (0)1 4955 6401, website:http://www.imerys.com (14 Feb 2013) © Imerys 2013

Kaufmann to sell Tolsa’s ceramicmicrospheres in the US

EW Kaufmann (of Bristol, PA) hasbeen appointed by Tolsa (of Madrid)to sell the company’s range of ceramicmicrospheres in the northeastern andmid-Atlantic states of the UnitedStates and in the Ohio Valley area.The ceramic microspheres aremarketed under the brandnameUltraSpheres and they are used asadditives and functional fillers inpaints, mastics and other constructionmaterials. Their chemical compositionis typically: 27-33% alumina, 55-65%silica and up to 4% iron (as Fe2O3),with a maximum moisture content of0.25%. They are rated at 7 on theMoh scale of hardness and they arethermally stable, with a melting pointof 1200°C. Because the microspheresare 100% spherical, they can easilyflow over one another and they can betightly packed. Hence, they help toimprove rheology in paint systems,controlling gloss without substantiallyincreasing viscosity and creating abarrier preventing water, salt andother corrosive substances fromreaching steel substrates and causingcorrosion.

Tolsa microspheres will be auseful component of Kaufmann’sportfolio of pigments and fillers,which already include: kaolin fromBurgess Pigment; TiO2 fromHuntsman; organic pigments fromEC Pigments; talc from IMI-Fabi; andzinc oxide from US Zinc.

Original Source: Paint & Coatings Industry (PCI), Dec2012, 28 (12), 18 (Website: http://www.pcimag.com/)© BNP Media 2012

6 MARCH 2013

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