Oxea starts up new speciality esters unit in Germany
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February 2013 Additives for Polymers 7 million, down some 4% from 3Q 2011 due primarily to unfavourable exchange rate effects. Operating profit dropped to $487.9 million from $556.2 million in the parallel period of 2011, while net income fell to $394.8 million from $436.3 million a year earlier. The ICL-IP seg- ment posted 3Q 2012 sales of $347 million (18.1% of total revenues) and operating income of $59 million. This com- pares with $381 million and $76 million, respectively, in 3Q 2011. The revenue decline reflects lower sales volumes coupled with unfavourable currency effects, partially offset by price increases. The operating figure was additionally affected by higher raw material and energy costs. Contact: ICL Industrial Products, Beer Sheva, Israel. Tel: +972 8 629 7057, Web: www.icl-ip.com Oxea starts up new speciality esters unit in Germany G erman oxo-chemicals company Oxea reports that it has successfully started up its new ‘Ester 2’ unit for the production of speciality esters in Oberhausen, Germany. The new facil- ity, which took about a year to build, will boost the company’s production capacity for speciality esters by more than 50%. Oxea currently produces these chemicals in three units world- wide, with a fourth under construction in China. The company’s speciality esters product range consists of phthalate-free and non-VOC Oxsoft products such as 3G8, DOA, GPO, TOTM Duo 1 and Duo 2 as well as 3NG810 and Oxfilm 351. Oxea supplies these prod- ucts to customers operating in growth sectors in medical technology, food cling wraps, the automotive industry and architecture, among others. ‘With our new unit, we are addressing the increasing demand for speciality esters made by Oxea. This successful investment fur- ther improves our flexibility and delivery capacity’, says Miguel Mantas, board member responsible for sales and marketing. ‘The start-up of Ester 2 brings us one big step closer to achieving our strategic goal. We continue to evolve into a supplier of speciality chemicals and are investing in our future’, confirms Dr Martina Flöel, spokesperson for Oxea’s executive board. The company also recently achieved a further increase in production capacities for carboxylic acids at the Oberhausen site to ‘better serve the continuously rising global demand’ for these chemicals. The existing two car- boxylic acid units there were expanded by another 10% of nameplate capacity as the result of an upgrade [see also ADPO, October 2012], Oxea reports. In addition, the company is preparing to commission its third carboxylic acid unit at the site during 1Q 2013. It has also been car- rying out a feasibility study examining various options to expand operations at its Bay City facility in Texas, USA. Oxea reported ‘stable results’ for 3Q 2012, with net sales of E365 million and net income of E17 million compared to net sales of E383 million and net income of E22 mil- lion in 3Q 2011; however, it notes that sales volumes for 3Q 2012 were ‘ in line’ with the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA for 3Q 2012 at E46 million was on a par with 2Q and 1Q 2012 but compared to the corresponding peri- od of 2011 was ‘moderately impacted’, with a drop of 6% as a result of the overall weak macroeconomic demand, it says. Contact: Oxea GmbH, Oberhausen, Germany. Tel: +49 208 693 3100, Web: www.oxea-chemicals.com Owens Corning expands glass reinforcement capacity in Russia & Mexico I n recent months, Owens Corning has brought into operation new furnaces for the produc- tion of glass reinforcements in both Russia and Mexico. The glass fibre specialist says these are the latest steps in its strategy to increase its global capacity to serve the composites sector. The additional furnace at the company’s Gous- Khroustalny glass reinforcements facility in Russia has doubled production capacity at the site. The plant manu- factures Owens Corning’s corrosion-resistant Advantex ® glass in the form of wet use chopped strands (WUCS) and roving as well as other products for use in compos- ites. Output from the facility will serve in particular the Russian and CIS markets. ‘Two years ago, we decided to increase production capacity in our Gous-Khroustalny facility to support the growing needs of our CIS customers’, comments Umberto Rigamonti, VP and managing director for the glass rein- forcements business in Europe. This is aligned with the STRATEGIES
Transcript of Oxea starts up new speciality esters unit in Germany
February 2013 Additives for Polymers7
million, down some 4% from 3Q 2011 due primarily to unfavourable exchange rate effects. Operating profit dropped to $487.9 million from $556.2 million in the parallel period of 2011, while net income fell to $394.8 million from $436.3 million a year earlier. The ICL-IP seg-ment posted 3Q 2012 sales of $347 million (18.1% of total revenues) and operating income of $59 million. This com-pares with $381 million and $76 million, respectively, in 3Q 2011. The revenue decline reflects lower sales volumes coupled with unfavourable currency effects, partially offset by price increases. The operating figure was additionally affected by higher raw material and energy costs.
Contact: ICL Industrial Products, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Tel: +972 8 629 7057, Web: www.icl-ip.com
Oxea starts up new speciality esters unit in Germany
German oxo-chemicals company Oxea reports that it has successfully started up its new
‘Ester 2’ unit for the production of speciality esters in Oberhausen, Germany. The new facil-ity, which took about a year to build, will boost the company’s production capacity for speciality esters by more than 50%. Oxea currently produces these chemicals in three units world-wide, with a fourth under construction in China.
The company’s speciality esters product range consists of phthalate-free and non-VOC Oxsoft products such as 3G8, DOA, GPO, TOTM Duo 1 and Duo 2 as well as 3NG810 and Oxfilm 351. Oxea supplies these prod-ucts to customers operating in growth sectors in medical technology, food cling wraps, the automotive industry and architecture, among others. ‘With our new unit, we are addressing the increasing demand for speciality esters made by Oxea. This successful investment fur-ther improves our flexibility and delivery capacity’, says Miguel Mantas, board member responsible for sales and marketing. ‘The start-up of Ester 2 brings us one big step closer to achieving our strategic goal. We continue to evolve into a supplier of speciality chemicals and are investing in our future’, confirms Dr Martina Flöel, spokesperson for Oxea’s executive board.
The company also recently achieved a further increase in production capacities for carboxylic acids at the
Oberhausen site to ‘better serve the continuously rising global demand’ for these chemicals. The existing two car-boxylic acid units there were expanded by another 10% of nameplate capacity as the result of an upgrade [see also ADPO, October 2012], Oxea reports. In addition, the company is preparing to commission its third carboxylic acid unit at the site during 1Q 2013. It has also been car-rying out a feasibility study examining various options to expand operations at its Bay City facility in Texas, USA.
Oxea reported ‘stable results’ for 3Q 2012, with net sales of E365 million and net income of E17 million compared to net sales of E383 million and net income of E22 mil-lion in 3Q 2011; however, it notes that sales volumes for 3Q 2012 were ‘ in line’ with the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA for 3Q 2012 at E46 million was on a par with 2Q and 1Q 2012 but compared to the corresponding peri-od of 2011 was ‘moderately impacted’, with a drop of 6% as a result of the overall weak macroeconomic demand, it says.
Contact: Oxea GmbH, Oberhausen, Germany. Tel: +49 208 693 3100,
Web: www.oxea-chemicals.com
Owens Corning expands glass reinforcement capacity in Russia & Mexico
In recent months, Owens Corning has brought into operation new furnaces for the produc-
tion of glass reinforcements in both Russia and Mexico. The glass fibre specialist says these are the latest steps in its strategy to increase its global capacity to serve the composites sector.
The additional furnace at the company’s Gous-Khroustalny glass reinforcements facility in Russia has doubled production capacity at the site. The plant manu-factures Owens Corning’s corrosion-resistant Advantex® glass in the form of wet use chopped strands (WUCS) and roving as well as other products for use in compos-ites. Output from the facility will serve in particular the Russian and CIS markets.
‘Two years ago, we decided to increase production capacity in our Gous-Khroustalny facility to support the growing needs of our CIS customers’, comments Umberto Rigamonti, VP and managing director for the glass rein-forcements business in Europe. This is aligned with the
STRATEGIES
