NEWS CAPSULE

22 January 2001 00:00  [Source: ICB Americas]

PCS Production Changes

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (PCS) has suspended all diammonium phosphate (DAP) production at its White Springs, Fla. site due to a deteriorating DAP market. PCS has also permanently closed its Davenport, Iowa, phosphate feed plant, which had an annual capacity of 280,000 metric tons of Monocal and Dical feed supplements. Production will be transferred to PCS's Marseilles, Ill., and Weeping Water, Neb., sites.

DSM Adds Plant

DSM Desotech Inc., a global leader in UV-curable materials, is constructing a new á35 million ($33 million) manufacturing facility in Stanley, N.C. Scheduled to begin operations in January 2002, the plant will be the company's third in as many years.

RH, Omnova Launch Alliance

Rohm and Haas and Omnova Solutions have completed a final agreement which establishes a strategic alliance serving the paper and paperboard industries. The alliance is expected to offer total solutions capability to customers with a focus on styrene- butadiene emulsions, styrene-acrylic emulsions, hollow sphere pigments and paper coatings additives.

GP Buys Remaining Part in JV

Georgia-Pacific Resins Inc. has acquired the remaining 50 percent of its joint venture with Masisa S.A. of Santiago, Chile. The venture was initially formed in Sept. 1998 when G-P purchased 50 percent of Masisa's existing wood adhesives manufacturing operations in Concepcion, Chile, and Concordia, Argentina.

Millennium, DuPont in Deal

DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers and Millennium Petrochemicals, Inc. have confirmed that their distribution agreement for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) went into effect on January 1. Millennium is purchasing merchant VAM from DuPont's LaPorte, Tex., plant and will market it globally through its distribution network.

Agrium Posts Record Output

Agrium Inc.'s Profertil urea plant has produced a world record 3,250 tons for a single train urea plant last week. Profertil S.A. is 50-percent owned by Agrium Inc. and the other half owned by Repsol YPF S.A. The ammonia and urea plants are running at nameplate and within regulatory requirements.

Pennzoil Sells Refinery

Pennzoil-Quaker State has entered into a letter of intent with Calumet Lubricants Company LP for the sale of the company's Shreveport, La., refinery. Closing is expected by April 30.

Sigma-Aldrich New Offers

Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals has announced that it will produce commercial quantities of high-purity inorganic materials, using proprietary technologies by Aldrich-APL LLC. This solids-processing and solid-state synthetic technology enables production of the materials in a variety of forms, including easy-to-handle, free-flowing beads with low water, hydroxide and oxide content.

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