ECN-European Chemical News articles from January 2004

ECN-European Chemical News archives from January 2004

Pivotal year for the China syndrome?(Comment)
January 12, 2004... Already weary of the endless talk of China and the threat and/or promise it represents? Or still really excited by the prospects? Whatever your point of view, what has been discussed and done so far is a mere taster for what is to come. ...

Creditor crisis.
January 12, 2004... Romanian fertiliser producer Turnu SA risks liquidation because of debts of some $45m to creditors and utility suppliers and the absence of interest from investors for its privatisation. Ovidiu Mustescu, president of Romanian privatisation...

Turkish firms win.
January 12, 2004... Two Turkish firms, Yilyak and Yildiz Entegre Agac, have been selected as the winning bidders for state-owned fertiliser producers Gemlik Fertilizer and Ygsas-Ystanbul in a privatisation. Final approvals are expected early this year. Yilyak, an...

Atofina divests.
January 12, 2004... Atofina has sold it 43% stake in the Mexican chlorochemicais joint venture Mexichem to partner Camesa while buying out the Mexican steel maker from their organic peroxides partnership. Camesa already has a 57% stake in Mexichem and gains total...

Binol buys.
January 12, 2004... Binol, the speciality vegetable oils subsidiary of Sweden's Karlshamns, has acquired the biodegradable lubricants operations of Finland's Raisio Chemicals. The unit turns over around SKr25m (2.8m [euro]/ $2.7m)/year. The buy could boost Binol's...

Runway risk?(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... The building of a runway at Frankfurt airport crossing a Ticona polyacetals plant does not violate the EU's Seveso II directive, a German state committee said in December, commenting on a complaint to the Commission by runway opponents. The...

Akzo Nobel chief hones internal growth strategy.(Hans Wijers)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Akzo Nobel says it will need to source growth internally this year as it cannot rely on an uncertain economic upturn. Chief executive Hans Wijers told employees in his New Year address: '2004 is likely going to be another challenging year....

Ticona ticks over alternatives.(NYLON 6,6 PRODUCTION)
January 12, 2004... Ticona is looking for alternative uses for its nylon 6,6 manufacturing facilities, following the sale of the non-production side of the business to BASF for an undisclosed sum. BASF said the deal would boost the group's nylon 6,6...

Degussa invests in asset boost.(CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROGRAMME)
January 12, 2004... In a bid to boost organic growth, Degussa is boosting capital expenditure above last year's levels as part of a 2.4bn [euro] investment programme covering 2004-06. The company said the programme would be spread evenly over the three years,...

Refinancing deal buys Rhodia time.(FRANCE SPECIALITY CHEMICALS)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Rhodia pulled off an end-of-year refinancing deal with its banks to stave of its liquidity crisis but these efforts only attracted downgrades from the big credit ratings agencies. The troubled French speciality chemicals company obtained...

Drug group divests operations.(IRELAND PHARMACEUTICALS)
January 12, 2004... Elan has sold its European sales and marketing business to private equity-backed Medeus UK for $120m, and expects the deal to close in the first quarter. The deal involves the transfer of Elan staff to Medeus UK, a newly created drug firm...

GSK intends to contest bill.(US TAX)
January 12, 2004... GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) says it will contest a massive extra tax and interest bill of $5.2bn claimed by US authorities. The Internal Revenue Service asserts that legacy company Glaxo Wellcome owes the sum, covering 1989-96. The US authorities...

Contractor alleges harassment by cult.(US OLEFINS)
January 12, 2004... ExxonMobil has strenuously denied the existence of an alleged new age cult among supervisors at its Baytown, Texas, US, olefins plant, which a contract worker says harassed him. William McCracken has sued ExxonMobil and its contractor,...

Is Blackstone bid too low?(TENDER CELANESE)(Blackstone Capital Partners)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... With recovery in the chemical sector in sight, Blackstone Capital Partners may have to increase its bid to acquire Celanese as opposition grows among shareholders ahead of the tender offer's publication in February. Blackstone has offered...

Hydro demerger.
January 12, 2004... Hydro Agri will take the name Yara when it is demerged and listed in March. Norsk Hydro has also sold its 80% stake in fatty acid producer Pronova Biocare for Nkr165m (20m [euro]/$25m) to Norwegian industrial company Ferd.

Sales transfer.(Atofina breaking its joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Atofina has taken over sales in Japan of the plastic modifier Bondine from its joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical. Atofina said the joint venture company Sumika-Atofina would be dissolved following the transfer of the Bondine sales business,...

Refinancing deal.
January 12, 2004... ICI has completed a refinancing agreement with Ineos Chlor to help upgrade the latter's chlorine plant in Runcorn, northwest UK. The completion came after the European Commission approved the UK government's 50m [pounds sterling] (71m...

Pfizer purchase.
January 12, 2004... Pfizer will acquire cholesterol drug developer Esperion Therapeutics in a $1.3bn cash deal. The company said it will pay $35/share for Esperion--a 54% premium over Esperion's average closing share price during its last 20 trading days.

Jv to separate.(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. breaking joint venture with Kansai Paint Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... DuPont and Kansai Paint are ending their 13 year joint venture (jv) in automotive coatings, saying the amicable separation is due to differing strategies on how to serve the automotive markets in China and elsewhere. The jv was formed in 1990...

Shell picks up impairment charges for chemicals.(POLYOLEFINS CHARGES)(Shell Chemical Co.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Poor performance by Basell will be a major contributor to a $450m fourth quarter (Q4) impairment charge for Shell's chemicals activities. A spokesman for Shell said that continued deterioration in the business environment meant that the...

Bayer wins ruling on Adalat.(EUROPE PHARMACEUTICALS)
January 12, 2004... Europe's pharmaceutical industry gained a victory over parallel traders last week when the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Bayer may limit supplies of its cardiovascular drug Adalat to wholesalers. Bayer's legal battle began in the...

Lubrizol to buy Avecia division.(US ADDITIVES)
January 12, 2004... Lubrizol will boost sales of its paints, coatings and inks by 50% by purchasing the additives business of Avecia, for an undisclosed sum. The US speciality additives producer said 110 Avecia employees are expected to transfer with the...

Pharmacia may face legal liabilities.(SOLUTIA COSTS)
January 12, 2004... Solutia is seeking a court order to force Pfizer subsidiary Pharmacia to cover as much as $475m worth of retiree health benefits plus significant environmental and litigation costs. Opening arguments in the case will be heard on 2 and 3...

Liquid coatings business sold.(HUNGARY ACQUISITION)
January 12, 2004... Tikkurila Coatings has bought Akzo Nobel's general industrial liquid coatings activities in Hungary and is planning further acquisitions in central and eastern Europe (CEE) during 2004. Terms were not disclosed for the acquisition of the...

Profits to fall at SkyePharma.(PHARMA PROFIT WARNING)
January 12, 2004... Failure to conclude three major deals by the end of 2003 has led SkyePharma to warn that 2003 profits will fall substantially below previous expectations. The UK pharmaceutical company said the deals worth up to $200m in milestone payments...

MOL links business.(MOL Rt. integrated businesses of Slovnaft Bratislava and TVK (Hungary) by forming unified management structure)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Hungary's MOL has formally integrated the petrochemical activities of subsidiaries Slovnaft and TVK and created a unified management structure. While TVK and Slovnaft will continue to be legally independent businesses, their production and...

Statistics to be adjusted.(Germany chemicals production )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Germany's chemical production and productivity figures for the past several years could undergo a 'major revision' when the country's federal office of statistics completes an overhaul of its statistical reporting methods in February, the...

LME sees a future in plastics.(UK PLASTICS)
January 12, 2004... The London Metal Exchange (LME) is making progress in developing its plastics futures contracts and is now planning to launch contracts for polypropylene (PP) and linear low density polyethylene (lldPE) in the fourth quarter. Basell says...

Players seek price hike of 50 [euro]/tonne on restocking.(Q1 ACETIC ACID)
January 12, 2004... Producers in the acetic acid market aim to lift prices by up to 50 [euro]/tonne in quarter one (Q1) of this year. Higher natural gas prices, which have climbed significantly since December, are the main drivers behind the targets. Sellers are...

Weak dollar feeds volatility.(EUROPE PETROCHEMICALS)
January 12, 2004... In a week when the weakening dollar reached an all-time low against the euro, falling to 0.784 of one euro and naphtha soared above $345/tonne cif NWE, currency and feedstock cost volatility remain concerns for the European petrochemical...

Chlorine trends.(production of chlorine increased)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Chlorine production in Europe in November 2003 rose to 8.69% to 771 426 tonne, compared with the same month a year earlier, according to Euro Chlor figures. Nevertheless, this represented a decrease of 31 428 tonne against October 2003 output...

Dow hikes PET.
January 12, 2004... Dow Chemical is targeting a 60 [euro]/tonne increase for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins in Europe in January 2004. The hike is being sought on the back of demand from resin converters, tight availability and the need to up PET margins....

All go for Sinopec.
January 12, 2004... Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fibre Company's 450 000 tonne/year PTA plant in China has successfully completed performance tests. The project commenced in 2001 and the plant began operating commercially in July 2003. The facility was built by an...

R&H increases.(Rohm and Haas increasing prices)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Rohm and Haas (R&H) is attempting to increase off-list prices for butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, glacial acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrytate and glacial methacrylate acid by 70 [euro]/tonne in January 2004. Hikes of...

Integrated PP.
January 12, 2004... National Petrochemical Industrialization Company will start production at its new integrated propylene and polypropylene plant at AI Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in the first quarter of 2004. The plant will produce 450 000 tonne/ year of each...

Little cheer for caustic soda.(CHLOR-ALKALI OUTLOOK)
January 12, 2004... Caustic soda markets closed 2003 achieving only marginal gains of around 20-30[euro]/dmt on quarter three prices against original posted numbers of 75-80 [euro]/dmt. Current prices are said to be in the 160-220 [euro]/dmt range. Industry...

Methanol contracts roll over.(alcohol industry)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... European methanol contracts have rolled over from quarter four 2003 into quarter one 2004 at 190 [euro]/tonne fob NWE FD. The stabilisation of US natural gas prices in late December and the strengthening of the euro were the key factors behind...

Forecast points to 3.5% growth.(US FLAVOURS AND FRAGRANCES)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... US flavours and fragrances demand is forecast to rise at 3.5%/year and reach a value of $4.4bn in 2007, according to a new report by The Freedonia Group. Growing consumer interest in more authentic flavours and fragrances and ongoing...

Ethylene surges on tight availability: ethylene climbed to $670-700/tonne cif NWE as production problems at several crackers tightened supply. Higher feedstock costs have also helped to push up prices.(Market trends)
January 12, 2004... European naphtha prices have soared to $335-345/tonne cif NWE. Strong demand from Asia--due partially to production problems in the region--has fuelled the price hike. Concerns regarding availability are also driving up prices. Ethylene...

Sellers determined to raise prices: after a relatively quiet December many producers are now bullish about restoring margins. Increased demand in Asia and the US could help improve the market well into February.(Plastics industry)
January 12, 2004... European commodity plastic producers will be seeking significant price hikes in January, following a relatively quiet December. Players describe December as a month of consolidation and stabilisation. A number of leading producers had...

Alpha-olefins: producers are relieved to see the back of another bad year but still need to be patient before the sector is restored to full health.(Product profile)
January 12, 2004... Uses Alpha-olefins have a wide range of applications depending on the carbon chain length. Lower alpha-olefins, C4 (1-butene), C6 (1-hexene) and C8 (1-octene) are used as comonomers in the production of high density and linear low density...

Italian job.
January 12, 2004... Univar, of Rotterdam, Netherlands, has acquired the basic chemicals and water treatment products division of Turin, Italy-based chemicals distributor Guido Tazzetti.

TDG in Spain.
January 12, 2004... TDG European Chemicals of Manchester, UK, has increased its presence in Spain by taking over the management and excess storage capacity at Ciba Specialty Chemicals' chemical storage facility 20km from Barcelona. TDG already manages DuPont's...

US resin agency.
January 12, 2004... Lipscomb Chemical of Long Beach, California, US, has been added to the network of agents for Sartomer. Lipscomb now holds exclusive rights in Arizona, California and Nevada for Sartomer's polybutadiene, Krasol isocyanate-terminated prepolymer...

Web ingredients.
January 12, 2004... Flavour and fragrance ingredients manufacturer Treatt has launched a web site--www.treatt.com--detailing its manufacturing and technical capabilities in the UK and US, product listings and investor information.

SimSci accessed.
January 12, 2004... SimSci-Esscor is to provide access to its upstream optimisation suite and its process engineering suite solutions on the Internet. The products will be offered to current customers on a monthly trial and subscription basis.

Agri-agreement.
January 12, 2004... Verdugt has appointed Epenhuysen as distributor for its agricultural products and organic acids in the Netherlands and Belgium and in northeast France for organic acids.

SNSA negotiates longer term waivers of covenant.(FINANCE RESTRUCTURING)
January 12, 2004... Stolt-Nielsen SA's (SNSA) primary lenders have agreed to extend the waivers of covenant defaults granted until 21 May 2004. The company is to pay down its $160m revolving credit facility by $20m on 29 February and has been given an extension on...

Wonsild buys three tankers.(DENMARK CARGO)
January 12, 2004... Tanker chartering and dry cargo specialist Wonsild of Copenhagen, Denmark, has acquired three 5750dwt chemical tankers from Brostrom Tankers, Gothenburg, Sweden. The purchase reflects Wonsild's long term strategy to increase its focus on the...

Sardinia tanker fire.(Logistics & Distribution)
January 12, 2004... Two crew members died following an explosion and fire aboard the Panam Serena while it was discharging benzene in Porto Torres, Sardinia, on New Year's day. The 10 048dwt Bahamas registered vessel, operated by Clipper Group, is reported to have...

Rotterdam port goes private.(Port of Rotterdam established an independent government corporation)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... On 1 January, the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands, adopted a new organisational structure as an independent government corporation. It will operate as a private company with, for the time being, its former municipality of Rotterdam as its sole...

A stab at the future: it is now the time of year when pundits try to predict what lies ahead in 2004. The general view seems to be that recovery is on the cards but not all parts of the industry will be included in this. Germany is concerned, particularly, about de-industrialisation, Nigel Davis assesses what the future may hold for chemicals in Europe.(Outlook 2004: Europe)
January 12, 2004... There is growing confidence in a return to growth in chemicals across Europe next year but at the same time concern about the sector's longer-term potential. Most notable is the mood in Germany where de-industrialisation is a hot topic and...

Recovery position? While the US waits patiently for its favourable GDP growth to have an effect on its chemical industry, expectant spectators gaze towards the east for continued strong growth. China--the powerhouse of the industry--may hold centre stage for the moment, but is it just a bubble waiting to burst?(Outlook 2004: US/Asia)
January 12, 2004... For three years in a row we have waited for that great engine of global chemical industry growth, the US chemical sector, to kick into gear. On this side of the Atlantic we have spent the first days and months of 2001, 2002 and 2003 poised for...

Middle East rides the storm: capacity additions in the Middle East now seem less likely to swamp the market.(Outlook 2004: US/Middle East)
January 12, 2004... This year could mark the calm before the storm for the Middle Eastern petrochemical industry. Observers of the region have for some time developed the theme of 'the next wave' of Middle Eastern capacity, with the attendent concerns that markets...

Calmer continent: the rollercoaster years may be over in Latin America with Brazil driving the recovery.(Outlook 2004: US/Latin America)
January 12, 2004... Latin American economies have finally started to show signs of stability after two years of turmoil, which paralysed petrochemical markets and froze foreign direct investment into the region. Brazil is driving the recovery as the new Lula...

Eyes on the east: this year marks a dramatic change for Europe with eight countries joining the European Union. This enlargement will offer both western and eastern petrochemical producers new opportunities to expand and broaden their markets.(Outlook 2004: CEE)
January 12, 2004... With eight new European Union members next year, the potential for growth within central and eastern Europe (CEE) is at an all time high. Confidence is returning with market stability and evidence that many of the corruption concerns are being...

Sobering view of 2003: predictions for 2003 made at the begining of the year spanned a gamut from wildly optimistic to wildly inaccurate. Glenda Thisdell reviews a period of uncertainty with the benefit of hindsight.(Outlook 2004: review 2003 of chemical industry)
January 12, 2004... Forecasting is an art rather than a science at the best of times. But as the key players in Europe's chemicals industry attempted to read their crystal balls for some guidance on what to expect in 2003 they were truly faced with a murky...

Reach in prospect: this year sees the European Commission's new chemicals policy for Europe coming under close scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers. What lies ahead.(Outlook 2004: Reach)
January 12, 2004... Industry earned its lobbying laurels last year by convincing the European Commission and Europe's political leaders that a new chemicals policy for Europe must be workable and commensurate in terms of cost and effort. But as we go into 2004,...

20 years ago: ECN 16 January 1984.(Diary)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Although first quarter contract prices for propylene have yet to be settled, the consensus among producers is that the price must rise. Supply is very short and virtually no material is reaching the spot market. Some contract buyers are...

MG Technologies.(People on the move)
January 12, 2004... MG Technologies, the German chemicals and engineering group, has named Peter Steiner as its finance director. He will succeed Karl-Heinz Hornung who will be leaving the company for personal reasons on 31 March. Steiner has been a board...

Norsk Hydro.(People on the move)
January 12, 2004... The selection committee of Norway's energy, metals and agrochemicals group Norsk Hydro has nominated Jan Reinas, chief executive officer of the paper group Norske Skog, as its new chairman. Reinas is a board member of media group Schibsted ASA...

Rhodia.(People on the move)(appointment of Nicolas Nerot )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Nicolas Nerot has been appointed vice president for investor relations at Rhodia. He succeeds Marie-Christine Aulagnon, who has left the group. Nerot will be expected to guide the group's financial communications strategy worldwide, and...

Ultrafine.(People on the move)
January 12, 2004... Privately owned UK biotechnology firm Ultrafine has appointed Joseph Siple as its North American business development director. For the last three years Siple has performed a similar role at Chemical Synthesis Services in Northern Ireland.

Westlake Chemical.(People on the move)(appointment of Stephen Wallace )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Stephen Wallace has joined Westlake Chemical as vice president and general counsel, a new position for the company. Wallace most recently served as vice president of legal affairs at Transworld Oil USA. He has worked on numerous mergers,...

Conferences.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Fourth Orafti research conference 12-13 February Paris, France Tel +33 40 05 81 47 Fax +33 40 05 77 00 Website www.orafti.com Polyethylene 2004 16-18 February Zurich, Switzerland Tel +41 1 781 3040 Fax +41 1 781 15 69 Website...

Chinese agrochemical exports by region 2003.(DID YOU KNOW?)
January 12, 2004... DID YOU KNOW? Chinese agrochemical exports by region 2003 North America 7.5% East Europe 0.7% East Asia 46.6% Rest of world 21.7% Latin America 15.8% West Europe ...

Irish inherit green gauntlet.(EU PRESIDENCY)
January 12, 2004... As Ireland takes up its six-month presidency of the European Union, it has committed to 'give attention to' the Reach (registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals) proposals 'through input from an environmental perspective to the...

Time Scale too short for Cefic.(EU STRATEGY)
January 12, 2004... Following a meeting on the European Union's science, children, awareness, legislation and evaluation (Scale) strategy, Cefic said it supports the scientific, validated, risk-based approach outlined. However, it is concerned about the timeframe...

Minister slates ExxonMobil plant.(FRANCE NOROXO)
January 12, 2004... ExxonMobil subsidiary Noroxo's plant in Harnes, south of Lille, France, is under fire from environment minister Roselyne Bachelot who claims its management has not respected the regulations concerning aero-refrigerating towers. She blamed...

Council airs views.
January 12, 2004... No legislative decisions were made at the European Environment Council held in December. Topics discussed included linking EU emissions trading to the Kyoto Protocol flexible mechanisms, Reach, the European Environment Agency, and the financing...

OECD approach.
January 12, 2004... The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has strengthened its approach to evaluating the environmental impact of infrastructure projects supported by their governments' export credit agencies to ensure they meet...

UK wastes not.
January 12, 2004... The UK's first underground hazardous waste management facility has been given the go-ahead. The facility, in a worked-out area of a rock-salt mine in Cheshire, will be run by Minosus, a joint venture between Salt Union and waste management...

A written warning.
January 12, 2004... The European Commission has sent a first written warning to Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands asking them to send reports on how they implement the law on integrated pollution prevention and control. These...

Urged to comply.
January 12, 2004... The European Commission has requested Belgium and Spain comply with the rulings of the European Court of Justice concerning their failure to completely transpose, by June 2000, a law on the contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms....

Soil sale complete.(BASF AG sold global soil treatment business to Kanesho Soil Treatment)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... BASF has completed the sale of its global soil treatment business to Brussels, Belgium-based Kanesho Soil Treatment for 65m [euro]. The BASF business, which has sales of 47m [euro], consists of the active ingredients dazomet,...

Ranbaxy buys.
January 12, 2004... India's largest pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Laboratories has completed its acquisition of Aventis' generics business RPG (Aventis) SA France, France's fifth largest generic supplier. Ranbaxy said it will invest extra resources to grow its...

Ems ups stake.
January 12, 2004... Swiss speciality chemicals company Ems-Chemie has increased its stake in compatriot fine chemicals group Lonza to 22.52% of the voting rights by its exercise of put options which would otherwise have expired in December. Ems-Chemie has now...

R&D alliance signed.
January 12, 2004... NeuroSearch and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have signed a five-year research and development alliance. The alliance comprises a number of research programmes within ion channels and the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS)...

DSM cuts jobs in Grenzach.(DSM Nutritional Products)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... DSM will cut some 290 jobs in its nutritional products division at its site in Grenzach in Germany, due to initial restructuring plans and overcapacity. DSM Nutritional Product's (DNP) said its business had suffered from a difficult global...

Pentagon acquires fine chem business.(UK GREAT LAKES CHEMICAL)(Pentagon Chemical Specialties acquired Fine Chemicals Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... UK specialities firm Pentagon Chemicals (Holdings) has acquired Great Lakes Chemical Corporation's fine chemicals business based at Halebank, Widnes UK, where it manufactures pharmaceutical intermediates, agrochemicals and industrial...

CTI in merger deal.(US BIOPHARMACEUTICALS)
January 12, 2004... US biotechnology company Cell Therapeutics (CTI) has completed its merger with Italian biopharmaceutical firm Novuspharma. The $236m all-stock deal was first announced in June. The merged company begins with a balance sheet of approximately...

Akzo Nobel and BASF set up chelates jv.(NORTH AMERICA UPGRADE)
January 12, 2004... Akzo Nobel and BASF will form a 50:50 joint venture to produce chelates in North America, effective from 1 February 2004. The joint venture will own and operate Akzo Nobel's recently upgraded production facilities at Lima, Ohio. The joint...

GSK venture targets Sars.(VACCINES R&D)
January 12, 2004... GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Bio) and Institut Pasteur have signed a collaborative research agreement for the development of a candidate vaccine to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) based on the complementary competencies of...

Tax carrot hangs for enterprise.(Jeunes Enterprises Innovantes)(European Association for Bioindustries)(french government tax icentive initiative)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... The French government has adopted a preferential tax treatment for 'young innovative companies'. To qualify, companies must be less than eight years old and spend at least 15% of expenses on R&D. The initiative, Jeunes Enterprises...