Chemical Week articles from March 2006

Chemical Week archives from March 2006

Essential measurements.(Aerospace Controls Corp.)
March 29, 2006... It's now six months since ACC launched its $20-million [Essential.sub.2] public education campaign, with eye-catching TV and print ads that depict how modern life would not be possible without the products made by the chemical industry....

Rockwood earnings fall on currency.(Rockwood Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Rockwood reported a net loss for the fourth quarter of 2005 of $17.8 million, including $38.4 million of net non-recurring and other special charges, compared to a loss of $169.9 million in the fourth quarter last year. Rockwood says that...

PolyOne raises estimates.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... PolyOne says it expects its first-quarter 2006 earnings to be higher than first-quarter 2005 results, due to improvements in all business units. PolyOne's performance plastics division is expected to post a 4%-7% increase in sales compared to...

Albemarle wins cleanup dispute.(Sanofi-Aventis S.A.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Albemarle says that the French court has upheld its position that Sanofi-Aventis (Paris) is responsible for liability related to environmental cleanup at Albemarle's site in Thann, France. Albemarle purchased the site from Rhone-Poulenc's...

Al-Zamil, Huntsman firm JV plans.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Al-Zamil Group (Riyadh) and Huntsman have signed an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture to build a world-scale ethyleneamines manufacturing facility in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia (CW, July 5, 2005, p. 15). The 66-million lb/...

Enterprise plans new propylene splitter, pipeline expansion.(Enterprise Products Partners L.P.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Enterprise Products Partners (Houston) says it will build a new propylene fractionator at its 1-billion lbs/year (15,000 bbls/day) facility at Mont Belvieu, TX, and expand two refinery-grade, propylene-gathering pipelines that will add 50,000...

Dow to shut TDI capacity at Freeport.(Dow Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Dow Chemical says it will permanently shutdown one of its toluene diisocyanate (TDI) process lines at Freeport, TX, effective immediately. The production line, referred to as Train 1, produces 130 million lbs/year of TDI, and was idled in...

Lyondell urges EPA to permit MTBE use through summer.(Lyondell Chemical Co., Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Lyondell Chemical says that the U.S. is likely to see sharp increases in gasoline prices, gasoline supply disruptions, and deterioration in air quality as a result of rulemaking to remove the reformulated gasoline oxygen requirement issued by...

ACC Global Index gains in February.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... The ACC Global Chemical Industry Production Index increased 0.3% year-over-year in February to reach 115.6% of average 2002 global volumes. The index has shown "marked improvement since September when the effects of Hurricane Katrina on U.S....

Future of eight pesticides in the balance.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... European Union (EU) market reapproval of eight pesticides with combined sales of more than 100 million [euro] /year ($120 million/year) is hanging in the balance after the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health failed to...

RAG initiates squeeze-out of Degussa shareholders.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... RAG (Essen) disclosed last week that it had requested Degussa's management board to initiate a process to transfer all outstanding Degussa shares, now totalling less than 4% of the value of the company, to RAG for an immediate cash settlement...

Yara to buy out specialty fertilizer firm.(Yara International)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Fertilizers producer Yara International (Oslo) says it plans to increase its shareholding in specialty fertilizer company Phosyn (Pocklington, U.K.) from 35%, to 100%. The move is part of Yara's strategy to increase its presence in the...

Helios buys majority stake in Russian paints firm.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Chemicals group Helios (Domzale, Slovenia) says it has acquired an 82% stake in decorative coatings producer Odilak (Odintsovo, Russia) for an undisclosed fee. Odilak has 260 staff and in 2005 generated sales of 13 million [euro] ($15.5...

Cognis acquires U.K. cosmetic chemicals firm.(Cosmetic Rheologies acquired )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Cognis says it has acquired specialty cosmetic chemicals firm Cosmetic Rheologies (Manchester, U.K.) for an undisclosed sum. Cosmetic Rheologies's product range includes thickener creams and lotions for hair and skin products. "Through...

PetroChina hit by raw material costs.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... PetroChina says its 2005 operating profits fell 57% to Rmb3.3 billion ($411 million) as the result of a Rmb3.2-billion increase in raw material prices compared to the year earlier. Depreciation was also a larger factor during 2005, the...

GMO trade agreement.(United Nations)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Government representatives meeting at the United Nations Biodiversity Convention at Curitiba, Brazil last week have agreed on detailed requirements for trading of genetically modified (GM) products. The rules agreed on include that...

BASF supports CSR alliance.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... BASF says it is backing an alliance between the European industry and the European Commission on corporate social responsibility (CSR). "CSR is our strategy for integrating social and ecological issues in business processes, and hence...

ISOPA rolls out safety program.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Diisocyanates and polyols manufacturing association ISOPA (Brussels) says it has begun a program to engage workers and managers on safety issues. ISOPA is introducing the program despite an "excellent safety track record," the organization...

DSM sets global emissions targets.(DSM Chemicals North America Inc.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... DSM says it has set a target to upgrade its manufacturing facilities, including plants in Brazil, China, and India, to ensure that they all comply with environmental standards adhered to in Europe and the U.S. by 2010. The upgrade should lead...

Air Products to sell amines, emulsions; acquire [Tomah.sup.3].(Air Products and Chemicals Inc.)
March 29, 2006... Air Products says it plans to sell its amines and polymer emulsions businesses, and restructure its polyurethane (PU) intermediates business. As part of the restructuring, Air Products says it has reached an agreement to sell its...

Bayer to buy Schering, sell H.C. Starck and Wolff Walsrode.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Bayer says it has reached agreement to purchase Schering (Berlin) for 16.3 billion [euro] ($19.5 billion), equivalent to 86 [euro] /share. Bayer says it will partly finance the deal by selling materials business unit H.C. Starck (Goslar,...

Cherftoff says it is time to act on plant security.(Michael Chertoff )
March 29, 2006... Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Michael Chertoff called on Congress last week to pass chemical plant security legislation, and emphasized that the bill should accommodate those facilities that have already taken adequate steps...

Labor group asks Corzine to investigate security concerns at Stepan plant.
March 29, 2006... A coalition of labor and environmental groups led by New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC; Trenton) has urged New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine (D.) to launch an investigation into potential security and safety issues related to Stepan's...

Dow converts diesel locomotives.(Dow Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Dow Chemical says it is using hybrid technology to fuel locomotives at its Freeport, TX facility, which will reduce fuel consumption by 30%-50%. "The use of this equipment will enable substantial fuel savings, reduced maintenance expenses,...

Schulman creates North American unit.(A. Schulman Inc.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... A. Schulman says it has created a separate North American business unit, which will have its own financial department. Barry Rhodes, v.p. of North American sales and marketing, has been appointed executive v,p. and COO of the newly created...

Engelhard to beat analyst estimates in the first quarter.(UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
March 29, 2006... Engelhard says it expects its first-quarter earnings to exceed analysts' expectations by 10%-19%, due to growth in its technology segments, materials services, and ventures group. The company says earnings will be 47 cts/share-51 cts/share,...

MacDermid calls off acquisition talks.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... MacDermid says it had ended negotiations to buy "a company of significant size." The target was a non-U.S. public company, MacDermid says. The company says it will pay $2 million in the first quarter of 2006 because of costs related to due...

Feinstein floats global warming bill.(Diane Feinstein )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Senator Diane Feinstein (D., CA) has circulated draft legislation that would limit greenhouse gas emissions by mandating a capand-trade program. The bill would require facilities to reduce emissions to 2006 levels by 2010, and then make a...

Olefins-polyolefins margins to improve further.
March 29, 2006... Petrochemical consultants and producers are upbeat about prospects for the industry in the next few years, with the global economy expected to grow at a healthy rate, and capacity additions unlikely to hit the market until later in the...

Debt downgrade boosts Ferro interest costs.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Ferro says that Moody's Investor Services has downgraded its senior unsecured ratings from Bal, to B1, as a result of delays in the issuance of Ferro's audited financial statements. The move will "trigger a springing lien in certain Ferro...

New Jersey begins security law inspections.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP; Trenton) says that this week it will begin inspection of the state's chemical facilities to make sure they have complied with the state's new chemical security guidelines. Facilities...

Wacker's IPO will help fund large investment program.(Wracker Chemie )
March 29, 2006... Wracker Chemie (Munich) says it will announce further details this week on its proposed initial public offering (IPO) of shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE), which is planned for the week commencing April 10 (CW, March 22, p. 8). The...

Cefic forecasts higher production and prices, but oil prices hurt downstream subsectors.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... European chemical industry executives are expecting "better business developments" relating to chemical production in Europe across most sectors during 2006, according to Cefic's "Chemicals Trends" report published last week. A survey of...

Air Liquide to build China ASU.(Air Liquide America L.P., air separation unit)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Air Liquide says its has agreed to invest 20 million [euro] ($24 million) to install a large air separation unit (ASU) to supply gaseous oxygen, nitrogen, and compressed air to LG Bohai (Tianjin, China), a joint venture between LG Chem and...

Silicon-based adhesives for China.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Dow Coming says its Science & Technology team has collaborated with dispensing, measurement, and packaging equipment suppliers in South China to help a local firm substitute silicon-based adhesives for solvent-based adhesives in power module...

Pressure grows for China to revalue its currency.
March 29, 2006... Senators Charles Grassley (R., IA) and Max Baucus (D., MT) say they are putting the finishing touches on legislation aimed at resolving a trade dispute with China. The rift stems from China's over-valuation of its currency, the renmimbi...

BASF builds acrylic acid plant, hikes superabsorbents.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... BASF says it will invest "three-digit million euros" to build a second acrylic acid plant at Antwerp, hike capacity for superabsorbents at the site, and add butyl acrylates capacity at Ludwigshafen. The company says it will build a second...

Linde and Shanghai Coking build gases plant at Caojing.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Shanghai HuaLin Industrial Gases Co. (Shanghai), a 50-50 jv between Linde and Shanghai Coking and Chemical Corp., says it will invest 60 million [euro] ($73 million) to build an industrial gases plant at Bayer's polyurethanes complex at...

Arkema confirms plans for major [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] hike in China.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Arkema has confirmed CW's exclusive report that it will significantly expand its hydrogen peroxide ([H.sub.2][O.sub.2]) capacity in China (CW, Dec. 21, 2005, p. 14). Arkema Shanghai Hydrogen Peroxide (Wujing), a jv in which Arkema has 66.6%...

Ineos-Delta invite bids for Saudi Petchems project.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Ineos Enterprises and Delta Oil Co. (Jeddah), partners in a previously announced petrochemical project at Al Jubail, have issued invitations to bid for the project management consultancy (PMC) contract, sources say (CW, June 15, 2005, p. 8)....

Aramco and Sumitomo break ground on Rabigh complex.(Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. (PetroRabigh), a 50-50 jv between Sumitomo Chemical and Saudi Aramco, says it has held a ground-breaking ceremony for its previously announced $9.8-billion refinery expansion and petrochemical complex at...

Deepak builds AN complex at Paradeep.(Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corp., ammonium nitrate )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corp. (Pune, India) says it will invest $90 million to build an ammonium nitrate (AN) complex at Paradeep, India. The plant will be designed to produce 300,000 m.t./year of explosive-grade AN for the...

Petrochemicals: strong economic growth, capacity delays feed optimism.(Cover story)
March 29, 2006... Petrochemical makers say they are set for another strong year, following record-breaking profitability in the past two years. A healthy global economic outlook, robust demand in developing countries, particularly China and India, as well as...

Elections and the economy: a presidential race for reforms.(COUNTRY FOCUS: MEXICO: From the source downstream)
March 29, 2006... Mexico's future economic performance will be defined during this year by two major factors. Internally, performance will be rocked by the coming presidential elections in July and externally, Mexico's growth will be dictated by the...

ANIQ: The National Association of the Chemical Industry.(COUNTRY FOCUS: MEXICO: From the source downstream)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... The National Association of the Chemical Industry (ANIQ--by its Spanish abbreviation) is the representative body for the private sector encompassing more than two hundred national and international companies, representing roughly 95% of the...

Mexico's chemical industry: deficient supply and the effect of feedstock prices.
March 29, 2006... The chemical industry in Mexico has been in decline over the past decade, due mostly to uncompetitive feedstock prices from the government-owned monopolistic oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). Oil, gas and electricity in Mexico are...

Petrochemicals: regenerating the foundations.
March 29, 2006... How can the petrochemical industry thrive if there is no adequate supply of raw materials at competitive prices to feed production? The private sector has been posing this question to the government for years. Mexico currently has two...

Resins: opportunities downstream.
March 29, 2006... Mexicans are acknowledged as the world's largest consumers of soft drinks, with a per capita consumption estimated at almost five hundred 8-ounce bottles a year (Lloyd March 2004). To the detriment of glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET)...

Pharmaceuticals: heading towards a highly regulated market.
March 29, 2006... Mexico's pharmaceutical sector contains plentiful growth and investment potential: It is the second largest market in Latin America in terms of units, after Brazil and the first in terms of sales volume. The country has posted an increase in...

Transportation & logistics: connecting to and from Mexico.
March 29, 2006... As Mexican chemical and, more specifically, petrochemical companies struggle to become more competitive, transportation and logistics has been identified as a key area in which to reduce costs. Efficiency, prices and services in the sector...

North American intermediates market to grow in niche areas.(MARKETS)
March 29, 2006... The North American market for the custom manufacture of fine chemicals will increase by 24% from $21.3 billion in 2005, to $28.6 billion in 2011, led by products for niche markets, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan (London). An...

Indian firm buys Pfizer plant.(Kemwell International Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Contract pharma ingredients producer Kemwell (Bangalore, India) says it has acquired a cGMP active pharma ingredient and finished drug manufacturing plant at Uppsala, Sweden, from Pfizer for an undisclosed amount. Kemwell will continue to...

Solvias couples with Umicore.(to introduced a set of highly active palladium catalysts )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Catalyst firms Solvias (Basel, Switzerland) and Umicore have jointly introduced a set of highly active, air-stable palladium catalysts for coupling reactions using aryl chlorides, bromides, and sulfonates, which are required in the production...

Niche uses help lift demand.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... U.S. specialty surfactants demand is expected to increase 3.1%/year, to 1.9 billion lbs, valued at $3.4 billion in 2009, according to The Freedonia Group (Cleveland). The pace of growth will be lower than the 5.5%/year experienced during...

ICI to buy U.S. Fragrance business.(Imperial Chemical Industries PLC acquires Shaw Mudge and Co.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... ICI says it has agreed to acquire the fragrance business of Shaw Mudge & Co. (Shelton, CT) for an undisclosed sum. Shaw Mudge is a privately held fragrance firm that creates, markets, and sells fragrances for a number of consumer...

Fuller closes roanoke buy.(Roanoke Companies Inc. acquired )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... B. Fuller says it closed its $270-million acquisition of Roanoke Companies Group (Aurora, IL), a manufacturer of pre-mix grouts, mortars, and other products used in flooring system installation (CW, Feb. 8, p. 11). The business will be...

Distribution update.(TOR Minerals International Inc. signs Mayan Pigments )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Mayan Pigments (El Paso, TX), a privately held producer of titanium dioxide and specialty aluminas, has chosen Tor Minerals International (Corpus Christi, TX) to distribute its line of Mayacrom color pigments, effective in April, Tor says *...

Air Products raises prices.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Air Products says it will raise prices on select Electronic Specialty Materials (ESM) products, including W[F.sub.6], HCL, [N.sub.2]O, and N[H.sub.3], due to significant increases in raw materials and other costs. The company says it will...

Solvent firm plans new facility.(Chemical Solvents Inc.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Chemical Solvents Inc. (Cleveland) says it will open a new branch in Cincinnati by the end of the year. The firm, which has not yet secured the site, says it plans to employ about 10 people at the new site. The move will give the company the...

Sumitomo ramps up LCD production.(liquid crystal displays)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Sumitomo Chemical says it will triple its annual production capacity for polarizing film used to make liquid crystal displays (LCD) by mid-2007. Sumitomo will invest [yen] 50 billion to build one production line in Japan, two in South Korea,...

U.S. para-Xylene recovery expected.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Prices for para-xylene are starting to recover in North America, despite a continuing flood of polyester coming out of China that has depressed feedstock markets, sources say. Para-xylene contract prices on the U.S. Gulf Coast plunged 25%...

European chlor-Alkali chain tightens.(INORGANICS)
March 29, 2006... Supply has tightened along the European chlor-alkali and polyvinyt chloride (PVC) chain, although market prices do not yet reflect this, producers and analysts say. Ethylene dichloride prices tumbled in the first quarter, while caustic soda...

Helm signs propylene marketing deal.(with Kuwait Petroleum Italia S.p.A.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Helm (Hamburg), a trading and distribution company, says it has signed a propylene sales and marketing deal with Kuwait Petroleum Italia (KPIT; Rome). Helm will market 70,000 m.t./year of propylene produced at a refinery at Milazzo, Italy,...

More nylon compounds in Singapore.(Teknor Apex has started production of nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 compounds in singapore)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Teknor Apex (Pawtucket, RI) subsidiary Singapore Polymer Corp. (SPC) says it has started production of nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 compounds in Singapore. The compounds are developed by another Teknor subsidiary, Chem Polymer, a producer of...

Basic Chemical price watch.(Celanese Chemicals and Dow Chemicals)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Celanese Chemicals and Dow Chemical are separately seeking price increases of 75 [euro]/m.t. for vinyl acetate monomer in Europe, and $90/m.t. in Africa and the Mideast; Dow will also raise VAM prices in Asia by $90/m.t. Celanese has also...

EO-EG.(Ethylene oxide, Ehylene glycol )
March 29, 2006... Prices U.S.: 45-46 cts/lb contracts, 29 cts-35 cts/lb fob, spot EUROPE: 807 [euro]/m.t. cif, February contracts, 600 [euro]-650 [euro]/m.t. fob, spot ASIA/PACIFIC: $790-$810/m.t. c&f Outlook Ethylene oxide-ethylene...

CW price report.
March 29, 2006... Energy and feedstock prices climbed last week, putting pressure on olefins. The March ethylene contract fell 2.5 cts/lb, but a dispute has developed in propylene contracts. One major polymer producer reportedly closed a deal for March and...

Ceres ranks DuPont, BP as top performers on climate change.
March 29, 2006... The social responsibility investor group Ceres (Boston) says that a recent review of 100 companies' climate change policies shows that firms have improved their policies for "facing the growing financial risk and opportunities from climate...

Court throws Out key NSR exemption.(Environmental Protection Agency)
March 29, 2006... The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has overturned a portion of EPA's changes to the New Source Review (NSR) rule, which would have allowed plant operators to avoid installing emission controls if a plant modification is...

CW75 stock performance.
March 29, 2006... CW 15 Index * MARCH 22 163.36 WEEK AGO 162.91 QUARTER AGO 155.65 YEAR AGO 153.52 * Jan. 1, 2002 = 100. The CW'75 was flat for the week ending March 22, in line with broader market indexes. Basic chemical...

Dow Corning: on the growth trail: targeting geographic expansion and new products and services.
March 29, 2006... The last five years have been very positive for silicones market leader Dow Coming (Midland, MI). The company has enjoyed strong sales and earnings growth, and successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection related to breast...

Goldschmidt Chemical.(Jeffrey Birkes appointed)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Degussa's GOLDSCHMIDT CHEMICAL unit has appointed Jeffrey Birkes market manager for the Americas for silicone release coatings. Birkes was previously marketing and product manager for the engineered coated products division of Arlon.

BASF Coatings.(appointed Andreas Kreimeyer and Kurt Bock)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Andreas Kreimeyer has been named chairman of the supervisory board of BASF COATINGS. Kreimeyer is a member of the board of executive directors of BASF. He succeeds Klaus Peter Lobbe, who is resigning from the supervisory board. In addition,...

Mallincrodt Baker.(Mark Tan appointed)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... MALLINCRODT BAKER, a business unit of Tyco Healthcare, has appointed Mark Tan managing director, Asia/Pacific. Tan was most recently COO at Pharmasafe Laboratories.

Dupont.(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. appointed Peter C. Hemken, John P. Ranieri and Ferdinand Bauerdick )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... DUPONT has named Peter C. Hemken v.p. and general manager for DuPont Bio-Based Materials/ Sorona and Bio-PDO. The company has also named John P. Ranieri v.p. and general manager for DuPont Bio-Based Materials/ energy and specialties. DuPont...

Rockwood Holdings.(appointed Timothy McKenna)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... ROCKWOOD HOLDINGS has appointed Timothy McKenna v.p./investor relations and communications. McKenna was most recently senior v.p./investor relations and communications for Smurfit-Stone Container.

Covalence Specialty Materials.(appointed David S. Graziosi and Gail E. Lehman )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... COVALENCE SPECIALTY MATERIALS has appointed David S. Graziosi executive v.p. and CFO, and Gail E. Lehman v.p., general counsel, and corporate secretary. Graziosi was previously v.p./finance, epoxy resins and precursors at Hexion Specialty...

ADA-ES.(appointed Robert N. Caruso and Derek Johnson)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... ADA-ES has nominated Robert N. Caruso and Derek Johnson to its board of directors. Caruso is currently a managing partner of b/3 Management Resources. Johnson is president of Fusion Specialties.

Compass Mineral International.(appointed Allan R. Rothwell and Timothy R. Snider )(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Allan R. Rothwell and Timothy R. Snider have been named to the board of directors of COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL. Rothwell will serve on the nominating/corporate governance and compensation committees, and Snider will serve on the...

THE Wercs.(appointed Karen Lintz and Kevin Skerrett)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... THE WERC5 has appointed Karen Lintz and Kevin Skerrett to its regulatory compliance operations. Lintz was previously a regulatory specialist for GE Silicones. Skerrett was formerly chemical regulations specialist for the worldwide material...

US Ink.(appointed Greg Lawson)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... Greg Lawson has been named president of US INK, a division of Sun Chemical. Lawson was previously president, Sun Chemical Latin America. He succeeds Ron Baker, who died in February.

Cabot.(appointed Irene S. Sudac and Yakov Kutsovsky)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... CABOT has named two new v.p.'s: Irene S. Sudac, treasurer; and Yakov Kutsovsky, global director of research and development.

Air Products.(appoints Evert Henkes)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... AIR PRODUCTS has elected Evert Henkes to its board of directors. Henkes was previously CEO at Shell Chemicals until retiring in 2003.

Napier Environmental Technologies.(appointed Robert C. Smart)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... NAPIER ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES has appointed Robert C, Smart as director/ North American sales.