Chemical Week articles from May 2007

Chemical Week archives from May 2007

An opportunity to reach out.(Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals legislation)(Viewpoint essay)
May 30, 2007... The European Union's Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals (Reach) legislation took effect June 1, with the industry still awaiting crucial guidance on how the program will be implemented (p. 5). Even so, chemical makers...

Carlyle Group acquires PQ for $1.5 billion.
May 30, 2007... Private equity firm The Carlyle Group (Washington) says it has agreed to acquire PQ (Berwyn, PA) from CCMP Capital Advisors (New York) for approximately $1.5 billion. CCMP manages PQ on behalf of J.P. Morgan Partners (JPMP; New York), which...

Thai PET producer to build U.S. plant.(polyethylene terephthalate )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Indorama Polymers (Bangkok) says it plans to invest $140 million to build a 420,000 m.t./year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) complex in the U.S. for completion in February 2009. The company plans to locate the plants next to a feedstock...

Nova to cut 90 jobs in Europe and the U.S.(Nova Chemicals Corp.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Nova Chemicals says it will eliminate 90 positions in Europe and the U.S. as part of a longterm plan to focus on core businesses and cut costs. The job cuts will include manufacturing, technology, and sales and marketing positions at the...

Maine legislature votes to ban a flame retardant.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Maine's Senate has voted to ban the flame retardant deca-brominated diphenyl ether (deca-BDE), making it one of the first states to pass such a ban. The state's House passed the same measure last month, and Governor John Baldacci (D.) is...

Shell partners with Virent Energy to develop Hydrogen fuel.(Virent Energy Systems)(Shell Hydrogen )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Shell Hydrogen says it has entered into a five-year agreement with Virent Energy Systems (Madison, WI) to develop and commercialize hydrogen production based on Virent's proprietary technology. Financial details were not disclosed. While the...

Danaher to buy ChemTreat.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Industrial conglomerate Danaher (Washington) says it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire water treatment chemical and service firm ChemTreat (Glen Allen, VA) for $435 million in cash, including transaction costs and net of cash...

Train derails in Alabama.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... A CSX train carrying phenol and acetone derailed just north of Castleberry, AL on May 29, causing molten phenol to leak and forcing about 200 local residents and city workers to evacuate, officials say. Twenty-four of the train's 66 cars...

Degussa plans PMI facility.(polymethacrylimide)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Degussa says it plans to invest $10 million to build a facility to produce rigid polymethacrylimide (PMI) foam at Mobile, AL. The plant is expected to come online in mid-2008, Degussa says. Degussa's PMI is used as a core material in...

Polymer Group to shut Germany unit.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Polymer Group (Charlotte, NC) says it will close its Neunkirchen, Germany nonwovens facility and transfer production to its Cuijk, the Netherlands plant by year-end to lower its fixed costs and improve overall profitability. "Our operation in...

Bill drops plant security language.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... An emergency funding bill to pay for troops and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan signed by President Bush last week does not include language that would clarify states' rights to have more stringent chemical plant security laws. Senator...

Reach comes into force but program is in disarray.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... The European Union's Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals (Reach) program came into force on June I, but the legislation remains incomplete with large chunks of crucial guidance on how the chemical industry can implement...

Yara plans to acquire GrowHow in fertilizer megadeal.(Yara International)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Yara International (Oslo) says it has acquired the Finnish government's 30.05% stake in Kemira GrowHow (Helsinki) for an undisclosed sum. The rest of GrowHow is listed on the Helsinki stock exchange. Yara says it will launch a mandatory...

Kemira evaluates sale of its Ti[O.sub.2] and sodium percarbonate business.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Kemira says it is evaluating plans for its pigments and Chemidet businesses, including a potential sale, and expects to be finished with the process by the end of this year. The pigments business produces titanium dioxide (Ti[O.sub.2]) at...

Ineos and Basell compete for Petkim stake.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Ineos, and a consortium of Basell and gases company Demiroren Group (Istanbul), have submitted separate bids to acquire 51% of petrochemical company Petkim (Izmir, Turkey) from the Turkish government. The government put the stake up for sale...

Conn to head Petrochemicals at BP.(lain Conn )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... BP has appointed lain Conn as CEO/refining and marketing, effective June 1. Conn's responsibilities include BP's aromatics and acetyls business, as well as Asia/Pacific and Europe. He succeeds John Manzoni, who will leave BP on August 31 to...

Hexion buys Arkema UF resins business.(Hexion Specialty Chemicals mergers with Arkema)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Hexion Specialty Chemicals says it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arkema's urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins business for an undisclosed sum. Arkema announced last year that it planned to exit the UF resins business as part of a...

Teijin raises carbon fiber stake.(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Teijin says it plans to increase its stake in [yen] 48.5-billion/year ($400 million) carbon fiber producer Toho Tenax (Tokyo) from 68.4%, to 100%, in a share-swap deal effective September 1. Teijin will issue shares worth an estimated [yen]...

Shell expands polyols capacity.(Shell Chemicals )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Shell Chemicals says it will increase capacity for flexible polyols at Pernis, the Netherlands from 155,000 m.t./year, to 255,000 m.t./year. The expansion is due onstream by mid-2008.

Sabic to acquire GE Plastics for $11.6 billion.(top of the week)(Saudi Basic Industries Corp.)
May 30, 2007... Sabic has reached an agreement with General Electric (GE) to acquire GE Plastics for $11.6 billion. "This business is complementary to our existing business without any overlaps," says Mohamed Al-Mady, Sabic vice chairman and CEO. "Sabic's...

Olin buys Pioneer; moves up a notch in chlor-alkali market.
May 30, 2007... In a surprise move, Olin has announced that it plans to acquire Pioneer for $35/share, about $141 million, in a deal that will bump up Olin's position in the North American chlor-alkali market by a notch to number three, behind Dow Chemical...

Shintech to build chlor-alkali and VCM plants in Texas.(UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Shintech says it plans to spend [yen] 100 billion ($821 million) to build a chlor-alkali and a vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plant at Chocolate Bayou, TX. The company says it has applied to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality...

Celanese restructures emulsions and PVOH business.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Celanese says it will consolidate manufacturing facilities and realign R&D functions across its European and North American emulsions and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) business. The restructuring includes the closure of the company's Warrington,...

BASF curtails TDI shipments.(business & finance news)(toluene diisocyanate)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... BASF says it has put its toluene diisocyanate (TDI) customers in North America on 50% sales allocation, effective immediately, after an "overpressure incident" at its 350-million lbs/year Geismar, LA TDI facility prompted an immediate...

Socma forms nanotech coalition.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Socma says it has formed a coalition of small- and medium-size nanotechnology firms to serve as a link between the industry and regulatory bodies. The group, to be called Nanotech SME Coalition, will provide their perspective to EPA, FDA, and...

Airgas buys CNR's aqua ammonia.(business & finance news)(Continental Nitrogen & Resources)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Airgas says it has acquired the aqua ammonia business of Continental Nitrogen & Resources (CNR; Rosemount, MN). Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquired operations generated 2006 revenue of more than $2 million.

SEC may probe Dow takeover bid.(UNITED STATES/AMERICA)(Securities and Exchange Commission, Dow Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... The SEC has launced a preliminary inquiry into whether two former Dow Chemical executives secretly tried to put the company in play, according to industry sources. It is not clear whether the SEC will pursue a formal investigation of the...

Rohm and Haas boosts green R&D spending.(business & finance news)
May 30, 2007... Rohm and Haas (R&H) says it will invest $150 million, about half of its nearly l $300-million R&D budget for 2007, in products and plant upgrades with improved environmental performance. The investment is more than double the 20% of its...

Melamine found in U.S.-made animal feed ingredients.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... The FDA is alerting domestic feed makers to be "vigilant" in controlling quality in their supply chains and to monitor for any improper additives, after discovering that a U.S. additive producer was adding melamine to certain animal and fish...

Monsanto to proceed with Delta and Pine Land purchase.(business & finance news)(Delta and Pine Land Co.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Monsanto says that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that will allow it to complete the acquisition of Delta and Pine Land for $1.5 billion. Monsanto will be required to divest certain assets including its...

Bush proposes post-Kyoto climate change framework.(UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
May 30, 2007... The U.S. will "help lead the way on the development of a new framework on climate change for the time after the Kyoto Protocol," which expires in 2012, says James Connaughton, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality....

Monsanto and Chromatin team up for seed pact.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Monsanto and Chromatin (Chicago), a privately held technology company, say they have entered into a three-year joint R&D agreement to develop "stacked" crop varieties, which contain multiple traits. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under...

Akzo Nobel invests in Brazil.(business & finance news)(Akzo Nobel N.V.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Akzo Nobel says it will invest 50 million [euro] ($67 million) for its Eka Chemicals pulp and paper chemicals business to build a chlorine dioxide plant at Tres Lagoas, Brazil, and to expand its sodium chlorate plant at Sao Paulo to 30,000...

Ineos purchase of hydro polymers may face antitrust probe.(EUROPE/MIDEAST)
May 30, 2007... Ineos says it has agreed to buy Hydro Polymers (Oslo), the integrated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) business of Norsk Hydro, for NK5.5 billion ($907.7 million) in net debt and equity, effective December 31, 2006. The price is subject to...

Nova Innovene hits cost, profit targets early.(business & finance news)
May 30, 2007... Nova Innovene, the 50-50 European styrenic polymers joint venture between Nova Chemicals and Ineos, has achieved 55 million [euro] ($74 million) of annualized fixed cost savings since its creation in October 2005, says Nova Innovene managing...

Japan proposes post-Kyoto climate change strategy.(ASIA/PACIFIC)
May 30, 2007... Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has proposed an international climate change initiative, dubbed Cool Earth 50, aimed at reducing worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by half by 2050. Japan will promote the initiative at the next G-8...

Lanxess advances China projects.(business & finance news)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Lanxess says it is making progress with several projects in China that form part of an Asian growth strategy which the company announced last year. It will soon complete an expansion of engineering plastics capacity and start up a...

Aramco outlines more downstream projects.(new construction projects)(Saudi Aramco)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Saudi Aramco says it is planning further downstream petrochemical investments to capitalize on potential growth opportunities. "We are evaluating petrochemical projects, including specialty products and derivatives, through our joint venture...

Davy licenses choline chloride technology to Thailand.(new construction projects)(Davy Process Technology)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Davy Process Technology (DPT; London) says it has licensed its methylamines and choline chloride technology to Thai Choline Chloride Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of PTT Chemical (Bangkok). The process will be used in a plant at Map Ta Phut,...

Sabic likely to partner with Sinopec in Tianjin.(new construction projects)
May 30, 2007... The Ministry of Commerce (Beijing) says that Sinopec's previously announced $1-billion petrochemical project at Tianjin, China is expected to be a joint venture with Sabic (CW, March 7, p. 15). Sabic says that the proposal is yet to be...

Linde to build gases plant in Hungary.(new construction projects)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Linde says it will invest 100 million [euro] ($135 million) to build, own, and operate carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen plants at BorsodChem's complex at Kazincbarcika, Hungary, where Linde has three plants already. The plants will have...

Uhde confirms major contract in Egypt.(new construction projects)(EAgrium)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Uhde has confirmed CW's earlier report that it has been awarded a lump-sum turnkey contract by EAgrium (Cairo) to build a $1.2-billion grassroots fertilizer complex at Damietta, Egypt (CW, May 9, p. 16). The complex will comprise two...

Sibur submits PVC project for environmental assessment.(new construction projects)(polyvinyl chloride)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Sibur (Moscow) says that its previously announced polyvinyl chloride (PVC) project has been submitted for environmental assessment by the regional authorities of Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia. Sibur expects several organizations and local...

Reliance is likely to add acetyls at Jamnagar.(new construction projects)(Reliance Industries Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Reliance Industries is at an early stage of planning a big, integrated acetyls complex at the company's planned petrochemical complex in the Jamnagar, India Special Economic Zone, CW has learned. The acetyls complex will cost an estimated $1...

Rebuilding muscle in specialties.(Hercules Inc.)
May 30, 2007... The many tasks of Hercutes (Wilmginton, DE) have challenged the company earlier this decade. The costly acquisition of BetzDearborn in the late 1990s saddled it with an onerous debt load, and separate issues related to asbestos,...

Europe: facing a competitive challenge.
May 30, 2007... The European Union (EU), until recently the biggest chemical-producing region, faces a competitive challenge from chemical industries in Asia/Pacific and the Mideast. Slow demand growth in Europe and rapid growth in Asia, especially China,...

Tank storage firms bulk up: chemical boom in Asia and the Mideast feeds demand.(storage and transportation)
May 30, 2007... Chemical tank storage providers continue to benefit from strong demand, especially amid increasing chemical production in China and the Mideast. Europe and North America are importing much of that production, which has increased the need for...

Albany to buy two plants in India.(STRATEGIES)(Albany Molecular Research Inc., Ferico Laboratories, Ariane Orgachem )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI; Albany, NY), a drug discovery and pharmaceutical manufacturing company, says it will acquire pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities at Aurangabad and Navi Mumbai in western India. AMRI says it will buy...

Strides Arcolab to acquire Italian bio plant.(M&A)(Diaspa)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Strides Arcolab (Bangalore, India), a pharmaceutical company, says it will acquire a U.S. FDA-approved, biofermentation facility from Diaspa (Corana, Italy). A specially created company that will be incorporated in Italy and owned by Strides...

Sun Pharma acquires Israeli pharma producer.(GENERIC DRUGS)(Sun Pharmaceutical Industries)(Taro Pharmaceutical Industries )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma; Mumbai), a pharmaceuticals company, says it has agreed to acquire generic drugs manufacturer Taro Pharmaceutical Industries (Haifa, Israel) in an all-cash deal worth $454 million. The agreement...

Ranbaxy buys 13 drugs from BMS.(pharmaceuticals & fine chemicals)(Bristol-Myers Squibb)(Ranbaxy Laboratories Inc.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Ranbaxy Laboratories Inc. (RLI; Princeton, NJ), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories (Gurgaon, India), says it has acquired the U.S. rights to 13 dermatology products from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). The U.S. dermatology market...

Solvay process wins award.(pharmaceuticals & fine chemicals)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Solvay has been presented with the Glycerine Innovation Award by the American Oil Chemists' Society (Boulder, IL) for developing a novel process to manufacture epichlorohydrin (ECH) from glycerine. Experts predict major oversupply of...

Akzo to buy North American wood coating producer.(PAINTS AND COATINGS)
May 30, 2007... Akzo Nobel says it has agreed to acquire Chemcraft Holdings (Winston-Salem, NC), the largest privately owned manufacturer of industrial wood coatings in North America. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the...

Genencor starts up feed unit in China.(ENZYMES)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Danisco says its Genencor subsidiary has begun operations at its new enzyme production facility at Wuxi, China. The plant will use advanced fermentation technology to manufacture enzyme products for a variety of industries, including animal...

Ecology Coatings to go public.(specialties)(OCIS)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Privately held Ecology Coatings (Bloomfield Hills, MI), a nanotech industrial coatings maker, says it has agreed to merge with publicly held OCIS (Salt Lake City) as part of an alternative public offering. Terms were not disclosed. The merged...

Vickers expands in U.K.(specialties)(Vickers Laboratories )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Vickers Laboratories (Leeds, U.K.), which produces laboratory reagents for water treatment and other industries, says it has acquired a new facility at Pudsey, U.K., near Leeds. Terms were not disclosed.

Cargill gives Zirax marketing rights.(specialties)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Cargill says it has signed an agreement granting Zirax (London), a manufacturer and supplier of oilfield process chemicals and de-icing solutions, immediate exclusive rights to market its surface overlay technology in Russia and 10 additional...

EPA grants Dow Biocides OPP rights.(specialties)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Dow Chemical Co.)(o-phenylphenol)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... EPA has granted Dow Chemical's Dow Biocides the eligibility right to re-register its o-phenylphenol, which is used in the metal-working fluid market, Dow says. Separately, Dow Biocides says it has unveiled a 3-iodopropynyl butylcarbamate...

Uniqema says it will raise fatty acids product prices, effective immediately or as contracts allow.(Specialty Price Watch)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Uniqema says it will raise fatty acids product prices, effective immediately or as contracts allow. Formula-based contracts pertaining to all grades of stearic acid, oleic acids, and distilled products will rise 2 cts/lb, and all fixed-prices...

Dow Chemical's UCAR Emulsion Systems says it has raised North American list and off-list prices for emulsion products and rheology modifiers, effective June 1.(Specialty Price Watch)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Dow Chemical's UCAR Emulsion Systems says it has raised North American list and off-list prices for emulsion products and rheology modifiers, effective June 1. Prices will rise by 3 cts/wet lb for products at or below 55% solids, and by 4...

Canexus cuts production at Vancouver plant.(CHLOR-ALKALI)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Canexus (Calgary) says it has temporarily reduced production at its 145,000-m.t./year chlor-alkali plant at Vancouver by 30%, because of a loss in the city's water supply on April 26 that damaged one of three production circuits at the plant....

Soda ash prices likely to climb.(INORGANICS)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Soda ash buyers may have to contend with further price increases this year, as tight market conditions are expected to persist, market watchers say. FMC and General Chemical each recently announced a $15/ton price hike (CW, May 23, p. 4). ...

Sabic sets up new China office.(basic chemicals & plastics)(Saudi Basic Industries Corp.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Sabic says it has opened two new offices in China, at Beijing and Shenzhen. The company currently has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Most of the company's new petrochemical capacity over the next three years will be allocated to Asia, of...

PTT on turnaround.(basic chemicals & plastics)(PTT Chemical)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... PTT Chemical says it has taken down one of its three ethylene plants at Map Ta Phut, Thailand to upgrade some machinery. The unplanned maintenance is expected to cut its annual olefins production by 2%, the company says. The three ethylene...

Shell ends force majeure on phenol and acetone.(Shell Chemical)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Shell Chemical says it has lifted force majeure on phenol and acetone. Shell declared force majeure on both products in early May after severe storms downed a plant that supplied steam to its phenol-acetone plant at Deer Park, TX, forcing the...

Olin to start up HCl burners in third quarter.(DIGEST)(hydrochloric acid )(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Olin says it expects to start up two new hydrochloric acid (HCl) burners at its McIntosh, AL site in the third quarter. The company did not disclose capacity details, but says about 40% of the output will be consumed internally. It has...

PhosChem clinches DAP deal in India.(DIGEST)(Phosphate Chemicals Export Association)(diammonium phosphate)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... The Phosphate Chemicals Export Association (PhosChem; Lake Forest, IL) says it has clinched a new diammonium phosphate (DAP) supply contract with India. The deal calls for 1.1 million m.t. of DAP to be shipped from June through November 2007...

Westlake has styrene woes.(DIGEST)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Westlake Chemical says it has declared force majeure on styrene from its 485-million lbs/year styrene plant at Lake Charles, LA due to a mechanical failure at the unit. The company says it expects to lift force majeure around June 7, when...

OxyChem wants KOH increase.(DIGEST)(potassium hydroxide)(Occidental Chemical Corp.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... OxyChem has announced potassium hydroxide (KOH) price increases of $1.50/cwt for 45% KOH, and $1.67/cwt for 50% KOH, effective June 25. Liquid KOH prices are $12-$14.5/cwt fob, says Harriman Chemsult (London).

Commentary.(chemicals)
May 30, 2007... For the second week in a row, lower crude oil and steam cracker feedstock prices failed to put a drag on spot olefins prices. U.S. ethylene prices firmed a tad, with trade reported at close to 39 cts/lb del. Propylene prices were steady, as...

CW price report.(Statistical table)
May 30, 2007... cw price report U.S SPOT CONTRACT ETHANE 74-75 cts/gal fob NAPHTHA 202-203 cts/gal fob PROPANE 114-115 cts/gal fob BUTANE ...

OSHA settles industry hexavalent chromium lawsuit.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
May 30, 2007... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA; Washington) says it has reached a settlement with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM; Washington) and the Specialty Steel Industry of North America (Washington), along with...

Baroody ends bid to head safety commission.(PRODUCT LIABILITY)(Michael Baroody)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... Former National Association of Manufacturers (NAM; Washington) executive Michael Baroody has withdrawn as nominee to head the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC; Washington). The White House's nomination of Baroody had angered some...

Hexion, residents finalize class-action settlement.(regulatory)(Hexion Specialty Chemicals)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... A U.S. district court judge has approved a class-action settlement between Hexion Specialty Chemicals and residents who live near the company's phenolic resins plant in Louisville, KY. The settlement requires Hexion to spend about $4 million...

CW75 stock performance.(Statistical table)
May 30, 2007... The CW75 Index rose by less than 1% for the week ending May 30, in line with broader stock market indexes including the Morgan Stanley global composite and the Standard & Poor's 500 indexes. Strong consumer confidence, a drop in oil prices,...

Leading indicator.
May 30, 2007... The leading indicator for the chemical industry rose in May for the second consecutive month, bringing it to its highest point since September 2006. The indicator is still about 3% below the peak it reached in March 2006, however. Chemical...

Indium.(key changes)
May 30, 2007... INDIUM has appointed Pat Ryan sales manager/Americas.

Tikkurila Oy.(key changes)
May 30, 2007... TIKKURILA OY has named Anna Makinen head/marketing development. Makinen was previously senior marketing manager at Nokia.

Toray Plastics.(key changes)(appointments)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... TORAY PLASTICS has named Richard Schloesser executive v.p. The company has also appointed Michael Brandmeier as v.p. and general manager/Torayfan; Scott Van Winter as director and general manager/Lumirror; Jeffrey Lippy as general...

Chemtura.(key changes)(appoints Eric Wisnefsky, Greg McDaniel, Douglas Debrecht, Stephen Forsyth)(Brief article)
May 30, 2007... CHEMTURA has named Eric Wisnefsky v.p./strategy and new business development. The company has also named Greg McDaniel group president/crop protection, and Douglas Debrecht v.p. and CIO. Stephen Forsyth, executive v.p. and CFO, has been...

Cytec.(key changes)
May 30, 2007... James P. Cronin executive v.p. and CFO at CYTEC, will be retiring at the end of June.

Arkema.(key changes)
May 30, 2007... ARKEMA has named Jaclyn Sekula technical marketing specialist/Kynar fluoropolymers. Sekula was previously commercial development specialist.

Johnson Matthey.(key changes)
May 30, 2007... JOHNSON MATTHEY has appointed Dorothy Thompson a non-executive director. Thompson is currently CEO at Drax Group.

Air Liquide.(key changes)
May 30, 2007... AIR LIQUIDE had named Michael J. Graft president and CEO of Air Liquide USA and a director of U.S. subsidiary businesses.