Personal care suppliers invest in small expansions.(SOAPS & COSMETICS)

Specialty chemical suppliers to the worldwide personal care market say they are making modest capacity expansions to take advantage of growth in certain segments of the business. Recent activity includes Dow Chemical's multiphase expansion of polyethylene glycol (PEG) production at St. Charles, LA, and Akzo Nobel's new production line for acrylate copolymers at Chattanooga, TN. Akzo is also pursuing capacity additions through alliances with smaller firms.

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"What we are seeing among chemical producers is the realization that personal care is a safe bet," says Gillian Morris, director/chemicals and materials at Kline Management Consultants (New …