January 31, 2007
Earlier today, Columbian Chemicals (Weifang) Holdings S.àr.l., completed the acquisition of Shandong Haihua Carbon Black Chemical Co., Ltd. located in Weifang, China. This acquisition represents Columbian’s first entry into the Chinese carbon black market.
Columbian President and CEO, Jae Sup Lee said, “China is a rapidly growing market and because it is an important market for our customers, it is an important market for us. We are excited about working with the talented workforce in China and supporting our customers’ increasing demand for carbon black in Asia.”
This carbon black plant, which was originally built in 2003 with a capacity of 20,000 metric tons, consists of one tread line. The company will immediately begin expanding the facility with the company’s state-of-the-art technology, including energy recovery and improvements in the environmental systems. The capacity will be increased to 60,000 metric tons after the addition of a carcass line.
These improvement efforts will be led by Jong-Bum Park who has been named President and General Manager of the Weifang Plant. Park has served as Columbian's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Asia and has been with the company for 8 years.
About Columbian:
Columbian Chemicals Co. is one of the world’s leading producers of carbon black – an engineered material that improves the strength, durability and overall performance of a range of products including tires and other mechanical rubber goods, as well as inks, paints, plastics and coatings. Based in Marietta, Georgia, Columbian Chemicals Co. owns and operates 11 carbon black manufacturing facilities in Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Korea, Spain and the United States, employing about 1,300 people worldwide.
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