Columbian Chemicals Names Jorge Ayala Vice President Carbon Black Technology

Columbian Chemicals today announced that Dr. Jorge Ayala has been promoted to the newly formed position of Vice President Carbon Black Technology. Dr. Ayala has 13 years of experience with Columbian and has spent the past three and a half years as Director of Product Technology in the company`s research and development group.

Dr. Ayala joined Columbian in 1987 as Manager of the former Applications Laboratory in Swartz, Louisiana, where he spent the next six years before leaving the company to become Group R&D Leader at Industrias Negromex in Tampico, Mexico. He returned to Columbian in 1996 as Director of Technology - Europe, where he ran the company`s laboratory in Bristol, England. Prior to beginning his career with Columbian, Dr. Ayala spent seven years as Group R&D Leader at the Instituto Investigaciones Electricas in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and three years as a Professor at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente in Guadalajara.

“Jorge is extremely knowledgeable about the properties of carbon black and what it takes to develop cutting-edge applications,” said Columbian President James P. Berresse. “As one of the leaders in our newly formed Marketing, Sales and Carbon Black Technology group, Jorge will drive our efforts to turn customers` needs and opportunities into value-added carbon black products that will help them gain the differentiation that they seek.”

Dr. Ayala holds a bachelor`s degree in chemical engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Houston.

Columbian Chemicals 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 is a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corp., the world`s second-largest copper company. Columbian Chemicals owns and operates 12 carbon black manufacturing facilities in Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Korea, Spain and the United States.

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