F O C U S O N
we are unable to absorb the impact of the
increased costs that we are currently
experiencing."
Original Source: Omya Management AG, 29 Mar 2021 (Baslerstrasse 42,
4665 Oftringen, Switzerland. Website: http://www.omya.com) Ó Omya
2021.
BASF raises kaolin prices by 10%
across the board
BASF Kaolin posted a 10% price increase
across its entire product portfolio, effective
for all shipments on or after 1 May 2021
r as soon as contracts allow. The price rise
comes against a background of strong
global demand and unprecedented cost
pressures in manufacturing, labour and
logistics.
BASF Kaolin, 19 Apr 2021 (11501 Steele Creek Road, Charlotte, NC
28273, USA Website: http://www.basf.com) Ó BASF 2021.
Chloride TiO2 price up 3.5% in H1
2021 & will go higher due to
feedstock issues
According to ICIS, TiO2 contract prices for
small-to-medium transactions on a free-
delivery basis shipped to US and Canadian
customers held fairly steady at $1.60-1.70
per pound (equivalent to a mid-point of
$3.64 per kilo) throughout the second half of
2019 and the first half of 2020. They
weakened a little during the second half of
2020, extending the range of prices paid to
$1.56-1.70 per pound (equivalent to a mid-
point of $3.59 per kilo).
Demand has been strong during the
first half of 2021, with a positive outlook
for the construction industry and a general
reopening of businesses. For Q1 2021,
ICIS estimated the price range at
$1.58-1.70 per pound (equivalent to
a mid-point of $3.62 per kilo). For Q2 2021,
prices rose to $1.63-1.74 per pound
(equivalent to a mid-point of $3.715
per kilo). Thus, the mid-point price for Q2
2021 was 3.5% higher than six months ago.
Average prices for TiO2 pigment in
North America tend to be higher than in
Europe or Asia/Pacific because of the
predominant customer preference for chloride
grades from multinational producers. The
competitive pressures from suppliers of lower
priced sulfate grades from China are not as
strong in the North American markets.
During the second half of 2021, North
American chloride-route TiO2 pigment
producers will face higher feedstock
costs as a result of the closure of the
port of Richards Bay, as well as the
closure of roads lead to and from the port.
Transnet declared that the closures have
August 2021
P I G M E N T S
been made necessary because of Mexico, Taiwan & US: Chemours –
personnel safety issues stemming from
TiO2 pigment
violent civil disturbance and riots following
the Constitutional Court’s verdict on
Chemours Co (headquartered in Wilmington,
former President Jacob Zuma and the
Delaware) increased its TiO2 pigment sales
beginning of his 15-month prison sentence
volume by nearly 8% last year, despite the
on 7 July. Both Tronox and Rio Tinto
impact of the Corona virus pandemic and
normally ship high-grade TiO2 slag from
associated Lockdowns around the world.
Richards Bay to chloride-route TiO2
Sales increased from 730,000 tonnes in 2019
pigment plants around the world.
to 787,000 tonnes. That represented about
In fact, Rio Tinto had already declared
63% of the company’s total installed capacity,
force majeure on TiO2 slag shipments
derived from three two-line plants (Altamira,
from its Richards Bay smelter on
Mexico; DeLisle, MS and New Johnsonville,
29 June because of an escalation of
TN in the United States) plus a one-line plant
attacks on its employees, including
(KuanYin in Taiwan). Chemours anticipates
the assassination of a General Manager.
raising its sales volume by a further 5-10% in
Shortages and rising costs of
2021, but output for the year is still expected
chlorinatable feedstocks will probably
to be well below the 1.04 M tonnes recorded
lead to further increases in TiO2 pigment
for 2017.
prices.
Nevertheless, the company has again
allegedly reactivated its programme to add
Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 28 May – 3 Jun 2021, 299 (20),
100,000-125,000 tonnes/y of capacity by
12-13 (Website: http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business Information
Limited 2020. Original Source: News 24, 14 Jul 2014 (Website: https://
debottlenecking and reaming-out most, if not
www.news24.com) © Naspers 2021. all, of its TiO2 pigment plants.
In May 2011, DuPont Titanium
Technologies (Chemours’ predecessor)
announced plans to spend $500 M to install a
PLANTS
second production line at its Altamira plant
and to spend $150 M on the debottlenecking
programme. The Altamira expansion was
completed by May 2016, but the
Malaysia: Cabot – pre-mixed carbon
debottlenecking programme was evidently
black/rubber composites suspended. In December 2017, Mr Bryan
Snell (Head of Chemours Titanium
Cabot Corp plans to expand its research and
Technologies) again spoke about
development capabilities at its Port Dickson
debottlenecking to achieve a 10% increase in
carbon black complex in Malaysia. This will
the company’s overall capacity and this
entail work on the optimisation and modelling
expansion programme was also documented
of liquid mixing, automation of continuous
in the company’s 10-K/ Annual Reports for
rubber processing and characterising
2017 and 2018.
elastomer composites.
In February 2019, Mr Mark Vergnano
The Port Dickson research centre is a
(President & CEO) stated in several
critical part of Cabot’s Engineered Elastomer
interviews that the 10% capacity expansion
Composites (E2C) development. The E2C
programme was definitely going ahead. He
pre-mixed composites were built on the
maintained that the extra capacity would be
foundation of a proprietary mixing process for
needed to meet anticipated additional global
natural rubber and carbon black and they are
demand for TiO2 in 2020 and 2021. (See also
intended to aid off-road vehicle tyre producers
’Focus on Pigments’, Apr 2019, 5-6).
to economically and sustainably enhance tyre
More recently – in early May 2021 –
life by up to 15%.
Chemours declared that it will add 100,000
Cabot has been making pre-mixed
tonnes/y of TiO2 capacity as a result of
composites at Port Dickson since 1995, but
debottlenecking its plants by the end of 2023,
the company’s 80,000 tonnes/y carbon black
with "some of the benefits expected to be
plant here was shut down in July 2013. (See
seen during 2022."
’Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2013, 6). As a result
At the analysts’ seminar, also in early May
of the new research programme, Cabot
2021, Mr Jonathon Lock (Vice President,
anticipates increasing employment at Port
Investor Relations) said: "We expect TiO2
Dickson by around 30%, at the same time as
pigment demand will continue to strengthen
establishing upgraded digital controls and
throughout this year. We have the capacity to
automated systems.
be able to meet that going forward. And we
have a variety of ways to increase our
Original Source: Rubber and Plastics News, 19 Apr 2021, 50 (20), 12
capacity, even before we do all the
(Website: http://www.rubbernews.com) © Crain Communications Inc
2021.
debottlenecking work. Mr Mark Newman
3