PPG Industries Inc. announced several major management appointments, including the naming of Douglas C. Hepper as vice president, Market Initiatives, for the company's coatings businesses.
Kerr-McGee Chemical L.L.C. announced plans to close its titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment plant in Antwerp, Belgium, as part of the company's strategy to improve efficiencies and boost margins.
In a realignment of its carbon-black operations in North America, Columbian Chemicals Co. announced that it would temporarily halt production at the company's facility in El Dorado, AR, effective Nov. 30.
Bayer AG announced plans for a major expansion program in China involving the construction of an integrated chemicals and health-care manufacturing complex at Caojing, near Shanghai.
The Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology reported that its recent International Coatings Expo (ICE) in Atlanta attracted a total of 5,544 registered visitors, a 30% decline from the 2000 ICE in Chicago and a 13% drop from the 1999 show in Dallas.
The terrorist attacks and subsequent U.S.-led military response launched in October added to uncertainty about the health of the global economy, but growth forecasts had already been reduced following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
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