On Monday, Orion Engineered Carbons announced that it had begun construction on its second plant in China for specialty and high-performance carbon black. Orion’s new facility in Huaibei in the eastern province of Anhui is expected to be completed late next year and to begin operating in 2023. With a targeted initial production capacity of 65-70 kilotons per year, the plant will be able to make a variety of carbon black for specialty and high-end rubber grades. The new site complements Orion’s first Chinese plant, built in 1994 in Qingdao in the eastern province of Shandong, as well as Orion’s production site in Yeosu, South Korea. An innovator in sustainability, Orion will equip the plant to convert its waste heat to steam that will be sold to the local industrial park.
August 31, 2021
August 25, 2021
Carbon Black China conference scheduled for Chengdu in April 2022
The Carbon Black China 2022 conference will be held April 19-22, 2022 at the Xingchen Hangdu International Hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. This is always a well organized conference with high quality papers and great networking opportunities. Notch is a member of the conference organizing committee and will present a keynote paper. The conference was just announced, so more information will be available soon.
August 23, 2021
Carbon Black World coming to Charlotte, NC in September
The 2021 Carbon Black World Summit will be held September 13-14, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 16th biennial Carbon Black World Summit will occur as a hybrid event, bringing together the top leaders and experts in the carbon black field, with both in-person and virtual attendance. The conference will include eight sessions over the course of two days, kicking off with a Global Market Overview session focusing on the effects of COVID-19 on the industry.
Among the featured talks this year are :
- Novel Technologies – Who are Breaking the Rules of Standard CB Process by Monolith Materials
- Increasing Carbon Black Production and Decreasing CO2 Footprint by Schmidtsche Schack
- Mission Possible – Reaching Net-Zero Carbon Emissions with Advanced Process Control by Tokai CB and Emerson Automation
Other speakers include Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, Birla Carbon, and Cabot Corporation. Notch Consulting will present a paper on the Year in Carbon Black. For more information about the Carbon Black World Summit conference, visit: https://www.carbonblackworld.com/
August 18, 2021
Orion raising carbon black prices in North America
On Monday, Orion Engineered Carbons announced that effective September 15, 2021, or as permitted by customer contracts, the company is increasing prices on all carbon black products produced in North America. In a press release announcing the increase, Orion attributes the move to higher operating costs related to recently installed emissions control systems and associated capital investments required to maintain service levels. As a result, Orion will adjust base prices and environmental surcharges for carbon black by a total of 8 cents per pound. In addition, service charges, payment terms, and volume rebates will be adjusted to reflect higher logistics costs, capital commitments and reliability expectations.
The Orion announcement follows a series of price increase announcements in the carbon black industry over the last few months. Previously, Orion announced a price increase for rubber blacks in the EMEA region and an increase in specialty black prices, while Cabot announced price increases for specialty blacks and rubber blacks in EMEA and Birla Carbon raised prices for rubber blacks in North America and for specialty blacks.