Columbian acquires carbon black plant in China, triples capacity

Marietta, Georgia, - Columbian Chemicals (Weifang) Holdings S.àr.l., has 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. The company is immediately putting in plans to triple existing capacity.

The plant, which was originally built in 2003 with a capacity of 20 000 tonnes, consists of one line for tread rubber. 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 tonnes after the

addition of a carcass line.

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.”