Carbide Buys Mattress Manufacturer Purchase of Englander Co. moves Carbide deeper into consumer products
producing r ALUMINUM OXIDE
Union Carbide is moving deeper into the consumer products field. Last week, the company extended its mar keting operation by buying Englander Co., Inc., a privately held company that makes innerspring, latex, and urethane foam mattresses and other bedding products. This is the first time since it began marketing con sumer products that Carbide has bought an outside company specializ ing entirely in consumer products. The new subsidiary will operate under the Englander name as part of Union Carbide's fabrics and fibers depart ment. Union Carbide probably paid cash for Englander, but neither the cost nor the terms of the transaction were made public. Englander Co., which is based in Chicago, has 13 plants in the U.S. One of Englander's major products is a urethane foam mattress. Although Carbide supplies toluene diisocyanate and other raw materials for making urethane foams, it doesn't itself make foams, and there has never been a link between Carbide and Englander. Carbide has no plans to enter the urethane foam business as a result of this acquisition, according to Birny Mason, Jr., president of Union Car bide. Englander's foam requirements are better handled by buying the materials from existing urethane foam producers in regional areas, Mr. Mason says. Also, there is already ample capacity in the U.S. to supply urethane foam for future needs, Mr. Mason adds. The reason for Carbide's entry into the field is that it hopes to increase growth potential for the bedding in dustry by introducing recently de veloped chemical technology to the industry. Carbide is thinking of using nonwoven fabrics and new develop ments in urethane foams in bedding products. Forward Integration. During the past two years Union Carbide has made several internal moves toward the consumer market. Efforts have been concentrated through the com pany's own consumer division, which is set up to handle a wide variety of products. At the present time, there
are at least six main types of con sumer products being handled by the division. Consumer products account for about 10% of the company's sales. In 1963, Union Carbide sales reached $1,668 billion. In Union Carbide's group of con sumer products are antifreeze and other car-care products sold under the Prestone brand name. The antifreeze market has grown to be a sizable out let for the company's ethylene glycol product. Carbide also markets stor age batteries under the Eveready brand name. Last year the consumer division launched a new marketing approach for its batteries that offers both prod uct and technical assistance on bat teries as well as motors and chargers. The division also began marketing high-efficiency, low-voltage motors for use in cameras, tape recorders, and other cordless devices. At the beginning of this year, the company completed new facilities for making nickel-cadmium batteries at Cleveland, Ohio. Last year, a new plant for miniature round-cell batteries went into operation in Greenville, S.C. Silver oxide batteries made there are used in hearing aids. According to the company, most battery-operated television sets now on the market are designed to utilize its alkaline batteries. There is also considerable activity in development of plastic products for the consumer market. The company has just started national distribution of household wrap and bags made of clear polyethylene film. Sold under the trade names of Glad Wrap and Glad Bags, the products are used for wrapping and storing food. Carbide has also been making baby and juvenile plastic products such as baby baths made from vinyl foam and vinyl car seats for children. These tie in with the company's vinyl opera tion. Outside the plastics area, Carbide markets 6-12 insect repellent based on its ethylhexanediol. It also markets synthetic synthetic star rubies and synthetic star sapphires that are manufactured by its Linde division.
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MAR.
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90S06
16, 1 9 6 4 C & E N
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Goodyear to Expand Isoprene, Polyisoprene Capacity
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There's no reason to open the bottle . . . no need to transfer re agents . . . no chance for contamination . . . no deposits or returns when you buy reagents in Fisher's handy 2-gallon or 5-gallon PolyPac. No storage problem, either. PolyPac sits on the ware house shelf until you convert it to a sealed, in-the-lab dispenser. Formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, buffers and many other solutions now come in PolyPac. Complete list, plus more details, in free PolyPac bulletin. Write Fisher Scientific Company, 101 Fisher Building, Pittsburgh 19, Pennsylvania. j-302 *Fisher Scientific Company Trademark
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C&EN
M A R . 16,
1964
Goodyear Tire & Rubber will expand its chemical and rubber facilities in Texas. The company has a $7 million expansion program to increase its iso prene and polyisoprene capacity at Beaumont. It will add facilities at its Houston site to make an antiozonant which it believes will greatly increase the ozone resistance of synthetic rub bers marketed today. The Beaumont expansion will cost $4 million and the antiozonant plant $3 million. The new facilities are scheduled for com pletion in the second quarter of 1965. In the polyisoprene expansion, Goodyear will increase its capacity from 28,000 long tons a year to 45,000 long tons. It will increase isoprene capacity from 33,000 long tons a year to about 47,500 long tons. When Goodyear first announced its polyisoprene facility at Beaumont, ca pacity was rated at 20,000 long tons, but with debottlenecking and catalyst improvement the plant was expanded to 28,000 long tons a year. The Goodyear expansion raises planned U.S. polyisoprene capacity to 101,000 tons a year. Shell Chemical operates two plants, a 20,000 ton-peryear plant at Torrance, Calif., and a 36,000 ton-per-year plant at Marietta, Ohio. In 1963 about 32,000 long tons of polyisoprene were made. Of this about 7000 tons was polyisoprene la tex made by Shell Chemical at Tor rance. The balance was dry rubber. Production of polyisoprene this year should reach 40,000 tons and output may reach 100,000 by 1970. Polyisoprene latex has not so far been widely discussed, but it looks like having a good chance of making sub stantial inroads into the natural rub ber and SBR latex markets. Today it is used mostly in foam rubber prod ucts.
Chemical Industry Equals Safety Record The chemical industry last year matched its previous all-time best safety record. According to the Man ufacturing Chemists' Association poll of 124 of its member companies, the industry posted an injury frequency rate of 2.98 per million man-hours worked—down from 3.14 in 1962 and equal to 1958's all-time record low.
Last year there were 389 man-days lost by employees of the reporting member companies per million manhours worked. In 1962 the severity rate was 514 million man-hours worked. The 1963 figure also was well below the 253 man-days per million loss reported by MCA companies in 1961. This safety record was achieved despite the fact that the hours worked by employees of the member companies increased by some 31.6 million in 1963 over 1962, MCA points out. Total time lost or charged due to injuries to employees of the reporting member companies, MCA adds, was 137,848 days in 1963 compared to 151,328 davs in 1962.
ORGANIC INTERMEDIATES offered by Pfister Chemical Works in commercial quantities
2,5-Dimethoxy-Chlorobenzene: Amber liquid which congeals at 7°C, boils at 238-242°C. Can be used as a dyestuff intermediate or in organic synthesis. 3-Nitro-4-Chloro-Benzanilide: Yellow powder melting at 133-136°C. Used in the manufacture of dyes and other organic chemicals.
Lenox, Purex in Joint Detergent Venture A joint venture to make and sell a new detergent for automatic dishwashers has been formed by Lenox, Inc., Trenton, N.J., manufacturer of household china, and Purex Corp., Lakewood, Calif. A Purex spokesman says the detergent will be suitable for all machine uses, but is intended for use on fine china. The detergent will not abrade glazed finishes or precious metal trim, Purex claims. The companies plan a limited market test followed by marketing through Purex's grocery products division. Composition of the new detergent was not revealed. It results from a development effort started by Lenox in 1962. Market research at that time showed that homemakers were seriously concerned about whether china could be washed in automatic dishwashers, according to Lenox. Lenox points out that most women who buy china own an automatic dishwasher. Thus, availability of a suitable machine detergent is a strong factor in marketing china. Virtually every maker of machine detergents now on the market claims his product is safe for china. Regardless of this, the market itself is a growing one. Purex and Lenox place it at S30 million at retail now with an annual growth rate of 16%. Automatic dishwashers are the fastest-growing product among the major household appliances, the firms say. The product will carry the Lenox brand name. The two companies will share investment costs and profits equally.
Pfister
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MAR.
16,
1964
C&EN
29
ACS Comments on Lab Licensing Bill
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C&EN
MAR.
16,
1964
The American Chemical Society has supplied the New York Legislature with detailed comments on a bill to regulate clinical laboratory practice and procedures in the state, including certification of laboratory directors. The views of the Society on the measure, which was prepared by Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller's office, were solicited by Sen. George R. Metcalf, chairman of the public health committee, and by the New York State Health Department. For five years, the Society has been in close touch with state legislative leaders on the need to regulate clinical laboratories and personnel. Last year, its comments contributed to the defeat of legislation which would have admitted to practice without further qualification many inadequately trained laboratory owners in the state (C&EN, April 22, 1963, page 7 3 ) . In a letter forwarding ACS comments on the current measure, Executive Secretary Alden H. Emery endorsed the principle of regulation of laboratories and scientists working in the clinical chemistry field as being consistent with ACS policy. Mr. Emery pointed out, however, that the bill in question could be strengthened and its contribution to the health and welfare of the citizens of New York increased if certain deficiencies were corrected before enactment. In addition to seven comments dealing with details in the bill, Mr. Emery made four principal suggestions concerning matters on which, he indicated, the Society feels strongly. These are: • The language in such legislation should be sufficiently clear so that clinical laboratory practice cannot in any way be construed to constitute the practice of medicine. Specific changes to incorporate this idea were recommended. • The concept of legislating standard methods of laboratory procedure, as reflected in the Rockefeller measures, is exceedingly unrealistic. Such procedures, Mr. Emery pointed out, become standard through usage and practical application rather than by legislative fiat. • The administration of clinical laboratory practice in New York would benefit from the creation of an advisory board consisting of individuals with the necessary scientific qualifi-
cations to work with the State Health Department. A precedent for such boards exists elsewhere—for example, in the Air Pollution Control Board and in boards of consultants for hospitals, and boards of visitors for hospitals, he noted. • Clinical laboratory scientists should be certified only for those procedures or categories of procedures for which they have received appropriate training and have shown competence. Sen. Metcalf has expressed some hope of factoring ACS comments into the legislation before enactment during this term of the legislature. If so, a long-continued effort to develop suitable means for upgrading clinical laboratory practices in New York may be near an end. Both the Rockefeller Administration and key committees in the Senate and the Assembly favor passage of such legislation during the current term.
BRIEFS Air Reduction Co. has completed its acquisition of Hofman Laboratories, Inc., and its subsidiary Paul Chemical Co. (C&EN, Feb. 17, page 19). Hofman, which makes cryogenic equipment, was acquired by Airco for 44,757 shares of Airco common stock.
Chas. Pfizer's plan to acquire Morningstar-Paisley, Inc., for about 205,000 shares of Pfizer common stock, has been approved by Morningstar's shareholders (C&EN, Jan. 27, page 21). The transaction, subject to receipt of a favorable tax ruling, will be consummated within a few weeks.
Information for Industry's record of the number of chemical and chemically related patents granted in the U.S. in 1963 is 12,270 not 2058 (C&EN, March 9, page 28).
General Tire & Rubber is investing more than $1 million in its glass fiberreinforced plastics plant at Marion, Ind., to install units for molding large auto body components for the truck and automobile industries. The company predicts a rapid conversion of body parts for trucks and automobiles and components for military, appli-
an ce, and marine products to reinforced plastics.
Baird Chemical is marketing synthetically produced lactic acid in the U.S. The product is imported from Musashino Chemical Laboratory, Ltd., Japan. Baird says it is selling a product that meets both USP and reagent grade specifications. Last December, Monsanto started producing synthetic lactic acid at Texas City, Tex. (C&EN, Dec. 9, 1963, page 4 4 ) .
Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co. plans to change its name to Honeywell, Inc. Stockholders will be asked to approve the action at the annual meeting in Minneapolis April 28. If approved, the new name would become effective April 30. Last year, the company started the name change by using Honeywell on all company literature, advertising, packaging, and company stationery (C&EN, April 8, 1963, page 2 9 ) .
VALUABLE?
Shareholders of both Abbott Labs and M & R Dietetic Labs have approved the two companies' merger plans. M & R will become the Ross Laboratories division of Abbott. M & R makes Similac, an infant food formula, and Pream, a powdered dairy preparation for use in coffee. Its earnings last year amounted to $1.8 million and sales were $35.1 million. Abbott's sales were $158.6 million last year. Abbott acquires M & R through an exchange of stock valued at more than $40 million.
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FINANCE Baxter Labs' 1963 sales and earnings set new records for the company. Sales topped $49 million (compared with about $42.3 million in the year before) and earnings were nearly $3 million ($2.8 million in 1962).
International Flavors & Fragrances moved onto the New York Stock Exchange listing. The New York City firm's stock previously was sold over the counter. Its earnings in 1963 were $4.8 million on sales of $47.1 million, a 36% increase over 1962 earnings.
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Chemical Division
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MAR.
16, 1 9 6 4 C & E N
31
NEW FACILITIES Chemetron Corp.'s Nitrogen Cylinder Gas division placed its new nitrogen liquéfier on stream at the company's Tampa, Fla., air separation plant. The company says the new liquéfier adds more than 20 million cubic feet of liquid nitrogen capacity a month. The company is also building a plant for producing nitrogen, argon, and liquid and gaseous oxygen at Chattanooga, Tenn. (C&EN, March 9, page 3 0 ) .
Du Pont has started up a new Teflon FEP film plant and reduced the price of the product. The new plant, at Circleville, Ohio, has a capacity for more than 1 million pounds of film a year. The new base price of $9.00 a pound is $1.00 below the previous price. Uses for the film include diaphragms, seals, bladders, insulation, and specialty packaging. Teflon FEP is a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene.
Great Lakes Carbon Corp. will build a new petroleum coke calcining plant near Enid, Okla. Construction will start next month and production should begin this fall. Petroleum coke, a byproduct of oil refining, is purchased by the company, calcined, and sold to the aluminum, chemical, steel, and other industries.
INTERNATIONAL Hooker Chemical, Ltd., will build a chlorine and caustic plant at Prince Rupert, B.C. The plant should be in operation early in 1966. Hooker will not reveal cost or capacity of the proposed plant.
Muroran Chemical Industry Co., Hokkaido, Japan, has placed on stream facilities for producing 16,500 tons of styrene per year. The facilities include an Alkar unit for producing ethylbenzene from benzene and a dehydrogenation unit for making the mono-
mer from ethylbenzene. Both units were designed and licensed to the Japanese firm by Universal Oil Products Co.
Canadian Celanese Co., a division of Chemcell (1963), Ltd., will expand and modernize acetate fiber facilities at the company's plants in Drummondville, Coaticook, and St. Jean, Que. The program is to be completed before the end of this year and will cost more than $5 million. Acetate fiber capacity will be increased by about 10%.
Polymer Corp., Ltd., plans a $14.6 million capital spending program this year. Included are $5.5 million to modify and improve the Sarnia, Ont., facilities, $6.7 million for the development and manufacture of new products at Sarnia, and about $2.4 million for alteration of the company's specialty rubber plant in France and completion of the butyl rubber plant in Belgium.
Minnesota Mining & Mfg. is expanding its polyester film plant at Decatur, Ala. The expansion consists of a new building which will add 23,000 square feet of floor space to the plant's existing 100,000 square feet plus additional equipment. Construction will begin this month. Completion is set for early this fall. 3M produces Scotchpar plain polyester film and Scotchpak, a heat-sealable polyester film, at its Decatur film plant.
Diamond Alkali's new chlorine and caustic soda plant at Mobile, Ala., has started operation. The company says it is operating at full capacity—75 tons of chlorine and 83 tons of caustic soda per day.
International Minerals & Chemical Corp., Skokie, 111., will build a $6 million research and development center 40 miles northwest of Chicago near Libertyville, 111. The new facility will increase the company's scope in research and development on plant nutrition, animal nutrition, mineral process ; ng and mineralogy, and food technology. New research and development areas will include plant growth regulators, nucleic acids, and chemicals for petroleum production. Completion is scheduled for 1965. 32
C&EN
MAR.
16,
1964
Foremost Dairies Demineralizes Whey by Electrodialysis Foremost Dairies, Inc., is now using the electrodialysis process to demineralize whey at its whey processing plant at Gustine, Calif. This is the third electrodialysis unit operated by the company. At Appleton, Wis., the company operates one such unit for Wyeth Laboratories. The finished product from this facility (lactalbumin) is used as an ingredient in infant formulas (C&EN, Oct. 8, 1962, page 44). Foremost also has a whey processing plant at Mishicot, Wis. The Gustine unit will be used in the manufacture of lactose from whey. It will be operated by Foremost's industrial division. Foremost has exclusive rights from Ionics, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., maker of the equipment, to the electrodialysis process equipment in the dairy industry in the U.S. Joseph L. Martinho (right) is manager of the Gustine plant and Dale E. Wiesner (left) is in charge of the electrodialysis unit.
