I
t was another year of restructuring in the worldwide chemical industry. Companies were acquired and disappeared. Others were born as firms spun off unwanted operations. Yet again, chemical companies «tried to adjust their portfolio focus. The result was a shifting corporate landscape as companies attempted to cope with a changing chemical environment. Financially, the worldwide chemical industry improved. Production was up slightly in most countries as demand fi^chemicals itiiproved. But at the same time, costs increased. Despite recovery around the world, the chemical industry still has not reached growth levels witnessed just a few years ago. All these factors are reflected in the data for this year's Facts & Figures for thé Chemical Industry. The compilation of the vast amounts of information from around the world for this special report has laigely been the work of Assistant Managing Editor William J. Storck, Senior Editor Patricia Layman Short (London), Senior Editors Michael McCoy and Marc S. Reisch (Northeast News Bureau), Houston Bureau Head ABH| ? M. Thayer, and Asia-Pacific Bureau Head Jean-Françoist Tremblay (Hong Kong).
