US firm in talks to buy Teesside chemical plant
Jun 24 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal
The Dow ethelyne oxide plant is integrated with other businesses at the Wilton site. It takes the ethelyne itself from the Sabic cracker and the ethelyne oxide it produces goes downstream to Croda, where it goes to make ingredients used in everyday items such as detergents and shampoos.
Former Wilton owner ICI set up the centre to maximise integration, to cut costs and boost safety and efficiency. However, now that the individual plants are owned by different companies, those working upstream and downstream of each other can be hit by changes at their neighbours.
Dow also operates an ethlyene glycerol facility at Wilton and runs the Dow Haltermann sites in Middlesbrough and Billingham.
Third Coast Chemicals said it had no comment to make other than that which was in the public domain and Dow Chemicals said it had nothing to report at the moment.
The ethylene oxide plant at Wilton was built by ICI in 1969. It was sold to Union Carbide Ltd in 1995 and became Dow’s when the companies merged in 2001.
