ICI combines specialty units

Abstract

ICI, of the U.K., has formed a $1.2 billion specialty chemicals unit. The new business group combines the largely surfactant operations of ICI Lubricants, ICI Surfactants, Mona Industries, Solaveil, and Unichema International. Playing off the Unichema name, the new business will be called Uniqema. It will be fully operational by Jan. 1, 1999. Besides surfactants, the business will have lubricants and oleochemicals, which go to many of the same customers as surfactants. Uniqema will be based in London with headquarters for the Americas in Wilmington, Del. It will offer about 10,000 products in 90 countries. And it will operate in a wide range of markets via 20 business units: construction, crop protection, basic cleaning, food, coatings, health care, lubricants, oil field, oleochemicals, paper, personal care, polymers, polymer additives, rubber, soap, specialty cleaning, textile auxiliaries, textile spin finishes, tobacco, and water treatment. Three of the business units—lubricants, oleochemicals, and poly...