Columbian Acquires Chinese Carbon Black Plant

On January 31 Columbian Chemicals (Weifang) Holdings S.àr.l., completed the acquisition of Shandong Haihua Carbon Black Chemical Co., Ltd. located in the city of Weifang, in China’s Shandong province. This purchase represents Columbian’s first entry into the Chinese carbon black market.

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.”

The Weifang carbon black plant, which was originally built in 2003 with a capacity of 20,000 metric tons, consists of one tread line. Columbian 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 metric tons after the addition of a carcass line.

These expansion plans will be conducted under the leadership of Jong-Bum Park, who has been named President and General Manager of the Weifang Plant. Park has served as Columbian’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Asia and has been with the company for 8 years.

Columbian Chemicals Co. is one of the world’s largest producers of carbon black. Based in Marietta, Georgia, Columbian Chemicals Co. owns and operates eleven carbon black manufacturing facilities, employing approximately 1,300 people worldwide.