Sid Richardson planning Mexico carbon black facility

Carbon black manufacturer Sid Richardson Carbon & Energy Co. says it has “roots planted deep in Texas”. These roots will soon stretch south of the border, however. The company has announced it has begun the planning phase for the construction of a carbon black production facility in Mexico.

“Based on the current demand for carbon black in North America and projections for the next five years alone, we are viewing this venture as a necessary move to serve our customers,” commented company president and CEO Bill Jones. “We hope to have this new facility producing carbon black in 2017,” Jones adds.

Sid Richardson Carbon & Energy currently has capacity for more than 400,000 tonnes of furnace carbon black, including 22 grades of ATSM tyre blacks and 27 specialty carbon black grades. The company says it deals with every tyre producer in North America. Production takes place at two sites in Texas – Borger (168,000 tonnes, tread and casing grade carbon blacks) and Big Spring (109,000 tonnes, tread grade carbon black) – and in Addis, Louisiana (143,000 tonnes, tread and casing grade carbon black; capable of producing all ATSM grades).

Company founder Sid W. Richardson began his career as an oil well wildcatter, and after enjoying success in this field he founded Sid Richardson Company in 1947 to enhance the value of his newly discovered Keystone Gas Field in Texas. A year later he purchased a channel black plant in Odessa, Texas. The company built its first carbon black plant, the Big Spring facility, in 1961. Today Sid Richardson Carbon & Energy Co is a subsidiary of Bass Enterprises, a privately held company involved in gas and oil exploration.