AkzoNobel Invests In TiO₂

Seeking to back-integrate into the white pigment that it needs for its paint production, AkzoNobel is forming a titanium dioxide partnership with Guangxi CAVA Titanium Industry Co. The companies plan to build a 100,000-metric-ton-per-year TiO₂ plant in Qinzhou, China, by early 2014. “By entering into this partnership with CAVA, we will enhance security of supply in Asia for a critical raw material,” says Werner Fuhrmann, who leads supply chain and sourcing for AkzoNobel. The world’s largest TiO₂ producer, DuPont, has planned to build a large TiO₂ plant in China since 2005, although it hasn’t begun construction.