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Celanese

(Redirected fromHoechst Celanese)
"Fortron" redirects here. For the electronic power supply manufacturer, seeFSP Group.
"Ticona" redirects here. For the place, seeTicona, Illinois.For the person, seeIsrael Ticona.

Celanese Corporation,formerly known asHoechst Celanese,is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered inIrving,Texas.[3]It is aFortune 500corporation. The company is the world's leading producer ofacetic acid,producing about 1.95 milliontonnesper year, representing approximately 25% of global production.[4]Celanese is also the world's largest producer ofvinyl acetate monomer(VAM).[5]

Celanese Corporation
Company typePublic
ISINUS1508701034
IndustryChemicals and advanced materials
PredecessorCelanese AG
Founded1918;106 years ago(1918)inNew York City
FounderCamille Dreyfus
Headquarters
Irving, Texas
,
U.S.
Area served
Global
Key people
  • Lori J. Ryerkerk (CEO)
  • Scott Richardson (COO)
RevenueIncreaseUS$10.9 billion(2023)
IncreaseUS$1.69 billion (2023)
IncreaseUS$1.96 billion (2023)
Total assetsIncreaseUS$26.6 billion (2023)
Total equityIncreaseUS$7.09 billion (2023)
Number of employees
12,410 (2023)
Websitecelanese.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2]

Celanese operates 25 production plants and six research centers in 11 countries, mainly in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company owns and operates the world's three largest acetic acid plants: one in theClear Lakearea ofPasadena,Texas,[6]one onJurong IslandinSingapore,and a third inNanjing,China.[4][7]

History

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In 1918, the American Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Company (known as Amcelle) was founded inNew York Cityby Swiss chemistCamille Dreyfus.[8]

The American Cellulose and Chemical Manufacturing Co. Ltd plant inCumberland, Maryland,was set up duringWorld War Ito produce cheaper fabric for airplane manufacturing. The plant location was chosen inland to protect againstZeppelinattacks. It was also situated in proximity to a ready source of water at thePotomac Riverand easy access to coal supplies and railroad lines. After a series of delays, production began on Christmas Day, 1924 with a series ofcellulose acetatecommercial fabrics and yarns intended as alternatives tosilk.[9]The plant was closed in 1983,[10]and was later torn down to provide a space for a newstate prison.[11]

The company had introduced the word “Celanese,” a combination of “cellulose” and “ease” in 1925, seeking to promote the ease of cleaning and care of their acetate yarn, or artificial silk, fabrics. They officially took this name in 1927, becoming Celanese Corporation of America.

After World War II

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In 1947, Celanese started producing acetate fiber at its plant nearOcotlán, Jalisco, Mexico.The plant was closed in 2019.[12]

By 1958, Celanese had 13 domestic plants, threeresearch and developmentcenters, some 30 groups of products, and approximately 13,000 employees.[13]

In 1959, Celanese commissionedEdward Durell Stone,a 20th-century Americanarchitect,to build the “Celanese House,”a model home inNew Canaan, Connecticut,to showcase the company's new materials and styles.[14]

Logo introduced in the 1970s, designed bySaul Bass

Celanese bought operations of the British chemicals firmImperial Chemical Industriesin 1982. This included the Fiber Industries Incorporated plant inSalisbury, North Carolina,a part ofInvistasince 2004.[15]

In 1983, Celanese built a $20 million plant inRock Hill, South Carolina,to producepolybenzimidazole(PBI), a material used to fabricate high-performance protective apparel used infirefighter's gearandastronaut space suits.[16]

Celanesespun offits pharmaceutical business asCelgenein 1986.

In 1987, Celanese Corporation was acquired byHoechstand merged with its American subsidiary, American Hoechst, to form Hoechst Celanese Corporation.[17]

In 1998, in a $2.7 billion deal, Hoechst Celanese sold its Trevira division to a consortium betweenHouston-based KoSa, a joint venture ofKoch Industries,IMASAB S.A., andGrupo Xtra,both of Mexico.[18][19][20]Also in 1998, Hoechst combined most of its industrial chemical operations into a new company, Celanese AG.

In 1999, Hoechst spun off Celanese AG as a publicly traded German corporation,cross-listedon both theFrankfurtandNew York stock exchangesas "CZZ" and "CZ", respectively.

On 16 December 2003, the U.S.private equity firmBlackstone Groupannounced atakeover offerfor Celanese,[21]after two years of wooing management.[22]Shareholders formally approved the offer from Blackstone on 16 June 2004, and Blackstone completed the acquisition of Celanese AG. The company was delisted from theNew York Stock Exchange,and Blackstone changed the entity's name back to Celanese Corporation. Under Blackstone, a number of streamlining initiatives were undertaken, and several acquisitions were made.

On 21 January 2005, Celanese Corporation conducted aninitial public offeringand became a publicly traded corporation traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CE".[23]When Blackstone sold the last of its shares in 2007, it had made five times what it had invested and it, and its co-investors collected a $2.9 billion profit.[24]

In June 2009, the company sold itspolyvinyl alcohol(PVOH) business toSekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.[25]

Celanese has aprocessto makeethanolfromnatural gas.[26][27]

In late 2020, Celanese sold their 45% stake in Polyplastics toDaicel,who already owned 55% of the company. This transaction resulted in Daicel attaining full ownership of Polyplastics.[28]

Class action lawsuits

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In 1985, Hoechst Celanese was named along withShell OilandUS Brassas a defendant in a class action lawsuit for $7 billion in both past and potential future damages for which they were accused of being liable because of leaks in theirpolybutylene(PB) plumbing systems.[29]The lawsuit alleged a complex scheme to mislead buyers into believing that PB plumbing systems were suitable for use aspotable waterdistribution systems and purportedly enjoying a lifetime of 50 years service. According to the lawsuit, scientists from the defendants allegedly reported that the PB plumbing systems would degrade even when exposed to low concentrations of chlorine typically found in municipal water systems. The lawsuit claimed that in spite of this knowledge, the defendants concealed the information and continued to market these products (Shell supplying PB resins to water pipe manufacturers and Hoechst Celanese providing acetal resins to manufacturers of pipe fittings) until approximately 1996.[30]The lawsuit was settled in 1995 forUS$950,000,000.[31]

In January 2014, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the citizens of Cannon's Campground, seeking relief from health and environmental dangers posed by groundwater and surface water contamination emanating from the Hoechst-Celanese manufacturing plant inSpartanburg, South Carolina.[32]The lawsuit alleged the dumping of a number of toxic chemicals into local waters, which has diminished property values and caused a number of illnesses. Hoechst Celanese asked the courts to dismiss these charges as spurious, claiming that its discharges have not caused substantial harm to anyone or to the environment, and further asserting that a 3-year limit ontortclaims had expired, relieving the company of any responsibility for damages which might be eventually discovered.[33]

Products

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Celanese cellulose acetate factory nearNarrows, Virginia

Acetyl intermediates

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Acetyl intermediates is Celanese's largest segment, with a product range consisting of basic chemicals such asacetic acid,acetic anhydride,andvinyl acetate.Customers of acetyl intermediates and industrial specialties are in the chemical, paint and coatings, construction, and adhesive industries forpolymerization.

Advanced engineered materials

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Advanced engineered materials offersplasticpolymers to customers in the automotive, electronics, telecommunications, and medical industries. Major products include engineered plastics for fuel system components (provided byTicona,the engineering polymer business of Celanese), conveyor belts, electronics, safety systems, emissions filtration, and fluid handling. Polymer production is improved by the acquisition of SO.F.TER Group,Forlì,inItalyin 2016.[34][35]

Consumer specialties

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The food ingredients businessNutrinovaproduces the high intensity sweetener Sunett (acesulfame K), thepreservativesNutrinova,potassium sorbate,andsorbic acid,and other food ingredients. Major end-use markets include beverages, confections, baked goods, and dairy products. In 2021, Celanese ranked 7th on FoodTalks' Global Top 20 Food Preservative Companies list.[36]

Celanese is one of the world's largest producers ofcellulose acetate.Acetate products are primarily used incigarette filters,as well as in the production of fashion apparel andlinings.Celanese also manufactures Clarifoilcellulose acetate filmthat is wood pulp based and certified biodegradable and compostable in home and industrial composting conditions.

Industrial specialties

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Industrial specialties, using thefeedstockfrom acetyl intermediates, manufactures polymer and emulsions such aspolyvinyl acetateemulsions, and specialty chemicals asethylene vinyl acetate.Major end-use markets includepolyvinyl alcoholproducers, paper, mortar and gypsum, textiles, paints, coatings, and adhesives manufacturers.

Advanced fuel technology

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TCX Technologyis a hydrocarbon-based ethanol production process developed and marketed by Celanese and launched in November 2010. Celanese researchers developed the TCX Technology to create a fuel that helps countries reduce their need to import oil and gas. Celanese plans to invest $700 million to build one-to-two plants in China and one in Texas that will produce TCX-based ethanol.[37][38]

References

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  1. ^"Celanese Corporation 2023 Annual Report (Form 10-K)".SEC.gov.U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.23 February 2024.
  2. ^Stych, Anne (Apr 10, 2019)."Irving-based chemical company names new CEO".Dallas Business Journal.RetrievedApr 10,2019.
  3. ^"Contacts."Celanese. Retrieved on December 12, 2012." Celanese Corporation Headquarters 222 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 900N Irving, Texas 75039 USA "
  4. ^ab"Celanese Acetic Acid Plant, Nanjing".Chemical Technology.Retrieved2020-09-05.
  5. ^""Celanese to cut jobs due to poor economic climate" ICIS News Jan. 15, 2009"Retrieved Jun. 29, 2010.
  6. ^""DuPont declares VAM force majeure" ICIS News Sep. 5, 2007"Retrieved Jun. 29, 2010.
  7. ^"Celanese to Build Acetic Acid Plant in China".www.businesswireindia.com.Retrieved2020-09-05.
  8. ^"History of CELANESE CORPORATION".referenceforbusiness.com.
  9. ^"Hoechtst Celanese Corporation History".fundinguniverse.com.
  10. ^Meyer, Eugene (1983-10-03)."City in Distress".The Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2020-09-06.
  11. ^Wheeler, Timothy (1998-12-08)."Prison presence in Western Md. Allegany: Corrections jobs are replacing industry jobs that left the county over past 20 years, but a proliferation of prisons is not welcomed by everyone".The Baltimore Sun.Archived fromthe originalon 2020-12-05.Retrieved2020-09-06.
  12. ^Carlson, Kara (2019-07-02)."Closing Mexico chemicals plant will cost Celanese Corp. up to $110 million".The Dallas Morning News.Retrieved2020-09-06.
  13. ^"Celanese Corporation of America".Chemical & Engineering News.36(4b): 24. 1958-01-27.doi:10.1021/cen-v036n004b.p024.ISSN0009-2347.
  14. ^Reagan, Candace (2018-07-26)."Joint Ventures and New Frontiers (1960-1969) – Celanese Blog".Celanese Blog.Archived fromthe originalon 2020-11-28.Retrieved2020-09-05.
  15. ^Raymond, Amanda (June 12, 2016)."Durafiber Technologies employees look back at 50 years".Salisbury Post.RetrievedOctober 31,2018.
  16. ^Greenhouse, Steven (1984-06-24)."Celanese Sticks with the Basics".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2020-09-06.
  17. ^"Celanese AG History"(PDF).New York Stock Exchange.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-10-19.Retrieved2017-08-25.
  18. ^Davis, Kathleen (1998-04-23)."Hoechst sells division for $2.7 billion".Spartanburg Herald-Journal.Retrieved2019-11-21.
  19. ^Williams, Grace (1998-04-22)."Hoechst sells Trevira to Koch/Mexican team".ICIS.Retrieved2019-11-21.
  20. ^"Company News; Celanese Canada in Talks to Sell Its Polyester Business".The New York Times.1999-03-25.Retrieved2019-11-25– viaBloomberg News.
  21. ^"Offer Document".U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Retrieved2020-09-05.
  22. ^David Carey and John E. Morris,King of Capital: The Remarkable Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone(Crown 2010),pp. 199-203.
  23. ^Celanese - History
  24. ^King of Capital,p. 205.
  25. ^"About Us | Sekisui Specialty Chemicals".
  26. ^"Law prevents company from making fossil-fuel-based ethanol".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-29.Retrieved2012-04-23.
  27. ^"How A Dumb Law Blocks A Great Way To Fuel America".[dead link‍]
  28. ^"60680466".S&P Global Market Intelligence.2020-10-09.Retrieved2024-04-10.
  29. ^Reisch, Mark (17 July 1995). "Shell, Hoechst Celanese face $7 billion lawsuit".Chemical & Engineering News.73(29): 8.doi:10.1021/cen-v073n029.p008.
  30. ^"14".Class action dilemmas: pursuing public goals for private gain.Hensler, Deborah R., 1942-. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. 2000.ISBN978-0-8330-4394-8.OCLC70768994.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link)
  31. ^Evans, Judith (1995-11-10)."Tennessee Judge Approves Plastic Pipe Settlement".The Washington Post.The Washington Post.Retrieved2024-02-01.
  32. ^"Cannon's Campground & Groundwater Pollution | Louthian Law".www.louthianlaw.com.Retrieved2020-09-05.
  33. ^Kitzmiller, Felicia (25 February 2014)."Companies ask court to dismiss class action lawsuit".GoUpstate.com.Spartanburg, South Carolina. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-03-03.
  34. ^Celanese rileva SO.F.TER Group(Italian)
  35. ^Celanese completes acquisition of SO.F.TER Grouop
  36. ^Wang, Yiyi (2021-09-29)."2021 niên toàn cầu thực phẩm phòng hủ tề xí nghiệp 20 cường"[Global Top 20 Food Preservative Companies].FoodTalks(in Chinese).Retrieved2022-02-14.
  37. ^""Celanese faces U.S. road block on ethanol" Reuters Jun. 15, 2011"Retrieved Sep. 5, 2020.
  38. ^""Company sees its coal-to-ethanol technology as a game changer – for itself and the industry" ICIS Chemical Business Jan. 10, 2011"Retrieved Apr. 6, 2012.(subscription required)
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  • Official website
  • Business data for Celanese Corporation:
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