Harcros Chemicals Inc is a major distributor and producer of industrial chemicals. Privately held since a management buy-out in 2001, the Company began business in 1917 as Thompson-Hayward Chemicals, and in 1961 was purchased by North American Philips. In 1981, Harrisons and Crosfield plc purchased the bulk of the business from Philips, subsequently changing the name to Harcros Chemicals Inc.

Elastogran makes specialty elastomers and more. Elastrogran is one of the global leaders of polyurethane manufacturing. The company, a subsidiary of world's No. 1 chemicals maker BASF, makes polyurethane systems and polyurethane special elastomers. It is also a manufacturer and supplier of polyurethane raw materials. Polyurethane consists primarily of two raw materials produced from crude oil: isocyanate and polyol. One of its products, Elastollan, is used in ventilation mesh for sports shoes and in the automotive and electronics industries. Elastogran operates about a dozen sites in Europe and works closely with affiliate BASF Coatings to sell its polyurethane products throughout Europe.

Oil-Dri Corporation of America engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of sorbent products in the United States and internationally. It offers cat litter products, including coarse and scoopable products under the Cat’s Pride and Jonny Cat brand names; industrial and automotive sorbent products comprising clay-based sorbent products, such as Oil-Dri branded floor absorbent, which are used for floor maintenance in industrial applications to provide a non-slip and nonflammable surface for workers; and bleaching clay and clarification aid products under the pure-Flo, Perform and Select, and Ultra-Clear brand names that are used in bleaching, purification, and filtration applications. The company also provides agricultural and horticultural products consisting of granular and powdered mineral absorbent products under the Agsorb, Flo-Fre, Terra-Green, and Pro’s Choice brand names, which are used as carriers for crop protection chemicals, agricultural drying agents, bulk processing aids, growing media components, and sports field products; and animal health and nutrition products for livestock feed industry under the ConditionAde, Pel-Unite, and Pel-Unite Plus brand names. Its customers include mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, drugstore chains, pet retail outlets, dollar stores, retail grocery stores, distributors of industrial cleanup and automotive products, and environmental service companies, as well as processors and refiners of edible oils, petroleum-based oils, and biodiesel fuel; manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals; and marketers of consumer products and sports turf users. Oil-Dri Corporation sells its products through sales force, food brokers, and distributors, including industrial, auto parts, safety, sanitary supply, chemical, and paper distributors, as well as catalogs. The company was founded in 1941 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Though Incitec Pivot is Australia's largest producer of fertilizers, it plans to get even bigger by blowing things up. The company's main products are phosphate fertilizers (ammonium phosphates and superphosphates, primarily); it also produces urea and anhydrous ammonia. Incitec Pivot also manufactures industrial chemicals -- for water treatment and process manufacturing -- using by-products from the manufacturing process. The company was formed in 2003 through the merger of fertilizer makers Incitec and Pivot; Orica had owned 70% of Incitec Pivot until it sold that majority stake in 2006. Two years later Incitec Pivot bought explosives maker (and direct rival to Orica) Dyno Nobel for $3 billion.

EMD Chemicals makes things that help people look good, feel better, and live well. The company provides specialty chemicals for pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetic, automotive, plastics, electronics, and other industrial applications. The company's Lab Chemicals business makes high purity chemicals and analytical reagents for laboratory applications; its Life Science Solutions unit manufactures bulk ingredients for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic producers; and the Industrial Pigments division produces effect pigments for coatings, cosmetics, and the automotive industry.

Yara International tries to make the world green -- and, in the process, make a little green of its own. The manufacturer of fertilizers and industrial gases is among the world's largest makers of plant nutrients and ammonia, selling about 20 million metric tons of fertilizer per year. It is also a top supplier of CO2 and nitrogen chemicals to industrial markets and of nitrates to the explosives industry. Yara has a quarter stake in Chilean fertilizers maker SQM, as does Canadian fertilizers maker PotashCorp. Formerly known as Hydro Agri, the company was spun off in 2004 by Norwegian aluminum giant Norsk Hydro. Yara markets its products worldwide.

Specialty chemicals maker Perstorp manufactures a number of chemical products for the aerospace, marine, coatings, textile, and electronics sectors. Its coatings intermediates products include polyols used in coatings for appliances, autos, and wood. The Oxo intermediates segment makes monomers and plasticizers, and the performance chemicals division manufactures sodium formates used by the leather and textile industries. Subsidiary Formox serves the formaldehyde manufacturers by designing and building plants and providing catalysts for the production process. Perstorp operates in Asia, Europe, and North and South America. European investment firm PAI Partners owns Perstorp.

New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, New Generation Biofuels, Inc., holds an exclusive license to commercialize proprietary technology to manufacture an alternative biofuels from vegetable oils and animal fats in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It offers its biofuels for use in diesel fuel applications, including power generation, commercial and industrial heating, and marine transportation. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland.

A small branch on a big tree, Helena Chemical Company Western Business Unit is the western US division of the agricultural products unit of the US arm of a large Japanese trading concern. The company manufactures fertilizers and pesticides and provides agricultural services and supplies. Helena Chemical maintains locations in eight western US states: Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. The Western Business Unit manufactures fertilizers for suppliers and also provides formulation services for private label products.

Valhi, Inc is a Delaware corporation that has operations through majority-owned subsidiaries or less than majority-owned affiliates. Valhi’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “VHI.” See the disclosure in Valhi’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10Q and Proxy Statement (see the SEC Filings section of this website) for a recent description of Valhi’s operations and ownership structure.Valhi Inc. is considered a controlled company under the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. Pursuant to the listing standards, a controlled company may choose not to have a majority of independent directors, independent compensation, nominating or corporate governance committees or charters for these committees. Valhi has chosen not to have a majority of independent directors or an independent nominating or corporate governance committee.

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