Clariant Corporation is clearly into the chemicals business. The company is divided into four segments: Textile, Leather, and Paper Chemicals; Functional Chemicals; Pigments and Additives; and Masterbatches (which are color and additive concentrates). As the North American subsidiary of Swiss specialty chemicals maker Clariant AG, Clariant Corp. oversees operations in Canada and the US and has about 25 manufacturing facilities and service centers throughout North America.

Agrium Inc. produces and markets agricultural nutrients, industrial products, and specialty products worldwide, as well as involves in the retail supply of agricultural products and services in North and South America. It operates through three segments: Retail, Wholesale, and Advanced Technologies. The Retail segment markets crop nutrient products, including nitrogen, phosphate, potash, sulphur, and micronutrients; crop protection products, such as herbicides, fungicides, adjuvants, and insecticides; seeds; and a range of custom application and agronomic consulting services, as well as other services, including crop input product application, soil and leaf tissue testing and analysis, and crop scouting. As of December 31, 2008, this segment operated approximately 800 retail farm centers in the U.S., Argentina, and Chile. The Wholesale segment manufactures, purchases, and markets a range of nutrients, including nitrogen-based, potash, and phosphate-based crop nutrient products. It also owns and operates facilities that upgrade ammonia and urea to other products, such as nitrogen solutions and nitric acid. In addition, this segment operates fertilizer granulation and blending plants in the United States. The Advanced Technologies segment produces and sells controlled-release crop nutrient and professional products to the agriculture, specialty agriculture, professional turf, horticulture, and consumer lawn and garden markets. This segment also offers pest control products to the structural pest control industry, including pest control in residential and commercial structures. It was formerly known as Cominco Fertilizers Ltd. and changed its name to Agrium Inc. in 1995. The company was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Specialty chemical company Cognis prides itself on being aware of the chemical marketplace. The company -- whose name is derived from the Latin cognoscere, "to know or perceive" -- operates through three business units: Care Chemicals, Nutrition and Health, and Functional Products. Among Cognis' products are environmentally friendly inks and coatings, synthetic lubricants, oilfield chemicals, fatty acids, and dietary supplements. Once a subsidiary of chemicals giant Henkel, Cognis is now owned by an investment group led by Permira and Goldman Sachs.

The company (SII for short) manufactures a number of specialty and basic chemicals, beginning with aluminum-based products (for the paper and water treatment industries) to zirconium (for makers of titanium dioxide -- the most widely used white pigment). Its core markets include manufacturers of cement, molecular sieves, pharmaceuticals, refinery and automotive catalysts, and zeolites. SII has about 10 manufacturing plants spread throughout the southeast US and Texas. President and CEO Milton Sundbeck owns Southern Ionics.

KIC Chemicals distributes food, pharmaceutical, industrial, and personal care products. A short list of distributed offerings includes castor oil and castor seed derivatives, fatty acids, soap and cosmetic ingredients, flavor and fragrance ingredients, glycerin and vegetable oils, industrial chemicals, and plasticizers. KIC also provides custom packaging and labeling services. The company was established in 1985. KIC Chemicals is owned by Edward Kort, the company's president.

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.

The Mosaic Company engages in the production and marketing of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients for the agriculture industry in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Offshore. The Phosphates segment produces phosphate crop nutrients for use in crop nutrients and feed phosphate for animal feed ingredients. The Potash segment produces and sells potash for use as fertilizers and animal feed ingredients, as well as in industrial applications. Potash is also used for de-icing and as a water softener regenerant. The Offshore segment produces and/or markets phosphate-, potash-, and nitrogen-based crop nutrients and animal feed ingredients, as well as operates sales offices, crop nutrient blending and bagging facilities, port terminals, and warehouses. The Mosaic Company sells its products primarily to wholesale distributors, retail chains, cooperatives, independent retailers, and national accounts. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. The Mosaic Company is a subsidiary of Cargill, Incorporated.

Akzo Nobel is the world's largest paint maker, but it can do more than paint a pretty picture. The company is also among the world's largest chemical manufacturers and a major salt producer. Akzo Nobel divides its business into three lines. The paints group produces decorative paints and primarily serves Europe and North America. Akzo Nobel's coatings group manufactures marine and protective coatings, packaging coatings, automotive finishes, and industrial coatings. The specialty chemicals unit makes pulp and paper chemicals, functional chemicals (flame retardants, crop nutrients), industrial chemicals (salt and chlor alkalies), surfactants, and specialty starches.

It's more than soft soap that sells at Standard Soap Company. The specialty chemicals company produces conventional milled soap (made from opaque or translucent soap bases of animal and vegetable origin), and transparent glycerine soap. The venerable contract manufacturer has been in business for well over a century. Standard Soap also makes a wide range of liquid toiletries in hot and cold mixes, waxes, and sticks. Its target markets include UK retail, UK and overseas brand owners, and global haute couture fragranced-led brand owners. Malaysian multinational Kuala Lumpur Kepong acquired the company in 1995.

Inabata & Co. is all over the map, literally and figuratively. The company has operations in such varied segments as information technology and electronics, housing materials, chemicals, plastics, and food, offering its products around the world. The company produces IT and electronic goods including flat panel displays, copiers and printers, while its chemical products include dyestuffs, paper chemicals, paint, ink, and adhesives. Offerings in the plastics segments include resins, performance plastics, and packaging materials. Inabata also supplies seafood, agricultural, and meat products to commercial clients worldwide.

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