Henkel focuses on home and hearth. The international company makes branded products for laundry and home care (Persil, Purex, Pril), cosmetics and toiletries (Schwarzkopf, Fa, Dial), and adhesives (Loctite, Ceresit, Teroson). Most of Henkel's operations are centered in Europe, although its ownership of The Dial Corporation gives it access to the US market. Henkel serves customers in more than 125 countries from offices extending nearly everywhere but Greenland and Australia. Relatives of the founding Henkel family control the company, which began in 1876. Amid an economic downturn in the US and abroad, Henkel in 2009 initiated a long-term strategy with financial targets that extend into 2012.

Kuraray's synthetics are for real. The diversified company manufactures chemicals and resins (about half of sales, including copolymer EVAL used in food packaging) and synthetic fibers and textiles (man-made leather, nonwoven fabrics, rayon, and polyester). It also offers engineering and consulting services. Kuraray pioneered the commercialization of several synthetic fibers and resins -- such as its KURALON and Poval products -- for industrial uses. The company, which does most of its business in Japan, is made up of about 80 companies operating in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Call Masterchem Industries Double-Oh Seven because it's got a license to KILZ. The coatings company -- a subsidiary of home supply giant Masco's BEHR paints business -- manufactures primers, one-coat paints, and rust preventatives under the brands Hammerite and KILZ. The company's two manufacturing facilities are located in and around St. Louis. Masterchem, which was founded in 1954, sells its products through 30,000 retailers nationwide; the vast majority of its products are sold to retail outlets with the remainder sold to distributors. It became a Masco subsidiary in 2000.

Inolex Chemical Company is a family-owned supplier of specialty chemicals for the lubricant, personal care and cosmetics industries. Inolex′s headquarters is located in Philadelphia, PA.At this Philadelphia site, fatty acids have been produced since the 1800′s, when D.B. Martin Oil and Fats began operations there. Wilson and Company, a major meat packer acquired the business for the first half of the century. In the 1970′s American Can acquired the company as part of a diversification strategy providing an entry for American Can into the chemical business. American Can changed the name to Inolex (Innovation Technology Excellence) in 1974. The present ownership dates back to 1981 when the Plimpton family acquired the business and incorporated under the name Inolex Chemical Company.

Clariant is among the world's largest specialty chemicals companies. Its largest business units make functional chemicals such as biocides, industrial ingredients, and detergents as well as chemicals and dyes for textiles, leather, and paper. Clariant's other segments make pigments for inks, paints, and plastics and masterbatches, which are highly concentrated additives for plastics and textiles. It is also among the leading manufacturers of de-icing agents and fire retardants. Active in 150 countries on five continents, Clariant is now focusing on its fast-growing fine and specialty chemicals and on expanding operations in Asia.

Cray Valley beats Kellogg's any day -- the French company can boast of four scoops of resins. Cray Valley, along with affiliates Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP) and Sartomer, forms the worldwide resins business for TOTAL's chemicals division. It manufactures structural, coatings, hydrocarbon, and powder resins. Among the end products Cray Valley's resins find themselves in are inks, varnishes, paints, adhesives, and gel coats. The company has manufacturing plants in Africa, Asia, and throughout Europe. Since TOTAL joined together Cray Valley, CCP, and Sartomer in 1990 the company has grown its business through successive international acquisitions.

Mitsubishi Rayon's largest business segment makes chemicals and plastics, principally those based on MMA monomers. Another major business segment produces man-made fibers, including polyester and acrylic fibers and Pylen, a recyclable material used for interior decoration and automobile interiors. Other operations include specialty products such as plastic optical fibers, composite fibers, and water filtration systems. Mitsubishi Rayon is part of the Mitsubishi "keiretsu," a group of firms affiliated through extensive cross-ownership.

Business is booming in good times and in bad at Orica. Its acquisition of the European and North American explosives operations from Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) put Orica among the world's largest suppliers of commercial explosives. The company primarily serves the mining, quarrying, and construction industries. Additionally, Orica's Chemicals division produces chlor-alkali, mining, water-treatment, and industrial chemicals through its Minova, Chemnet, and other subsidiaries. Orica is also a leader in consumer products in Australia and New Zealand; subsidiaries of that unit include Selleys (home and car care products), Dulux (decorative paints), and Cabot's (woodcare products).

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.

CECO Environmental Corp. provides air pollution control products and services primarily in the United States. It engineers, designs, builds, and installs systems that capture, clean, and destroy contaminants from industrial facilities; and equipment that controls emissions from industrial facilities. The company operates in four divisions: Contracting, Equipment, Components/Parts, and Engineering/Design. The Contracting division offers dust collectors, oil mist collectors, chip conveyance systems, air houses, and conveyors, as well as engages in custom sheet metal fabrication.The Equipment division provides regenerative thermal oxidation, catalytic and thermal oxidation, and selective and regenerative catalytic reduction solutions; and dampers, expansion joints, fiber-bed filter mist collectors, catenary grid and narrow gap, replacement filters, repack services, heavy duty air handling and conditioning solutions, fume exhaust systems, air-curtain hoods, strip/coil coolers and dryers, pulsejet bag houses, reverse air bag houses, pulsejet cartridge and fabric filters, flue gas coolers, exhaust treatment systems, and foundry sand reclamation equipment. It also offers industrial and FCC cyclones, air classifiers, scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, medial filtration, and pneumatic conveying and industrial ventilation solutions.The Components/Parts division offers component parts for industrial air systems and clamp-together componentized ducting systems. The company serves aerospace, brick, cement, ceramics, metalworking, ethanol, printing, paper, food, foundries, power plants, metal plating, woodworking, chemicals, glass, tobacco, automotive, ethanol, and pharmaceutical industries. CECO Environmental Corp. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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