Sherwin Alumina, one of the largest alumina refineries in North America, extracts aluminum oxide, or alumina, from bauxite ore. It has an annual production capacity of nearly 1.5 million tons of smelter-grade and 300,000 tons of chemical-grade alumina. After the company refines the alumina it is then used primarily in the making of aluminum, though also as an abrasive and a refractory material. Sherwin Alumina's location on the Texas Gulf Coast allows it access to nearby aluminum smelting facilities and its own deepwater port. It is owned by Swiss metals giant Glencore.

Sid Richardson Carbon & Energy (SRCE) operates in the black -- as in furnace carbon black, a primary non-rubber additive used in the manufacturing of tires. Its Sid Richardson Carbon subsidiary manufactures and markets carbon black at plants in Louisiana, the Texas Panhandle, and West Texas, where the plants convert diesel oil into material used to harden rubber tires. The company produces more than 970 million tons of carbon black a year. Its more than 30 grades of carbon black are also used in industrial rubber applications such as automotive sealing systems and sheet roofing, as well as for printing inks, paints, and batteries. SRCE is owned by Sid Richardson's heirs, the ultra-rich Bass oil family of Texas.

Where would we be without the squeegee? Ettore Products doesn't want to know. The company's founder, Ettore Steccone, designed and patented the modern squeegee in 1936. Ettore also makes a variety of other cleaning items such as window sponges, extendable automobile scrub brushes, dusters, floor squeegees, and scrapers, all of which can be found at hardware and do-it-yourself stores such as Ace, Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, and Sutherland Lumber. The company manufactures its products at its 35,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Oakland, California, and has international locations in China and the Netherlands.

The AMINe COmpany, or Taminco for short, is a leading manufacturer of methylamines, a key chemical building block for agricultural, household, industrial, and pharmaceutical products. It also makes amine-based derivatives that are used in animal feed additives, detergents, insecticides, paints, performance solvents, rubber processing, and water and gas treatment. Taminco operates through three business units: Methylamines & Derivatives, Higher Amines & Specialties, and Life Sciences. The company runs eight production sites in the Americas, Asia/Pacific, and Europe, with additional offices in Africa and the Middle East. In 2007 private equity firm CVC Capital Partners agreed to acquire Taminco.

Continental Carbon sees a red door and wants it painted black. Founded in 1936, the company manufactures carbon black from three plants in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas. It has marketing and distribution operations in other areas of the US, and it has a carbon black manufacturing subsidiary in India. Continental Carbon produces nearly 20 different grades of carbon black that are used for tires and other rubber and plastic products. The company is owned by China Synthetic Rubber Corporation.

Hollingsworth & Vose Company manufactures products for engine filtration, air and liquid filtration, and battery separators using nonwoven materials. It also makes advanced composites as well as technical, filter, and specialty papers. The company's engine and industrial filtration products are made to perform in harsh environments and are used in automotive air, automotive lubrication, diesel, fuel, hydraulic, oil, and other specialty filtration applications. Hollingsworth & Vose's battery separators are made with uniform pore structure, chemical stability, and high wicking and absorbency. The company has plants in Germany, the UK, and the US.

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation and manufacture of fragrance and flavor products in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Flavors and Fragrances. The Flavors segment offers flavor compounds to the food and beverage industries for use in consumer products, such as prepared foods, beverages, dairy, and food and confectionery products. The Fragrances segment provides various functional fragrances, including fragrance compounds for personal care and household products; fine fragrance and beauty care, including perfumes, colognes, and toiletries; and ingredients consisting of synthetic ingredients that could be combined with other materials to create functional and fine fragrance compounds. This segment markets its products primarily to the cosmetics industry, including perfume and toiletries manufacturers; and the household products industry comprising the manufacturers of soaps, detergents, fabric care, household cleaners, and air fresheners. The company markets its products through agents and distributors. International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. was founded in 1909 and is based in New York, New York.

Vystar is vying to be a health care star. The company makes Vytex, a natural rubber latex product that retains the positive properties of latex (strength, comfort, widespread availability, good barrier) without producing the allergic reaction that plagues about 20% of health care workers and more than 70% of patients. Vytex is used in health care supplies including surgical and exam gloves, probe covers, catheters, tubing, and adhesives. Non-medical uses include sponges, balloons, condoms, threads and other textiles, and mattresses. It can be inserted into the manufacturing process just like natural latex so customers don't have to reconfigure assembly lines. Vystar's goods are made by Revertex Malaysia.

C.P. Pokphand Co. (CPP) is the Chinese arm of Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Group. The company's products include animal feed additives (chlortetracycline and hydrochloride chlortetracycline, which are broad-spectrum antibiotics), made at its Huazhong Chia Tai and Pucheng Chia Tai subsidiaries. Its Northern Ek Chor unit manufactures Dayang brand of cub-style motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and tricycles). Its Shanjiang Deni Carburetor joint venture manufactures motorcycle and auto carburetors, along with automotive accessories. In addition, through its ECI-Metro operations, the company is a dealer for Caterpillar products, offering sales, leasing, and repair for the heavy-equipment manufacturer's products.

PTT Aromatics and Refining (PTTAR) is in the additives business. The company makes products such as paraxylene, benzene, toluene, and orthoxylene, which are used in everything from food containers, polyester fiber, and synthetic rubber to paints and insecticide. PTTAR sells its products mostly to Thai companies, fulfilling its mandate to reduce the need for importing chemicals. About a third of the company's goods are exported to other Asian nations. PTTAR refines some 2.2 million tons of aromatics per year. PTT, Thailand's largest oil and gas company, owns 49% of PTTAR, which was formed in 2007 from the merger of The Aromatics (Thailand) and Rayong Refinery.

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