Chemtura (Middlebury, CT), says Peter Smith, who heads the company's Global Antioxidant and UV stabilizer business, says the agreements will allow Chemtura to maximize global expansion opportunities, especially in the Middle East and Asia. "We intend to make further moves to expand our global capability to serve our customers as effectively as possible."

Chemtura will continue to supply antioxidants through a combination of technology licensing, global sourcing agreements, and its global manufacturing network in the Middle East, Asia, North and South America, and Europe. The company will build on its existing alkylated phenol capacity, the key raw material in making antioxidants, adding new capacity and a new range of alkylated phenols to be produced at its Catenoy, France site.

Chemtura's new Weston 705 family of phosphite antioxidants will be made at multiple sites around the world. In its first commercial development phase, total annual capacity will adequately supply the needs of the marketplace. This new offers significant benefits over the older powder Alkanox 240 type material, especially in terms of end-user performance and overall cost. —Rob Neilley