Market leadership:
building value through competitive advantage
Market leadership is attained by identifying and building on clearly sustainable competitive advantages. Whether it's a strong global presence, an unassailable cost position, or a knowledge base of specialty chemistry developed through years of application research, Witco knows how to follow through to sustain its lead.
Truly Global.
With the acquisition of Ciba Vinyl Additives in 1998, Witco became the largest producer of polymer additives for polyvinyl chloride in the world, gaining an established presence in key global markets of Europe and Asia. After investing to integrate this new acquisition into our business, we are now ready to capitalize on the exciting opportunities this combination affords.
Witco now produces the world's most complete line of tin and mixed metal stabilizers and lubricant additives for the olefin and styrenic markets. We are also aggressively pursuing the development of unique metal-free vinyl stabilizers that are an environmentally attractive alternative to traditional materials for the pipe and construction markets.
Our leadership position and our range of product offerings have opened the doorway to the world for Witco. In addition to a commanding presence in Western Europe, we now have world-class sales and technical service operations in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. This provides Polymer Chemicals, for the first time, with a truly global organization through which it can serve the world.
Give Them The Wow.
Another strength of our OrganoSilicones Group is the ability to leverage innovative silicone chemistry to meet specific market requirements. During the past two years, we have used this ability to develop a family of specialty products that deliver the extra "wow" that cosmetic and shampoo formulators cannot find in commodity silanes silicones.
Silsoft® A-843 organsilicone makes hair easy to comb, and does not build up like other conditioning silicones. As a result, several multinational personal care companies have already approved Silsoft A-843 organosilicone for their latest products. They are also showing intense interest in our Silsoft Shine® co-polymer, which adds stunning gloss and shine to hair styling products without the formulation headaches posed by competing products.
Our latest organosilicone, Silsoft SurFace™ film former, lets cosmetics companies formulate long-wearing lipsticks in glossy new colors without trading off the soft, elegant feel women expect in the finest makeup. By using our knowledge of silicone to provide specialized solutions, we plan to keep our customers at the leading edge of fashion trends for years to come.
Formulating For Growth.
Oil and water don't mix. Yet farmers never have to think twice about dispersing oil-soluble agricultural chemicals in water. Witco's broad range of organic and silicone surfactants make this possible. They also make pesticides safer, more economical, and more environmentally friendly to use.
Our Sponto® EC emulsifiers provide an environmentally friendly, off-the-shelf solution for many formulations, and an excellent starting point for customization. Organosilicone Silwet® surfactants help farmers cover more acreage each time they fill their tanks. And, we remain the leading surfactant supplier for dry blending systems favored by many formulators and farmers.
Yet products are only part of the story. Witco has blossomed into the world's largest source of agricultural specialty additives thanks to our unmatched ability to create systems that optimize pesticide performance. This winning fusion of product technology and applications expertise catapulted our agricultural specialties business to its best year ever in 1998.
Sustaining Leadership.
Perseverance and raw strength is what drove Witco to its current global market leadership position in fully refined hydrocarbons such as white oils and petrolatums. Innovation and creative solutions are what will keep us there. Our recent arrangement with Petro-Canada was a bold move, but a logical one that allows Witco to serve our white oil customers with one of the industry's most efficient and vertically integrated white oil plants. It also gives us the capability to expand our capacity in other areas such as petrolatums and waxes and to enter new markets.
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