Vulcan Chemicals Builds Specialties Portfolio Around Chlor-Alkali Core

Like so many commodity producers, Vulcan Chemicals has found itself buffeted by the poor business climate of the past few years. In addition, the chemicals arm of Birmingham, Ala.-based Vulcan Materials has had the added problem of being the sixth largest producer of increasingly controversial chlor-alkalies. In light of evidence that some chlorinated organics adversely affect humans and the environment, chlorine and chlorinated products have become the focus of intensifying regulatory pressure and public debate. Although chlor-alkali producers are stepping up collective efforts to tout chlorine's innumerable benefits, they recognize that chlorine demand may never be what it was. Moreover, as chlorine demand wanes, they are hard pressed to satisfy demands for caustic soda, which is coproduced at a fixed rate of 1.1 tons per ton of chlorine. To survive in the marketplace, chlor-alkali producers have had to regroup to deal with much less dynamic future growth prospects for their products. For its part, Vulcan ...