W. R. Grace & Co. is engaged in the production and sale of specialty chemicals
and specialty materials on a global basis through two reportable business segments:
Grace Catalysts Technologies, which includes catalysts and related products
and technologies used in refining, petrochemical and other chemical manufacturing
applications; and Grace Materials Technologies, which includes specialty materials,
including silica-based and silica-alumina-based materials, used in coatings,
consumer, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications. We entered the specialty
chemicals industry in 1954, the year in which we acquired the Davison Chemical
Company. Grace is the successor to a company that began in 1854 and originally
became a public company in 1953. W. R. Grace & Co. is a Delaware corporation.
Our principal executive offices are located at 7500 Grace Drive, Columbia, Maryland
21044, telephone (410) 531-4000.
Grace Catalysts Technologies produces and sells catalysts and related products
and technologies used in refining, petrochemical and other chemical manufacturing
applications, as follows:
Fluid catalytic cracking catalysts, also called FCC catalysts, that help to
"crack" the hydrocarbon chain in distilled crude oil to produce transportation
fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuels, and other petroleum-based products;
and FCC additives used to reduce sulfur in gasoline, maximize propylene production
from refinery FCC units, and reduce emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides
and carbon monoxide from refinery FCC units.
Hydroprocessing catalysts (HPC), most of which are marketed through our Advanced
Refining Technologies LLC, or ART, joint venture with Chevron Products Company
in which we hold a 50% economic interest, that are used in process reactors
to upgrade heavy oils into lighter, more useful products by removing impurities
such as nitrogen, sulfur and heavy metals, allowing less expensive
feedstocks to be used in the petroleum refining process. (ART is not consolidated
in our financial statements so ART's sales are excluded from our sales.)
Polyolefin catalysts and catalyst supports, also called specialty catalysts
(SC), for the production of polypropylene and polyethylene thermoplastic resins,
which can be customized to enhance the performance of a wide range of industrial
and consumer end-use applications including high pressure pipe, geomembranes,
food packaging, automotive parts, medical devices, and textiles; chemical catalysts
used in a variety of industrial, environmental and consumer applications; and
gas-phase polypropylene process technology, which provides our licensees with
a reliable capability to manufacture polypropylene products for a broad array
of end-use applications.
Grace Materials Technologies produces and sells specialty materials, including
silica-based and silica-alumina-based materials, used in coatings, consumer,
industrial, and pharmaceutical applications, as follows:
Coatings and print media applications, functional additives that provide matting
effects and corrosion protection for industrial and consumer coatings and media
and paper products to enhance quality in ink jet coatings.
Consumer/Pharma applications, as a free-flow agent, carrier or processing aid
in food and personal care products; as a toothpaste abrasive and thickener;
and for the processing and stabilization of edible oils and beverages; as well
as pharmaceutical, life science and related applications including silica-based
separation media, excipients and pharmaceutical intermediates.
Chemical Process applications, such as tires and rubber, plastics, precision
investment casting, refractory, insulating glass windows, adsorbents for use
in petrochemical and natural gas processes and biofuels, various functions such
as reinforcement, high temperature binding and moisture scavenging.
Our strategy is to increase enterprise value by profitably growing our specialty
chemicals and specialty materials businesses in the global marketplace and achieving
high levels of efficiency and cash flow. To meet these objectives, we plan to:
invest in research and development activities, with the goal of introducing
new high-performance, technically differentiated products and services and enhancing
manufacturing processes and operations;
expand sales and manufacturing into emerging regions, including China, India,
other economies in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America;
pursue selected acquisitions and alliances that complement our current product
offerings or provide opportunities for faster penetration of desirable market
or geographic segments; and
continue our commitment to process and productivity improvements and cost-management,
such as rigorous controls on working capital and capital spending, integration
of functional support services worldwide, and programs for improving operations
and supply chain management.
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