The Unitika Group got its start in 1889, with the founding of Amagasaki Spinners, a historic first step in the start of Japan's textile industry. When the company changed its name to Dainippon Spinners in 1918, it was already helping to support the Japanese fiber industry as one of Japan's three largest textile makers. In 1969, the company merged with Nippon Rayon and the new company became known as Unitika. Today, Unitika's fiber and textile business and the dynamic array of its other business activities are made possible by the interactions among all the Group members. As Unitika continues to evolve into the future, its wealth of experience is an asset shared throughout the Group.At the Unitika Group, we are reinforcing our corporate constitution and enhancing our corporate value in accordance with our management principle of "contributing to the good of society by connecting people's lives and technologies." As an advanced material manufacturer, we engage in an extensive range of businesses: manufacture of films, resins, nonwoven fabrics and other polymer or synthetic fiber materials, glass fiber and other highly functional materials, all based on our original polymer technologies developed over many years; and in environment- and biotechnology-related businesses. Through these activities, we seek to become a company with a strong social presence that contributes to people's lives and to the natural environment. This is in fact our management vision.

Valhi, Inc is a Delaware corporation that has operations through majority-owned subsidiaries or less than majority-owned affiliates. Valhi’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “VHI.” See the disclosure in Valhi’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10Q and Proxy Statement (see the SEC Filings section of this website) for a recent description of Valhi’s operations and ownership structure.Valhi Inc. is considered a controlled company under the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. Pursuant to the listing standards, a controlled company may choose not to have a majority of independent directors, independent compensation, nominating or corporate governance committees or charters for these committees. Valhi has chosen not to have a majority of independent directors or an independent nominating or corporate governance committee.

Victrex Polymer Solutions, a division of Victrex plc, specializes in the development and manufacture of high performance polyaryletherketones such as VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer, VICOTE® coatings, and APTIV™ film. We are committed to providing our customers specialized services and the most comprehensive product portfolio of its kind.With more than 30 years of experience, Victrex has a production, technology, customer service, and distribution team that spans more than 30 countries worldwide. We work directly with material processors and design engineers in a multitude of industries to help create new applications using Victrex polyketone materials. We help improve processing techniques and find ways to reduce overall costs with the goal to introduce competitive, innovative applications to the marketplace. The Victrex biomaterials business, Invibio® Biomaterial Solutions, provides access to highly specialized biocompatible PEEK-based materials and services for medical device manufacturers.

In 1989, the Thai government, through the Board of Investment, granted promotional privileges to Vinythai to operate as one of the nation’s largest petrochemical down streamers in the National Petrochemical Complex (NPC2), for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), chlorine, and other co-products such as caustic soda. Vinythai’s production facilities are located in the country’s industrial capital – Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate on the Eastern Seaboard in Rayong Province.Vinythai Public Company Limited manufactures and distributes products that resin-ate around the world. Its main product, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) resin, is used to make everything from clothes to building materials, medical supplies to automobile parts. Vinythai also produces significant quantities of caustic soda used in the exploration, production, and processing of petroleum, as well as in the production of biodiesel and natural gas. A majority of its products are sold in Thailand, the remainder, throughout Southeast Asia.

WACKER is an independent, globally active company that manufactures and sells chemical products and engages in intensive scientific research. A leader in its core businesses – semiconductors, polysilicon, polymers/specialty chemicals and silicones – WACKER forges ahead with innovative chemistry and new technologies, supplying solutions that are market-oriented, energy-saving and environmentally compatible.The company, a subsidiary of German silicon and silicone maker Wacker Chemie, is a custom compounder of a number of silicone products, most extensively silicone rubber. Products include orthopedic putty, industrial silicones, fluorosilicones, platinum cure silicone, spin casting materials, electrically and thermally conductive silicones, closed cell foam and sponge rubber, and silicone color master batches. Wacker SILMIX's products go to serve the aerospace, automotive, jewelry, pharmaceutical, and electrical industries. It has locations in California and Ohio.

With an annual capacity of over 400 million pounds, Washington Penn Plastic Co., Inc. is the largest compounder of custom polyolefins in North America. We have been providing material solutions to our customers for over 45 years. Today, we offer mineral-filled and glass-reinforced polypropylene compounds that compete with higher cost engineering resins. We supply thermoplastic olefin compounds that offer a complete range of strength, toughness, and flexibility.All of our custom compounds can be manufactured in natural or pre-colored to meet your specifications. We provide our customers with a wide variety of polypropylene and polyethylene neat resins. Finally, we produce color concentrates in hundreds of custom colors as well as post-consumer recycled polypropylene and polyethylene materials. At Washington Penn Plastic Co., Inc., we are driven by the needs of our customers. Our goal is to deliver cost effective material solutions with industry leading speed, quality, and reliability.

Wellman makes PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging resins used in soft-drink bottles and other food and beverage packaging. It ranks among the largest PET makers worldwide, along with INVISTA and Eastman Chemical. In 2008 Wellman filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and emerged the next year, owned by a collection of former debt holders. Following that, the company sold a manufacturing facility that made polyester fibers for the textile industry, recycled polyester and nylon fibers (from reclaimed plastic bottles and film) used in furniture and bedding, and recycled engineering resins for injection molding purposes.

Yule Catto’s Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) performance improved sharply for the second year in a row, making 2008 easily the Company’s best year ever for SHE performance. The number of Over-3-Day Lost Time Accidents (O3D) accidents in Group companies owned on 1 January 2008 halved, to give an accident rate better than the average for the UK chemical industry (as measured by the UK Chemical Industries Association). This was the target we set for 2008. Equally encouraging, there was a significant drop in the all Lost Time Accident (LTA) rate which reduced to 60% of the latest figure reported by Cefic (the European Chemical Industry’s representative body).Yule Catto & Co plc produces specialty chemicals through three units: polymer chemicals (water-based polymers, synthetic latex), performance chemicals (aerosol filling, colorants, industrial cleaners), and pharma and fine chemicals (pharmaceutical ingredients, organic and inorganic chemicals, flavor and fragrance products for food and detergents). Yule Catto's polymer chemicals division is by far its largest, accounting for more than two-thirds of sales. Malaysian plantation company Kuala Lumpur Kepong owns nearly 22% of Yule Catto.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.