Austin Powder has the original boom box. The company was founded in 1833 to manufacture black powder used to blast rocks, mine coal, create canals, and generally move mountains. Today Austin Powder's commercial explosives are used primarily for construction, mining, quarrying, and seismic exploration. Products include detonating cord, detonator-sensitive emulsions, cast boosters, and high-explosive emulsions. It also makes electric and non-electric detonators. Austin International, through joint ventures and partnerships, provides explosives for projects outside the US, mostly in other parts of the Americas. The company distributes in the US and Canada through 65 company-owned stores.

Mexican conglomerate Alfa is a big player in four different industry segments. Alpek, a global petrochemical concern with an emphasis on synthetic fibers (Akra Polyester, DAK Americas, Nyltek, Indelpro, PTAL, Temex) accounts for about 40% of sales. Alfa's other operations consist primarily of refrigerated-foods manufacturer and distributor Sigma Alimentos (Yoplait yogurt, Oscar Mayer), aluminum auto part maker Nemak (engine heads and blocks), and telecom company Alestra. Alfa has alliances with more than 20 companies (such as AT&T, Ford, and Kraft) around the world. It operates more than 75 production facilities throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe, though Mexico provides almost half of its sales.

Two-thirds of the Earth is water, and a lot of that stuff can be a little sketchy, so that's where GE Water and Process Technologies steps into the picture. A unit of GE's Energy Infrastructure segment, GE Water manufactures water treatment chemicals, as well as making pumps, filters, and fluid controls that help purify water, work against corrosion, and prepare waste water for disposal. Desalination technologies and mobile water treatment systems are a research and developmental focus for the company. GE Water is #2 in the water treatment market behind Nalco. It serves beverage makers, the chemical processing industry, pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as the power generation and transportation industries.

When plain old mortar won't do, Sika Corporation offers its construction customers specialty mortars. Sika also manufactures adhesives, coatings, epoxies, grouts, and polyurethane. Its products are used to seal, bond, dampen sounds, reinforce, and protect load-bearing structures. The company markets its products to the construction and manufacturing industries, including transportation, marine, and automotive. Sika's Construction Products division is based along with its headquarters in New Jersey while its Industrial and Automotive divisions are based in Michigan. Sika is the US unit of the global chemicals company Sika AG.

The company is Europe's largest chemical distributor (ahead of Univar) and among the top three in the US (along with the likes of Ashland); it also ranks as the top distributor in Latin America. From its 400 locations in 60 countries, Brenntag offers lab services (blending, compounding, preparation), storage, and logistics activities. Among the companies whose products Brenntag supplies are global giants like Arkema, BASF, and Yara. Its industrial and specialty chemicals serve the oil and gas, cosmetics, coatings, plastics, mining, and pulp and paper industries. Brenntag went public in 2010.

HELM is in control of its own ship. A marketer and distributor of chemicals, the company's products include fertilizers, insecticides, additives, pharmaceuticals, animal and human nutrients, and plastics. Founded at the turn of the last century and based in Germany -- with about 60% of its sales coming from Europe -- HELM has operations in more than 30 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY) is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, as well as a major North American chemical manufacturer. We are the fourth-largest U.S. oil and gas company, based on market capitalization of $48.6 billion at year-end 2008, with more than 10,000 employees and 20,000 contractors on four continents.Oxy is committed to respecting the environment, maintaining safety and upholding high standards of social responsibility throughout the company's worldwide operations. Oxy's success is built on technical expertise, business acumen, strong partnerships and proven ability to deliver superior results.OxyChem is a leading North American manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, chlorine, calcium chloride and caustic soda – key building blocks for a variety of indispensable products such as plastics, pharmaceuticals and water treatment chemicals. OxyChem is the largest U.S. merchant marketer of both chlorine and its co-product caustic soda, and the world’s largest producer of caustic potash and calcium chloride. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada and Latin America. OxyVinyls offers a full product line of PVC resins suitable for most vinyl production applications and maintains the highest quality standards in its manufacturing plants, all of which are ISO 9002 certified. Its reliable manufacturing operations lead the industry with an integrated raw material position. The resulting low-cost production position enables us to supply customers consistently, even through major swings in the commodity business cycle.

Vertellus Specialties manufactures chemicals for the agricultural, nutritional, pharmaceutical, personal care, and performance material markets. The company's Agriculture and Nutrition Specialties division's products include pyridine, picolines, and vitamin B-3. Vertellus' Specialty Materials operations include the manufacture of DEET (a primary ingredient in mosquito repellent), pharmaceutical intermediates, as well as castor and citrate polymer additives for use in plastics, adhesives, coatings, and sealants. It operates manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Investment firm Wind Point Partners owns Vertellus.

Fluorine-based chemicals have enabled Navin Fluorine to flourish. The company, a leading flourine and specialty chemicals manufacturer in India, produces a wide range of organic and inorganic fluorochemicals and refrigerated gases. Navin Fluorine makes more than 40 products used as raw materials in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, insecticides, and cleaners, among others. Customers include Ranbaxy, Matrix, Hindalco, and BARC. Navin Fluorine is part of India's Arvind Mafatlal Group (AMG).

Beardow & Adams is constantly seeking out and creating sticky situations for itself. The company, known as Beardow Adams, is a hot melt adhesives manufacturer, whose products are used in such activities as bookbinding, woodworking, adhering labels to cans, bottles, and refrigerators, and sealing up the tops of cereal boxes. Hot melts are also used in the assembly of products ranging from consumer appliances to automobiles. Its products are distributed worldwide. Beardow Adams was established in 1977 by chairman and managing director Bob Adams and his partner, Len Beardow.

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