Mixing up a batch of colors is the primary activity of Performance Masterbatches. The company, founded in 1975, has developed a system to make color-extruded plastics to customer specifications. The masterbatch process is a mixture of pigments and additives encapsulated during heating into a carrier resin and then cut into a granular shape after cooling. The process allows manufacturers to select the color of their polymer products. Performance Masterbatches uses its Datamatch system to produce a wide range of colors and to ensure color consistency.

Total Petrochemicals is just a small portion of a very large TOTAL. The Total Petrochemicals company is the business unit in charge of the French energy giant's worldwide production of base petrochemicals (olefins and aromatics), polyethylene, polypropylene, and styrenics (styrene, polystyrene, and elastomers). Olefins are the basic building blocks of the chemical world, such as ethylene and propylene, and are manufactured primarily from natural gas and naphtha; they are the raw materials used in just about everything else the company makes. The Total Petrochemicals is invested heavily in Asia through 50-50 joint venture Samsung Total Petrochemicals, which offers Total a prominent gateway into Asia and in particular the Chinese market.

Soy -- not just a food substitute anymore. Evidently, it can be a chemical substitute as well. Franmar Chemical manufactures 100% biodegradable and recyclable soybean- and corn-based products for the restoration and remodeling, asbestos removal, screen-printing, industrial cleaning, boating, and consumer markets. Some brand names include Bean-e-doo adhesive remover, Kernel Clean surface and window cleaner, Ickee Stickee Unstuck Graffiti Remover, and Soy Smooth hand lotion. Customers of the environmentally responsible products include government agencies and foreign restoration companies. President Frank Sliney founded the company in 1983.

Turtle Wax would have been one of those kitchen table success stories, except Ben and Marie Hirsch concocted their polish in the bathtub. In the 1950s they changed the name of their company from Plastone Polish to Super Hard Shell and later to Turtle Wax. Now led jointly by their daughter Sondra Healy and son Denis John Healy Jr., the family-owned firm makes more than 1,250 products, including car waxes, polishes, and cleaners and sells them in 90 countries. Other products include engine treatments, vinyl and leather protectants, and odor removers. Turtle Wax also supplies bulk chemicals to car washes and operates some 20 car washes in the Chicago and Kansas City areas.

XGel may sound like something emitted from one of Professor Charles Xavier's students, but in reality it's Meldex International's super power. The British company manufactures XGel for the pharmaceutical industry as a replacement for gelatin in drug capsules. Meldex's water-soluble, biodegradable films have also been used by the health care industry, in environmentally friendly feminine hygiene products, and for a new line of paintballs. It also makes a breath-freshening film for toothpaste. The company operated as BioProgress until late 2007 when it changed its name.

Dyno Nobel Inc. is the North American unit of explosives maker Dyno Nobel. The company, which operates more than 50 manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout the continent, is North America's leading supplier of explosives. Primary customers include mining, construction, and industrial quarry companies. Its former parent company, the Norwegian private equity firm Industrie Kapital, divided the parent company in 2005 and sold the Australian and North American operations to Macquarie Bank. Rival Orica acquired the other operations. Dyno Nobel remains the world's second-largest explosives producer behind Orica, though it was acquired by Australian agrochem maker Incitec Pivot in 2008.

Dover Chemical wants product manufacturers to dive into its pool of chemical ingredients. The company makes flame retardants, surfactants, and lubricants for a diverse range of industries, from rubber to personal care products to paints. A subsidiary of ICC Industries, Dover Chemical has manufacturing facilities in its home base of Dover, Ohio, and in Hammond, Indiana; it sells its products throughout the US. It is among the top US manufacturers of chlorinated paraffins, which are used to make flame retardants, and it is major producer of liquid phosphites in North America.

ELANTAS PDG has a long business pedigree when it comes to making protective and performance-enhancing electronic coatings, varnishes, and resins. Although scholars might take issue, the company claims that "founder P. D. George coined the word 'Pedigree' in 1919 to denote quality." Etymology aside, the company -- which is owned by German conglomerate ALTANA -- makes wire coatings, insulating varnishes, and encapsulating resins designed to insulate, protect, and improve the performance of wires and other electronic components. ELANTAS PDG (formerly called P. D. George Corporation) also makes resins used in other electronic products and applications, including banding tape, adhesives, and laminating resins.

Sinnett-Elpaco Coatings makes industrial paints and powder coatings for products in the ammunition, appliance, automotive, construction, electrical, industrial machinery, consumer goods, marine, and office furniture industries. Its products include high-temperature coatings, clear polyester powders, enamels, solvents, epoxies, urethanes, and wash primers. The company, also known as TriTech Coatings, is owned by its executives.

Thai KK Industry developed its business model and stuck with it. The company, jointly owned by Thai Eternal Group and Taiwan Eternal Group, manufactures adhesive tapes and labels for use in industrial and printing applications. Thai KK Industry also produces melamine resin, an ingredient in everyday household plastic consumer products like foodware, table coatings, as well as electrical components. The company markets its tape and label products internationally under the KK, Valu, and Scorpion brand names (all manufactured at its production facility in Thailand).

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