About The General Chemical Group

The General Chemical Group Inc. is a producer of soda ash and calcium chloride in North America. The company's soda ash is used in the manufacture of glass, sodium-based chemicals (such as baking soda), detergents, paper, textiles, food and many other familiar consumer products. The company's calcium chloride is used primarily by highway and road maintenance organizations for dust control and roadbed stabilization during the summer and for de-icing roads and sidewalks during the winter. The company operates its Green River facility through General Chemical (Soda Ash) Partners (GCSAP), a partnership with subsidiaries of ACI International Limited and TOSOH Corporation. The Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride Businesses Soda Ash Soda ash is used in the manufacture of glass, sodium-based chemicals, detergents, paper and other consumer products. It is also used in water treatment, pulp and paper and other industrial end-use applications. Approximately one-half of global soda ash demand is attributable to glass production. The glass production market is comprised of manufacturers of bottles and other containers, commercial, residential and automobile windows, mirrors, fiberglass, television tubes, lighting ware, tableware, glassware and laboratory ware. The company, along with the other five U.S. producers of natural soda ash, is a member of ANSAC, a soda ash export cooperative organized in 1984 under an exemption from U.S. antitrust laws provided under the Webb-Pommerene Act. Through this cooperative, all six U.S. producers export soda ash to all parts of the world except Canada and the members of the European Union, where U.S. producers export soda ash directly. The primary export markets served by ANSAC are Asia and Latin America and, to a lesser extent, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. Calcium Chloride The primary uses for the company's calcium chloride--road maintenance and ice removal--are seasonal and weather dependent. During the summer, the company's calcium chloride is used in liquid form on unpaved roads for dust control and roadbed stabilization. During the winter, the company's calcium chloride is used in flake and liquid form for ice removal. The company primarily markets its calcium chloride to highway and road maintenance organizations, as well as other industrial and governmental users. The company also markets a range of calcium chloride-based products for sidewalk and driveway de-icing applications through retail home improvement centers. Competition Soda Ash: The company competes with international soda ash producers, including Brunner Mond plc, Penrice Soda Ash Products Pty Ltd., and Solvay S.A. Calcium Chloride: The company's major competitors are The Dow Chemical Company (Dow Chemical), and TETRA Technologies, Inc. (TETRA). History The General Chemical Group Inc. was incorporated in 1988 as a Delaware corporation.