First Quarter 2008 Big for Major CPI Project Completions

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--During the first quarter of the year, nearly $750 million in previously reported capital project activity is expected to be complete based on projects currently being tracked as part of Industrial Info's North American Project Database. This activity compares with an estimated $1.6 billion originally planned to be complete during the first quarter. The “fallout” might seem high, although a large portion of this number was from just six projects that equaled a combined value of nearly $700 million that were canceled or placed on indefinite hold.

In Canada, Canexus Limited Partnership (Brandon, Manitoba) is planning to complete an expansion of its Brandon sodium chlorates plant with an estimated cost of nearly $60 million that is the seventh phase expansion of the site. Canexus has been a consistent contributor to growth and spending in Canada during the past several years and recently confirmed its commitment to begin yet another major expansion in the region. Canexus is moving forward with plans to spend more than $100 million to replace older mercury cell equipment used in the production of chlorine in its North Vancouver, British Columbia, plant with newer membrane cell technology beginning.

Here in the United States, the largest capital project expected to be complete and online in the next month or two is an expansion Toray Carbon Fibers America Incorporated (Decatur, Alabama). Toray's project is a third-phase expansion of its Decatur carbon fibers plant that is due to be complete soon. As this project nears completion, a four-phase expansion is also under construction and expected to be complete and online late this summer. Plans are already under consideration for another phase of similar construction activity in 2009.

In Mexico, Rohm and Haas Company (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) hopes to complete the construction of a grassroot plant in Queretaro, Mexico, soon. The plant is being constructed for the purpose of consolidating regional production including an existing plant in Apizaco, Mexico, that will be closed upon the start of the new plant. Including this new plant, five grassroot plants are expected to be complete this quarter.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process and energy related industries with products and services ranging from industry news, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia advertising campaign assistance.