Atofina company has chosen the name “Arkema”

Atofina’s newly separated Vinyl Products, Industrial Chemicals and Performance Products business has been christened Arkema.

The name, announced in Paris this morning, is intended to combine the concept of an arch with that of the firm’s vocation as a chemicals producer. “The overall symmetry of the name symbolises balance,” the company said.

Arkema is headed by Thierry Le Henaff and employs almost 20,000 people generating sales of E5bn. It will be a largely autonomous concern with solid financial backing, but will not become financially independent before 2006.

The business will hold a major position in PVC and compounds, as well as the Atoglas PMMA business, engineering polymers such as the successful Rilsan family and PVdF, and plastic additives operations. Arkema UK, based in Solihull, is headed by Paul Jukes.

Atofina will retain its petrochemicals activities covering steam crackers, PE and PP; this business has been renamed Total Petrochemicals with effect from 1 October. The UK arm is headed by David Gresham.