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Drivers on Ohio 7 may have wondered why the sign outside the Chevron Phillips plant had been changed Thursday to read “Americas Styrenics.”

On Friday, Chevron Phillips and Dow Chemical Company explained, announcing that Americas Styrenics, the companies’ new joint venture announced in April 2007, began operations this week.

The new company has the largest polystyrene capacity in the Western hemisphere, according to a release from the company.

“Americas Styrenics is positioned as a market leader from day one, and as such, we intend to uphold the manufacturing standards and valued customer reputations of our parent companies, while continuously pursuing growth in the market,” company president and CEO Tim Roberts said in the release.

The new company is dedicated to the business of polystyrene, the release says.

“This joint venture company has the opportunity to focus on the styrenics industry,” said Brian Cain, media affairs adviser for Americas Styrenics in Houston. “It is able to build on the manufacturing, commercial and technological expertise of its parent companies.”

Polystyrene is used in a variety of products, including packing peanuts, bathroom cabinets, CD cases, toys, appliances, lighting, lamination and food packaging, Cain said.

The Marietta polystyrene plant is one of Washington County’s largest employers, with approximately 180 people working there, according to the Southeast Ohio Port Authority’s Web site, www.pioneerspirit.us. Americas Styrenics has approximately 600 employees in North and South America and plans “no significant workforce reductions” at any of its eight plants, Cain said.

Mark Wurtzbacher, president of United Steelworkers Local 14200 and an employee of Americas Styrenics, said the transition has been a smooth one, much like when Chevron partnered with ConocoPhillips in 2000.

“So far, this has gone smooth,” he said. “They have not indicated to us any reductions.”

The biggest impact on local workers has been a change in the pension system, Wurtzbacher said. The current defined benefits system will be frozen as of Jan. 1, 2009, and changed to an enhanced 401(k) package.

Wurtzbacher said workers prefer the defined benefits system because it guarantees a certain amount a month after an employee retires based on his or her years of service. The 401(k) is a lump sum from contributions from the employee and company over time.

“So far though, we really have no complaints,” Wurtzbacher said.

To form the company, Chevron Phillips contributed the Marietta plant and a styrene monomer plant in St. James, La. Dow contributed six polystyrene plants in Ironton; Torrance, Calif.; Gales Ferry, Conn.; Joliet, Ill.; Guaruja, Brazil; and Cartagena, Colombia.

The Marietta plant has been in operation since 1955, when the facility was built by Union Carbide. The plant has 10 lines to produce polystyrene, as well as a research and technology center adjacent to the production facility, a pilot plant, a technical laboratory and a fabrication area.

 

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