Company News
September 16, 2026
Dow Urethane Comments in Laguna
Dow Inc. (DOW) Presents at Morgan Stanley’s 14th Annual Laguna Conference Transcript
Sep 16, 2026, 3:51 PM ETDow Inc. (DOW) Stock
Dow Inc. (DOW) Morgan Stanley’s 14th Annual Laguna Conference September 16, 2026 1:00 PM EDT
Company Participants
Jeffrey Tate – Chief Financial Officer
Jeffrey Tate
Chief Financial Officer
Great. Thank you, [ Mark. ] And good morning, everyone, and thank you for having me today. Before we get into your questions, I’d like to begin with just a few remarks to paint a picture of how the third quarter has evolved. I’ll share Dow’s views on the external factors and market conditions that have the greatest impact on our business as well as an overview of our self-help actions, continued financial discipline and our near-term priorities.
Now I’ll start on Slide 2, with the current environment. The macro backdrop remains dynamic and largely unchanged from what we outlined in July at our earnings. Specific to Dow, our strategically advantaged global footprint and local supply chains in every region continue to be differentiators for us. The oil-to-gas spread remains elevated as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue, supported by recent material escalation of crude pricing, while gas remains largely unaffected. This reinforces the competitive advantage of Dow’s purpose-built asset base and feedstock position that we’ve developed over decades. And while the tariff landscape has become more complex, Dow’s direct exposure remains minimal.
That said, continued volatility and uncertainty in the early part of the third quarter have created some headwinds that we’re working to offset.
Several market developments are working in our favor, which we expect to at least partially offset some of the impacts, but we’ve got more work to do. More specifically, July polyethylene prices in the Americas settled down $0.10 per pound. This reflected declining feedstock prices and margins in the early part of the month when initial expectations for a durable solution to the Middle East conflict began to surface.
In August, however, widespread reporting indicated those expectations were not realistic in the immediate term. In the month, we saw some improvement in the global operating environment along with higher oil prices. This ultimately led to polyethylene prices selling flat month-over-month.
So far in September, we are seeing a strengthening order book, including in Asia. Along with the recent sharp escalation in global feedstock costs, this supports our announced global price increases globally, including $0.10 to $0.12 per pound for polyethylene in the Americas. With a rapidly rising cost environment, we are implementing these price increases with urgency.
So looking at some of the key markets that Dow serves across our portfolio, consumers remain selective with spending trends favoring essential items. Additionally, the building and construction and automotive markets continue to face challenges amid a cautious monetary policy environment. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and other regional water was also remains constrained, tightening global supply further. And low water levels in Europe, including the Rhine, are constraining competitor supply across several products, which is leading to higher market prices across our Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment.
So to summarize, the geopolitical and macro backdrops remain volatile and demand signals are mixed. While polyethylene price declines early in the quarter represent a headwind, Dow continues to lead with deliberate actions, and we remain focused on controlling what we can control. Our self-help actions and the breadth of our portfolio are helping to partially offset this impact, and we now expect to deliver EBITDA of $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion for the third quarter. This represents our best estimate based on what we see today, recognizing that a continued volatile environment this month could ultimately influence the outcome.
Next, I’ll share some examples on Slide 3 that outline the ways in which we are taking decisive actions to improve our financial strength. First and foremost, we continue to enhance Dow’s balance sheet and near-term financial performance. To start, our major planned maintenance for the year is now complete at several of our largest assets, which should provide a tailwind in the fourth quarter. In addition, we received the remaining tax withholding related to the NOVA litigation settlement earlier this quarter. We are also actively prioritizing deleveraging with excess cash, and we expect to release more than $500 million of net working capital in the second half of this year.
Looking longer term, we have no substantive debt maturities until 2029. And importantly, we continue to deliver our self-help actions, including our recently upsized in-year target for Transform to Outperform. With this, we now expect to deliver $1.3 billion in total benefits from self-help in 2026.
Our intentional actions continue to strengthen Dow’s credit profile as improved earnings, balanced capital allocation and self-help actions drive higher cash generation and lower leverage. This was evident by a recent rating agency outlook upgrade.
Next on Slide 4. I’ll unpack some additional details on how Transform to Outperform is delivering value as a significant contributor to our self-help improvements. We expect Transform to Outperform will deliver an upsized benefit of approximately $700 million this year, clearly demonstrating the early value we are capturing. Importantly, we remain confident in the more than $2 billion total opportunity that our transformation will deliver, and we’re seeing significant early results from every work stream. A broad range of actions will contribute to the benefits we expect in the second half of this year. And let me highlight just a few examples.
We already implemented approximately 70%, 7-0, of the total Dow role reductions, and we expect to implement nearly all of them before the end of this year. This is expected to contribute more than $200 million of EBITDA uplift in the second half.
Unknown Analyst
Interesting. Let’s shift gears maybe over to Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure. You touched on some of the softness we’re seeing in some of these markets, housing, obviously, being one of them. But you’re expecting a normal seasonal decline in building and construction in Q3 with some margin pressures in Europe. We’ve all been waiting for this recovery now in the housing market for some time, and yet housing starts and existing home sales are still well below historic averages. What are you seeing thus far this quarter in building and construction? And how are you managing the business through the current higher-for-longer rate environment?
Jeffrey Tate
Chief Financial Officer
Sure. I mean when you look at building and construction for us and specifically in the II&I segment, there are a couple of dynamics that I think are worth mentioning. One, yes, building and construction is a significant portion of the portfolio, but it’s a mixed bag from a demand perspective because data centers also do provide some level of a tailwind within that segment for us. The other thing that I would also mention, [ Mark, ] is we have our Dow Industrial Solutions business as well, that is an II&I segment. That’s the alkoxylation investments that we’ve made over the past couple of years. So again, you think about home care, personal care, pharma, electronics as well, those are areas that are growing higher margin, faster than GDP, which will continue to provide that tailwind for us as we think about year-over-year growth.
Unknown Analyst
Interesting. All right. Maybe just keeping on II&I, you flagged that normalization of peer MDI and PO capacity, which had been disrupted in Q2, is expected to be a headwind in Q3. Market commentary had indicated that the upstream carbon monoxide issue had flared up in early July before fading again. Can you help us size that perhaps? And how quickly have peers restarted, if they have even? And what’s the EBITDA headwind from MDI and PO margin compression that’s embedded in the Q3 guide?
Jeffrey Tate
Chief Financial Officer
Well, the interesting thing is that because of the industrial gas supply issue that I think you’re referring to, the industry supply is still tight. So we’re actually seeing some pricing momentum in this period of tighter supply, which we’re being able to really execute on as we ramp up our operating rates on the U.S. Gulf Coast related to MDI. So that’s one of the areas where if you looked at the beginning of the quarter versus where we are now, it’s giving us a slight tailwind to close out third quarter, which is positive for us.
September 2, 2026
Highlights from Somnigroup Discussing L&P Acquisition
Somnigroup International Inc. (SGI) Discusses Strategic Acquisition of Leggett & Platt and Enhanced Vertical Integration Transcript
Sep 02, 2026, 12:44 PM ETSomnigroup International Inc. (SGI) Stock
Somnigroup International Inc. (SGI) Discusses Strategic Acquisition of Leggett & Platt and Enhanced Vertical Integration September 2, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
Company Participants
Lauren Avritt – Director of Investor Relations
Scott Thompson – Chairman of the Board, CEO & President
Bhaskar Rao – Executive VP & CFO
Scott Thompson
Chairman of the Board, CEO & President
Thank you, Lauren, and good morning, everyone. Today is a significant day. We have officially closed the Leggett & Platt transaction, and I’m pleased to welcome the Leggett & Platt team to the Somnigroup family. This milestone marks the next chapter in our strategic journey and one we believe strengthens Somnigroup’s competitive position around the world.
A few facts on Somnigroup post-closing. Over $11 billion in trailing 12-month sales, over $750 million trailing 12 months net income, $20 billion enterprise value, $15 billion market cap. Over 170 manufacturing plants around the world. 2,800-plus retail stores with various formats customized for each international market. Over 40 e-commerce websites, selling direct to consumer with aggregate sales of over $500 million per year. 36,000 talented associates led by a very experienced management team. And customers, both retail and wholesale in over 100 countries. We are building a special vertically integrated company with numerous competitive advantages, outstanding cash flow generation attributes, a diversified customer base and a passionate workforce dedicated to customers in various markets and industries.
What we see in Leggett & Platt is a company with 143-year long legacy of exceptional people, world-class manufacturing, strong commitment to customer service and best-in-class expertise in bedding components. They also have a long track record as one of our most important suppliers. We know them well, and they know us well. That familiarity is an asset as we move forward as a combined company. First and foremost, the combination deepens our vertical integration, and it adds significant scale expanding sourcing opportunities, enhancing operational flexibility to a portfolio of assets that is already industry-leading. It also extends our reach across industries beyond bedding which will provide the company solid free cash flow and growth as markets normalize and these strategies are implemented. Strategically and economically, this is the right deal at the right time with the right partner.
Let me take you through how this transaction advances the strategic pillars we outlined at our Investor Day last March. Global scale and vertical integration, relentless consumer-centric innovation, relentless cash generation, disciplined capital allocation and a uniquely favorable position in the $120 billion global bedding market recovery. The Leggett & Platt acquisition checks every one of these boxes. Most directly, it strengthened our vertical integration advantages. Leggett & Platt is a primary supplier of important components to the bedding industry and particularly to our own manufacturing operations. They supply innerspring units, specialty foam and other key components to producers around the world, bringing their capabilities in-house further fortifies our supply chain in an uncertain world and allows us to optimize cost and drive quality end-to-end in the supply chain. The combination brings component engineering closer to mattress design and closer to the consumer insights we generate every day across our retail platform. That proximity supports accelerated innovation cycles. It means we can develop more cost-effective and consumer-centric products.
In addition to expanding our addressable market in bedding, Leggett & Platt’s product portfolio includes automotive seating systems, furniture components, geo components, and hydraulic cylinders also allow us to participate in industries beyond global bedding. These diversified sales streams as well as Leggett & Platt’s geographic footprint broadens our earnings base, and mitigates reliance on any single category, product or geographic market.
Let me say a word about how we intend to operate Leggett & Platt within the Somnigroup portfolio. Leggett & Platt will operate as a stand-alone business unit within Somnigroup, consistent with our approach with Tempur Sealy, Mattress Firm and Dreams. We believe this decentralized operating model is one of our structural advantages. It allows each business unit to stay close to its customers and markets and quickly respond and develop strategies in an ever-changing world, while also benefiting from Somnigroup’s expertise, scale, strong balance sheet and operational leverage.
A word on leadership. First, we’re very fortunate that Leggett & Platt has an experienced workforce dedicated to quality and customer service, which is led by a strong committed executive team with depth and a passion to succeed. To enhance their leadership structure, you most likely saw we announced the appointment Tyson Hagale as President of Leggett & Platt. Tyson is a 25-year Leggett & Platt veteran with a broad expertise across all corners of the business, including strategic planning, operational leadership and M&A. Most recently, he served as President of the Bedding Products segment, delivering results and operational improvements through some of the most dynamic conditions in the industry has ever seen. He knows Leggett & Platt well, including the non-bedding components. Karl Glassman will continue to lead Leggett & Platt as CEO over the near term, working closely with Tyson and Somnigroup executives as we bring the companies together. I’m looking forward to working with Karl and Tyson.
Moving to near-term strategic initiatives. We expect some early wins. We have long believed that high-quality innerspring systems represent a meaningful point of differentiation and important feature for customers. While the mattress category has traditionally emphasized finished product branding, we see the opportunity to elevate awareness of underlying technologies and components that contribute to comfort, support, durability and overnight fleet quality. Simply put, what is in your mattress matters. As a result, we are working to amplify the differentiated innovation by incorporating Leggett & Platt innerspring branding on the exterior selected mattress products. We believe this approach helps highlight the value of the technology inside the mattress while creating greater transparency and confidence for customers at the point of purchase. This initiative will initially roll out with our launch of the all-new Stearns & Foster collection this fall. It represents an important step in our broader strategy to increase consumers’ recognition of the premium component of engineering that differentiates our products. We believe stronger visibility of the Leggett & Platt innerspring technology can enhance the consumer shopping experience, support our retail partners’ merchandising efforts and further reinforce the value proposition of mattresses that incorporate our technology.
Ultimately, we view this as much more than a branding initiative. This is a reflection of the strategic vision behind the acquisition of Leggett & Platt’s bedding business and the unique capabilities that the transaction creates. By bringing ownership of innersprings, the heart of the bed, into the portfolio we are now able to more closely integrate component innovation, mattress design, driving consumer engagement. We believe that position enables us to set higher standards for innovation, durability, quality and transparency across the industry, while creating connection between the technology inside the mattress and the magic consumers experience every night. We should also note that Mattress Firm as it continues to focus on customer first, recently communicated to its supplier base, new and more stringent merchandising criteria, including the qualification of key component inputs, both Leggett & Platt’s innerspring systems and the foams produced by ECS, their specialty foam operations have been qualified under these enhanced standards. This is direct validation of the quality and consistency that Leggett & Platt brings us to our supply chain. I’ll say it again, what is inside your mattress matters.
In closing, I want to leave you with a few key thoughts. We are the leading vertically integrated bedding company in the world. We now forge our own steel, create our own springs and foam. We design and build our own products. We develop and market our brands and sell our products, which cover all price points in a balanced omnichannel format across the world. We believe that the $120 billion global bedding market remains structurally intact and positioned to normalize from its historically depressed levels. Now let’s be clear, the bedding market has experienced an extended period of weakness, and we have used that time deliberately to build the platform you see today, while also growing adjusted EPS and deleveraging. We are investing ahead of the recovery and building our brands, driving upper funnel advertising and strengthening our infrastructure. It’s not a question if the bedding market is going to turn around. It’s a question of when and whether you are positioned to lead when it does, and we are positioned to win and win big.
Bhaskar Rao
Executive VP & CFO
Thank you, Scott. Let me start with some housekeeping items on our reporting structure going forward. Leggett & Platt will be reported as a single consolidated reportable segment within Somnigroup, consistent with our other reporting segments, Tempur Sealy North America, Tempur Sealy International and Mattress Firm. Now moving to synergies. When we announced this transaction, we identified approximately $50 million in synergy opportunities on an annual run rate basis, focused on sourcing, operations and product innovation. That figure was based primarily on our internal diligence work at that time. Since then, we have worked with Leggett to refine our expectations. As a result of the team’s combined efforts, we are increasing that synergy estimate by 50% to $75 million on an annual run rate basis with additional opportunities in our synergy funnel that will be evaluated over the next year. .
Within sourcing, we see opportunities to expand profitability by bringing select components in-house and/or improving purchasing economics across our supplier base. To date, we have included $35 million of sourcing related synergies in our target. One of the most immediate and tangible examples is innersprings. Beginning in January 1, 2027, we expect to manufacture over 90% of our total U.S. spring needs internally, creating a meaningful cost savings opportunity and further strengthening integration across the business. We are reviewing additional supply chain opportunities and expect our combined sourcing efforts to support greater cost efficiency, particularly in chemicals. In addition, we expect the broader platform to create savings across third-party professional services.
Rafe Jadrosich
BofA Securities, Research Division
I just wanted to follow-up on the sourcing synergies that the 90% of — the expectation that you’ll be 90% internal sourcing for your springs. Can you talk about where that is today, like what that delta is? How much you’re getting from Leggett versus either other suppliers or internal right now, so like what that changes? And then does that include anything with Elite Comfort Systems in the foam side? Or is that all — that sourcing number all innersprings?
Scott Thompson
Chairman of the Board, CEO & President
Yes. We were under a long-term contract with Leggett pre-combination of 80% of our springs in the U.S., this is just a U.S. comp discussion coming from Leggett, so you should think about it as incrementally 10%, and we’ll probably be a little bit north of 90% over time would be my guess. That number is in the synergies. There’s nothing significant currently in the synergy number on the ECS side as we work through the ECS side of the house. We have a great supplier currently, what I’m going to call base foam, and they’re doing a great job, and we’re working with them and working with ECS and trying to find an optimal structure there, but we’ve got great suppliers on the base foam already.
Michael Lasser
UBS Investment Bank, Research Division
There are very few examples where one company such as Somnigroup control such a disproportionate amount of the profitability within the sector, and the bedding industry is interesting in that historically, it’s relied heavily on pricing as a key contributor to the overall growth of the sector. So my two-part question is, a, Scott, do you see any changes in the overall economics of the bedding industry as a result of Somnigroup’s unique position; and b, how are you looking at the overall pricing architecture of the industry moving forward as a key contributor to the overall top line results?
Scott Thompson
Chairman of the Board, CEO & President
Thank you for the question, and there’s probably some of my lawyers on the phone now that are going like, I hope he doesn’t really say much on that question, but let me talk about — first of all, you’re right. It’s a couple of things that are really unique. It’s really unique that a company was able to take a downturn, and the downturn has been, on a historical basis, it’s been the worst downturn ever, and be able to build what we’ve built. I mean it really is game changing. And you’re right, I don’t know what percentage of worldwide bedding profits Somnigroup now has, but it’s large, we’ll say it.
As far as the pricing architecture, I think the profitability of the bedding industry is going to be enhanced as we take out redundant costs and we add synergies. I think the economists and certainly, history would be the FTC would look at that and expect that some of that would creep into the customers’ pocket. And maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But from a competitive advantage standpoint, it certainly should create a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Peter Keith
Piper Sandler & Co., Research Division
Big picture on the industry and potential rebound, so it looks like we’re now entering our fifth year of mattress industry sales declines. We do have positive GDP growth, there’s been a tax refund cycle earlier in the year. When you guys are thinking about the industry rebounding and getting better, what do you think needs to happen in the economy looking forward? And I understand housing would be an easy answer, but we all agree that, that’s a minority of total mattress sales purchases?
Scott Thompson
Chairman of the Board, CEO & President
The real answer is housing is an incremental headwind or incremental tailwind usually not hugely material, but you’d rather have a tailwind than a headwind. It’s consumer confidence which I would point back into a little less — a little more stable environment because look, these are discretionary goods, they are expensive and so when consumers are not confident and sentiment is really negative, they have — some portion of the customers tend to postpone. It’s interesting because it’s in-floor traffic. The customer who actually is in the funnel to purchase a bed, once in the funnel, gets through the funnel fairly quickly, or in standard form and it gets into the store and the closing rates are very strong.
So you don’t have an issue on pricing. You don’t have an issue on quality of products, quite frankly, the products, ours and others in the bedding industry are good. You’ve got a strong kind of health and wellness concept that goes through the industry. People do care about their bed. They do care about their health, and people with means are showing up and buying. Who’s not showing up are the more of the entry-level customers, if you want to say, the K economy or whatever or people who are a little unsettled by current events. So the first thing I’d say is we just need less drama in the world. And we’ve had it a few times, okay, where there’s a period where there’s a little less drama, and you can see it in the numbers. I mean, floor traffic picks up, sales pick up, but then we get some tariff drama, some Middle East drama and people’s hands go back into their pockets. That would be my first answer to that.
And the second answer is we need to continue to have the industry advertise, have effective advertising, make sure it’s compelling and get it placed in a way in the marketplace that consumers are seeing the ads and that it’s influencing them to think about their bed to get into the purchase funnel. The biggest — the issue is getting people triggered to think about their beds. If you look at the installed base, and this isn’t like the car business where you can look at a VIN and you know exactly what the average age of all the cars are on the road, how many miles they’ve driven. We don’t have that kind of data, but there is no question if you look at the volume declines over what — you’re right, into the fifth year that the products that are in the marketplace are probably older than they’ve ever been. There’s also no question that beds do wear out, and there’s no question that people are going to sleep on beds. The industry is structurally sound. There’s nothing that’s threatening the industry from a structural standpoint. So that’s why I kind of go back to — I don’t know, I can’t tell you the exact turn, but there’s — but everything points to what we just need is a little more stability in the way the consumers are thinking about the world.
August 19, 2026
Edge-Sweets Company Expands Polymer Development
Edge-Sweets Company (ESCO) Expands Polymer Development Capabilities to Help Companies Take New Materials from Idea Through Formulation and Production
Expanded capabilities bring U.S.-based polymer chemistry, process engineering and equipment design together to help manufacturers move from the laboratory to the production floor
August 13, 2026 09:00 ET | Source: Edge-Sweets Company (ESCO)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Edge-Sweets Company (ESCO), a Grand Rapids-based engineering and manufacturing firm with more than 140 years of industrial manufacturing history, is expanding its in-house capabilities to help manufacturers move new materials and establish the processes and equipment required to produce them at commercial scale.
Building on its longstanding expertise in custom polyurethane processing equipment, ESCO has expanded its capabilities to include polymer chemistry, applications development and process engineering, allowing customers to solve technical and manufacturing challenges with a single partner.
“Customers don’t always come to us with a finished formulation,” said Rick Speas, Applications Engineer at ESCO. “Often they know the product they want to manufacture, but the chemistry, processing requirements and production equipment are all evolving at the same time. By bringing chemists and engineers together, we can solve those challenges as one development process instead of several separate ones.”
Equipment design depends on chemistry. Variables such as viscosity, filler content and flow characteristics determine how a production system must be engineered, yet many manufacturers begin exploring production equipment before those parameters have been fully established. The expanded capability brings chemists and engineers together earlier in the development process, helping customers move more efficiently from formulation to full-scale production.
ESCO’s recent collaboration with Colorado-based Flora Materials, a developer of bio-based materials, demonstrates how these capabilities can be applied to an emerging material and its intended commercial application. ESCO supported on the formulation development, rapid prototyping, process engineering, and large-scale sample generation, which was recognized with a Best of NeoCon Sustainability Award, and are now helping the company scale up manufacturing to meet demand.
“Taking a new material from hand-poured samples to a repeatable manufacturing process takes the right combination of chemistry, equipment and people willing to solve problems together,” said Natalie York, CEO and founder of Flora Materials. “ESCO has been that kind of partner for Flora. Their team understands both the material and how it needs to be made, and working with them close to home has helped us continue testing, refining and moving toward production.”
Across its growing portfolio of polymer-development work, ESCO is helping companies address a wide range of material, processing and scale-up challenges. Projects include applications ranging from specialized aviation foam to composite panels made with difficult-to-recycle materials. Through its work with Sustainable Solutionz, for example, ESCO has developed a binder and production approach for composite panels incorporating recovered photopolymer printing plates and recycled feedstocks, while also exploring new applications for ocean-recovered plastics.
“Some of the most rewarding projects are the ones that don’t fit a standard process,” Speas said. “Those applications require chemistry, engineering and manufacturing expertise to evolve together. That’s where we believe we can create the greatest value.”
As manufacturers continue developing more advanced polymer systems, ESCO expects demand for integrated chemistry and engineering support to continue growing and is actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with product developers, chemical suppliers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs bringing new materials to market.
Projects typically begin under a mutual nondisclosure agreement, with intellectual-property ownership and any continuing chemistry-supply arrangements determined individually.
Manufacturers interested in polymer formulation, applications development, process engineering or custom dispensing equipment can contact Rick Speas at rspeas@edge-sweets.com to learn more.
About Edge-Sweets Company
Edge-Sweets Company (ESCO) is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based engineering and manufacturing company specializing in polyurethane processing equipment, custom automation and polymer processing technologies. With industrial roots dating to 1883 and more than 140 years of manufacturing history, ESCO designs and builds custom equipment while providing polymer chemistry, applications development and process engineering support for manufacturers developing innovative products. The company serves customers across industries including furniture, bedding, construction, automotive, aerospace, medical and advanced manufacturing.
August 18, 2026
MLily USA Fire
Winnsboro factory fire puts jobs on hold, closes roads
By Deric Rush
Published: Aug. 17, 2026 at 7:41 PM EDT|Updated: 14 hours ago
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) – A massive industrial fire that reignited overnight has destroyed the MLily USA mattress factory in Winnsboro, forcing major road closures, sparking environmental monitoring, and leaving hundreds of employees in a close-knit community facing sudden job loss.
Emergency crews from across the state remained on the scene Monday evening, battling a fire that has been burning continuously since late Sunday night. Officials warned it could be Tuesday before the active blaze is completely extinguished.
The Challenge of Water-Resistant Foam
The fire first began Sunday morning around 9 a.m. when a smoke alarm sounded at the plant. Fairfield County Fire Department crews initially brought the fire under control and contained it to a small area by Sunday evening.
However, at 11:30 p.m., the fire reignited and quickly tore through the entire production facility.
Firefighters faced unique obstacles trying to douse the flames inside the factory due to the tight layout and the chemical makeup of the materials used to manufacture mattresses.
“The foam is in a conveyor racking system that’s multi-levels high,” said Fairfield County EMS Chief Jamie Webb. “It’s very large pieces of foam. It’s hard to access in the locations it’s in. And that’s what created a challenge with it. It’s close quarters and a lot of material in one spot.”
In addition to the physical layout, the foam used in the mattresses is highly flammable yet water-resistant, making it incredibly difficult to fully put out. The stubborn nature of the chemical fire forced local agencies to request statewide reinforcements to handle the expanding scene.
Road Closures and Community Disruptions
As thick, black smoke drifted across Fairfield County, authorities shut down a major shipping corridor. Highway 321 South remains closed between Highway 34 and Highway 269, and officials expect it to stay blocked for the remainder of the day.
While local schools—including Fairfield County School District, Richard Winn Academy, and the STEM school—remained open on normal schedules, the detours heavily impacted school bus routes and morning commutes.
Bridgette Howell, a nearby gas station clerk, saw the flashing emergency lights and police blockades when she arrived for her shift early Monday morning.
“I turn into my job, then the customers start coming in telling me that the building was on fire,” Howell said. She added that the roadblock created a massive headache for her regulars. “It did mess up some customers. I mean, that go straight down 321, they had to detour 34, and then some of them had to go all the way around and come up 269.”
EPA Called in to Monitor Environmental Impact
Because of the heavy chemicals and foam stored inside the facility, local officials requested assistance from the federal government.
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DES) brought in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to monitor air and water runoff around the site.
“Any time you have a large fire, an industrial fire, there is runoff. And it gets into creeks. That’s just a side effect of any fire you have to fight,” said Fairfield County Administrator Vic Carpenter. “Contractors have already been brought on to start managing that. That’s one of the key things that EPA will be checking.”
State environmental officials and the EPA are currently analyzing air quality readings. Both agencies report that there is currently no hazardous air threat to the public, though they are still waiting on official finalized test results.
Local officials have urged residents to avoid the area due to shifting smoke plumes that can suddenly drop driving visibility to zero.
Sudden Job Loss Hits Close-Knit Town
The economic impact of the total loss of the facility is expected to be deeply felt. MLily USA is one of Fairfield County’s largest employers, sustaining several hundred local jobs.
While county officials say employees worked a condensed shift Sunday morning, they stressed employees safely evacuated when the fire broke out, and no injuries have been reported among factory staff or first responders.
Verdan Glover, who has worked as a groundskeeper at MLily since March, said employees had been warning management about maintenance and safety issues for months.
“I knew it was going to happen. Eventually. I knew it was going to happen,” Glover said. “Something. It was like the Bible. It was either going to be by water or by fire.”
Glover said that the factory’s equipment was constantly breaking down and that employees had suggested shutting down the plant temporarily to make necessary repairs, but management patched over the issues instead.
Now, Glover and hundreds of others are left without jobs.
“Life goes on. I’m just going to get another job. Especially after they see this,” Glover said, though he acknowledged the devastating impact this will have on colleagues who have fewer options. “Instead of taking those two weeks off [to fix things], now you don’t have a job at all.”
Fairfield County PIO Gene Stephens echoed the emotional toll on the community.
“This hurts a community like ours. We have such a close-knit community here,” Stephens said. “And something like this impacts a lot of people. Some are waking up today not knowing… they don’t have a job right now.”
MLily USA Releases Statement
In a statement sent to WIS on Monday afternoon, MLily USA officials expressed appreciation for local emergency crews and asked the public for patience:
“The fire at our facility remains an active scene at this time. Our immediate priority is the safety of our employees, first responders, and the surrounding community. Emergency personnel are on site and actively working to contain the fire, and we are cooperating fully with their response efforts. Because this is an active and developing situation, we do not yet have complete information regarding the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage. We are not aware of any injuries to individuals at this time.
We will provide additional information as it becomes available and can be confirmed. We are grateful to the first responders working at the scene and appreciate the community’s patience as emergency crews continue their response.”
https://www.wistv.com/2026/08/17/winnsboro-factory-fire-puts-jobs-hold-closes-roads
August 17, 2026
Sinochem to Expand HDI Capacity
Sinochem International increases investment in the HDI sector, with planned domestic capacity exceeding 500,000 tons.
2026-08-17 09:15:33Source:ChemNet中文
Recently, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region accepted and publicized the environmental impact report for the 100,000 tons/year HDI and 180,000 tons/year Phosgene Expansion and Renovation Project (Phase I) and the 13,000 tons/year Chlorinated Ester Expansion Project of Ningxia Ruitai Technology Co., Ltd.
The project is planned and constructed as a whole to include 100,000 tons/year HDI, 100,000 tons/year HDI trimer, and 180,000 tons/year phosgene, with a co-production of 290,000 tons/year 30% hydrochloric acid; the project is implemented in three phases. The current phase promotes Phase I, involving the construction of a new 20,000 tons/year phosgene unit. Upon completion, the company’s total phosgene capacity will increase from the existing 30,000 tons/year to 50,000 tons/year.
Project Background: Filling the Phosgene Capacity Gap and Supporting Downstream High-end Products
Ningxia Ruitai Technology is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical, a subsidiary of Sinochem International. Established in 2010, the company currently possesses multiple production units including phosgene series products and nylon 66. The existing chlorinated ester capacity is 8,000 tons/year, and the products are supplied externally for the production of EHP and TBEC raw materials.
There are two major practical drivers for this expansion and renovation. On one hand, the company’s existing 30,000 tons/year phosgene capacity can hardly meet the full-load operation of downstream units. As a core intermediate for polyurethane and polycarbonate, phosgene capacity has become a bottleneck restricting the company’s development. On the other hand, this expansion simultaneously supports chlorinated ester capacity. After the project lands, the chlorinated ester capacity will increase from 8,000 tons/year to 13,000 tons/year. Meanwhile, new catalytic desulfurization facilities will be added to optimize the quality of phosgene products, laying a solid raw material foundation for the subsequent production of high-end HDI products.
HDI: High-end Aliphatic Isocyanate, Key Raw Material for New Energy Coatings
HDI, or hexamethylene diisocyanate, belongs to high-end aliphatic isocyanates. It differs significantly from aromatic isocyanates like MDI and TDI. Its molecules contain no benzene rings and feature a saturated aliphatic chain structure. It possesses outstanding characteristics such as yellowing resistance, weather resistance, corrosion resistance, and high light transmission. It is an indispensable curing agent raw material for high-end polyurethane coatings and adhesives. The phosgene method is also the current mainstream production process for high-performance HDI.
HDI is mostly used in scenarios with long-term outdoor exposure and stringent requirements for aging resistance, including automotive OEM topcoats, architectural exterior wall coatings, industrial heavy-duty anti-corrosion paints, high-end wood varnishes, and yacht protective coatings. It can effectively solve industry pain points such as easy yellowing, fast aging, and short service life of traditional coatings.
For a long time in the past, the global HDI market was monopolized by overseas enterprises. Foreign companies like Covestro and BASF dominated market supply, while domestic supply of high-end products was insufficient, leading to a high dependence on imports. However, in recent years, Asia has become the core region for global HDI capacity expansion, and domestic chemical enterprises have accelerated their layout in the HDI track, speeding up the import substitution process.
Industry Expansion Wave: Multiple Chemical Giants Enter the Market, Planned Capacity Under Construction Exceeds 500,000 Tons
Regarding overseas manufacturers:
· Covestro completed the acquisition of Converge’s HDI derivative base in July 2026, with existing HDI capacity of 190,000 tons/year;
· Nippon Polyurethane (NPU) has existing capacity of 15,000 tons/year and plans to expand by 50%, with new capacity expected to come on stream around August 2026;
· Asahi Kasei has existing capacity of 22,000 tons/year.
Domestic enterprises are accelerating to seize the market:
· Wanhua Chemical has a total existing HDI capacity of 209,000 tons after acquiring Converge assets. Combined with the Ningbo technical renovation project, the long-term total capacity will expand to 309,000 tons/year;
· Meirui New Materials has formed 100,000 tons/year HDI monomer and derivative capacity in its Henan Industrial Park, with another 200,000 tons under construction;
· NHU (Zhejiang Medicine) plans 103,000 tons/year HDI in its Weifang, Shandong project;
· Oriental Shenghong‘s subsidiary Lianyungang Hongke New Materials is investing 13.33 billion yuan to build an industrial chain project, laying out 50,000 tons/year HDI, simultaneously supporting TDI, PC, and BPA units, to create an integrated “Refining-Aromatics-BPA-PC/TDI/HDI” industrial chain.
According to industry statistics, the total planned HDI capacity awaiting production in the domestic stage has already exceeded 500,000 tons. In the future, the domestic self-sufficiency capability of HDI will be significantly improved, and the industry competitive landscape will usher in a reshaping.
Downstream Demand Explodes at Multiple Points, New Energy Field Opens Incremental Space
In addition to the traditional coatings market, the application of HDI in emerging industries is expanding rapidly, with continuous demand growth in areas such as electrophoretic paints, ultra-wear-resistant floor paints, wind power blade and tower protection coatings, and photovoltaic backsheet structural adhesives.
· Automotive Industry, BMW i-series electric vehicle OEM varnishes use an HDI curing agent system, with a weather resistance life of over 10 years, a 50% increase compared to traditional coatings;
· Wind Power Field, Huntsman’s WindCoat™3025 coating containing HDI trimer is applied to blades in a 60MW domestic offshore wind farm, with salt spray resistance breaking through 3,000 hours;
· Photovoltaic Industry, HDI-based materials are used in N-type modules with a light transmittance of up to 99.3%, a 2 percentage point increase compared to traditional EVA encapsulant films. With the continuous development of new energy vehicles, offshore wind power, and the photovoltaic industry, HDI’s long-term demand has strong support.
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