The Urethane Blog
Everchem Updates
VOLUME XXI
September 14, 2023
Everchem’s exclusive Closers Only Club is reserved for only the highest caliber brass-baller salesmen in the chemical industry. Watch the hype video and be introduced to the top of the league: — read more
May 21, 2020
Tempur Sealy Opening U.S. Retail Locations and Announces Clean Shop Promise™ Protocol
LEXINGTON, Ky., May 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (TPX) announced today that customers and associates are welcomed back into the Company’s U.S. Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Outfitters retail stores. After temporary closures, the Company has begun opening its domestic retail stores in a phased approach in compliance with recommended safety precautions from the CDC, state and local health authorities and its Clean Shop Promise™ protocol. Tempur Sealy expects the vast majority of its approximately 160 U.S. retail locations to be open by the end of May. Some may operate with reduced hours and/or modified delivery services.
In addition to opening its Company-owned stores, the Company continues to support third-party retailers in the opening of their stores through offering its Clean Shop Promise™ protocol as a resource. The Company built upon its unique combination of robust consumer insights and global industry experience to develop a holistic set of guidelines designed to offer consumers a clean and comfortable in-store experience.
Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson commented, “One of our strengths is our powerful omni-channel distribution model, which allows us to reach consumers wherever they want to shop. We believe about 65% of the third-party retail doors will be open in the U.S. by the end of May, which is up from 40% at the end of April.”
Thompson continued, “We see consumers shopping both online and in-stores. While it is early, stores that have re-opened are generally experiencing strong closing rates with reduced traffic. As more third-party retail locations open and we leverage our Clean Shop Promise™ protocol, we expect that traffic will continue to increase as consumers seek to experience our products first-hand.”
https://seekingalpha.com/pr/17878316-tempur-sealy-opening-u-s-retail-locations-and-announces-clean-shop-promise-protocol
May 20, 2020
Huntsman Unveils Spray Polyurethane Foam Business Name: Huntsman Building Solutions
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that it has branded its world leading spray polyurethane foam (SPF) Business as Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS). HBS is a global platform within Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division.
The SPF Business was formed when Huntsman acquired leading North American SPF company Icynene-Lapolla in February and combined it with Demilec, which Huntsman acquired in 2018. HBS is now one of the world’s leading SPF providers and the fifth largest insulation manufacturer. Simon Baker, previously president of Demilec, and Doug Kramer, formerly president of Icynene-Lapolla, jointly lead HBS. Baker is responsible for Canada and international business and Kramer for U.S. business.
Commenting on the new name, Tony Hankins, President of Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division, said: “Integration of the two legacy companies is progressing well and the selection of the new name is an important milestone for the Business. I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, notwithstanding the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. SPF is a highly attractive growth business; we have a product offering which is second to none and our products provide significant environmental benefits – not just in terms of energy savings, as they are the most effective thermal insulants in the market; but also in terms of the upcycling of PET bottles and scrap, which are used in our TEROL® polyols, a key ingredient in the production of SPF. HBS will consume significant volumes of our lower margin polymeric MDI – the other key ingredient in SPF formulations – to produce higher margin specialized SPF systems.”
https://ir.huntsman.com/news-releases/detail/442/huntsman-unveils-spray-polyurethane-foam-business-name
May 20, 2020
Huntsman Unveils Spray Polyurethane Foam Business Name: Huntsman Building Solutions
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that it has branded its world leading spray polyurethane foam (SPF) Business as Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS). HBS is a global platform within Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division.
The SPF Business was formed when Huntsman acquired leading North American SPF company Icynene-Lapolla in February and combined it with Demilec, which Huntsman acquired in 2018. HBS is now one of the world’s leading SPF providers and the fifth largest insulation manufacturer. Simon Baker, previously president of Demilec, and Doug Kramer, formerly president of Icynene-Lapolla, jointly lead HBS. Baker is responsible for Canada and international business and Kramer for U.S. business.
Commenting on the new name, Tony Hankins, President of Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division, said: “Integration of the two legacy companies is progressing well and the selection of the new name is an important milestone for the Business. I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, notwithstanding the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. SPF is a highly attractive growth business; we have a product offering which is second to none and our products provide significant environmental benefits – not just in terms of energy savings, as they are the most effective thermal insulants in the market; but also in terms of the upcycling of PET bottles and scrap, which are used in our TEROL® polyols, a key ingredient in the production of SPF. HBS will consume significant volumes of our lower margin polymeric MDI – the other key ingredient in SPF formulations – to produce higher margin specialized SPF systems.”
https://ir.huntsman.com/news-releases/detail/442/huntsman-unveils-spray-polyurethane-foam-business-name
May 20, 2020
Dow Shutters Operations in Midland After Michigan Dams Break
MIDLAND, Mich. — Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where flooding struck communities along rain-swollen waterways and the governor said one downtown could be “under approximately 9 feet of water” by Wednesday.
For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home. By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots.
The National Weather Service urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following “castastrophic dam failures” at the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 7 miles downriver.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen said downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 8 miles downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. Dow Chemical Co.’s main plant sits on the city’s riverbank.
“In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water,” the governor said during a late Tuesday briefing. “We are anticipating an historic high water level.”
Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County and urged residents threatened by the flooding to find a place to stay with friends or relatives or to seek out one of several shelters that opened across the county. She encouraged people to do their best to take precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as wearing a face covering and observing social distancing “to the best of your ability.”
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County,” she said. ”If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now.”
Emergency responders went door-to-door early Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville Dam of the rising water. Some residents were able to return home, only to be told to leave again following the dam’s breach several hours later. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County.
“We were back at home and starting to feel comfortable that things were calming down,” said Catherine Sias, who lives about 1 mile from the Edenville Dam and first left home early Tuesday morning. “All of a sudden we heard the fire truck sirens going north toward the dam.”
Sias, 45, said emergency alerts then began coming on her cellphone and people started calling to make sure she was safe.
“While packing, there were tons of police and fire trucks going up and down the roads,” she added. “As far as I know, all of our neighbors got out.”
While driving along a jammed M-30, the state highway that’s the main road through Edenville and that crosses the river north of town, Sias saw the rushing Tittabawassee River. “It was very dramatic, very fast and full of debris,” she said.
Dow Chemical has activated its emergency operations center and will be adjusting operations as a result of current flood stage conditions, spokeswoman Rachelle Schikorra said in an email.
“Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River,” Schikorra said.
In 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revoked the license of the company that operated the Edenville Dam due to non-compliance issues that included spillway capacity and the inability to pass the most severe flood reasonably possible in the area.
The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating.
Both dams are in the process of being sold.
There were 19 high hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition in Michigan in 2018, ranking 20th among the 45 states and Puerto Rico for which The Associated Press obtained condition assessments.
Flood warnings in Michigan were issued following widespread rainfall of 4 to 7 inches since Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy runoff pushed rivers higher.
The Tittabawassee River was at 30.5 feet and rising Tuesday night — flood stage is 24 feet. It was expected to crest Wednesday at a record of about 38 feet.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/05/20/dam-breach-michigan-fails-collapse-edenville-sanford/5226797002/
May 20, 2020
Dow Shutters Operations in Midland After Michigan Dams Break
MIDLAND, Mich. — Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where flooding struck communities along rain-swollen waterways and the governor said one downtown could be “under approximately 9 feet of water” by Wednesday.
For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home. By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots.
The National Weather Service urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following “castastrophic dam failures” at the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 7 miles downriver.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen said downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 8 miles downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. Dow Chemical Co.’s main plant sits on the city’s riverbank.
“In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water,” the governor said during a late Tuesday briefing. “We are anticipating an historic high water level.”
Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County and urged residents threatened by the flooding to find a place to stay with friends or relatives or to seek out one of several shelters that opened across the county. She encouraged people to do their best to take precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as wearing a face covering and observing social distancing “to the best of your ability.”
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County,” she said. ”If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now.”
Emergency responders went door-to-door early Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville Dam of the rising water. Some residents were able to return home, only to be told to leave again following the dam’s breach several hours later. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County.
“We were back at home and starting to feel comfortable that things were calming down,” said Catherine Sias, who lives about 1 mile from the Edenville Dam and first left home early Tuesday morning. “All of a sudden we heard the fire truck sirens going north toward the dam.”
Sias, 45, said emergency alerts then began coming on her cellphone and people started calling to make sure she was safe.
“While packing, there were tons of police and fire trucks going up and down the roads,” she added. “As far as I know, all of our neighbors got out.”
While driving along a jammed M-30, the state highway that’s the main road through Edenville and that crosses the river north of town, Sias saw the rushing Tittabawassee River. “It was very dramatic, very fast and full of debris,” she said.
Dow Chemical has activated its emergency operations center and will be adjusting operations as a result of current flood stage conditions, spokeswoman Rachelle Schikorra said in an email.
“Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River,” Schikorra said.
In 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revoked the license of the company that operated the Edenville Dam due to non-compliance issues that included spillway capacity and the inability to pass the most severe flood reasonably possible in the area.
The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating.
Both dams are in the process of being sold.
There were 19 high hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition in Michigan in 2018, ranking 20th among the 45 states and Puerto Rico for which The Associated Press obtained condition assessments.
Flood warnings in Michigan were issued following widespread rainfall of 4 to 7 inches since Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy runoff pushed rivers higher.
The Tittabawassee River was at 30.5 feet and rising Tuesday night — flood stage is 24 feet. It was expected to crest Wednesday at a record of about 38 feet.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/05/20/dam-breach-michigan-fails-collapse-edenville-sanford/5226797002/
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