In June 2002, Akzo Nobel purchased the Industrial Specialties Business from Crompton Corporation. The Houston Plant was one of two manufacturing sites in the United States included in the sale. The plant sits at the corner of Almeda and McHard Roads in Ft. Bend/Harris counties. The site occupies 135 acres with residential areas to the southeast, west, and north; and industrial facilities to the south and east. The current plant staff is 168 employees; which includes chemical operators, chemists/engineers, administrative staff and management.
What products do we make?
For more than 49 years, the Houston Site has been supplying products to the agricultural and petroleum industries. The plant was originally established in 1955 as Retzloff Chemical Company. It has grown over the years to now include continuous production units, batch multipurpose units and analytical laboratory facilities. The Houston site produces industrial chemicals known as surfactants. Surfactants are a class of chemicals that, when mixed with water or other chemicals, change their surface properties.
The site is recognized for its state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities for anionic and nonionic based surfactants. Automated process control systems are used to ensure consistent product quality. Our surfactant products find uses as emulsifiers, deemulsifiers, defoamers, wetting agents, and scale inhibitors.
The site also houses a pilot plant facility with a technical staff that works closely with our Research and Development Department. This group develops products that meet ever increasing environmental, regulatory and consumer pressures. We try to reduce and even eliminate solvents by maximizing the use of water-based formulations and water dispersible granular products.
How do we make our products?
Many of the materials we start with are basic petroleum chemicals or naturally derived from plants and animals. These chemicals are reacted under heat and pressure to form our products. Many of the products we sell are product mixtures known as blended surfactants. These blended products are highly specialized and custom formulated for one particular customer with one particular use. As a result, Akzo Nobel sells a large number of different products manufactured at the Houston plant in a variety of packages to meet our customers' individual needs. These products are shipped via truck carriers in drum, bag and bulk quantities and also via rail. Many of the products manufactured at the Houston Plant are exported out of the United States.
Responsible Care® and Akzo Nobel:
Akzo Nobel has endorsed the American Chemistry Council's seven Responsible Care Codes of Management Practices since its inception in 1988. The company has achieved full compliance with the seven codes of this initiative. Through these efforts we have implemented a community awareness and emergency response program and conduct annual auditing of our performance in pollution prevention, process safety, and employee health and safety.
We place great value on being a good neighbor. We adhere to all environmental regulations and participate in a Community Outreach program to inform our neighbors about our operations and to provide a forum for their concerns. Annual property taxes of $725,000 help fund programs in the surrounding community.
ISO 14001 & ISO 9001:2000 Certifications:
On October 29, 2003, the Houston Site's Quality Management System was assessed, met the requirements and was issued ISO 9001:2000 certification by BVQI.
Houston completed the Stage 1 14001(pre-audit) on November 16th and will undergo the ISO 14001 Environmental Certification Audit on Dec. 14 - 16.
