Volume 09, Number 3
Oct 1996

PCC Plants Built & Operated by Minerals Technologies Inc.

In 1990, Pfizer Specialty Minerals had only 14 PCC (precipitated calcium carbonate) plants. Now Specialty Minerals is a wholly owned subsidiary of Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTI), a spinoff from Pfizer about three years ago. The press releases used to say that Specialty Minerals was building the PCC plants, but now they usually say that MTI is building them. The main thing to keep straight is that there has been continuity of activity and policies. The plants are built and operated by MTI on land leased from the mills. They can make different kinds, shapes and sizes of calcium carbonate for fillers and coatings, even acid-tolerant PCC for acid systems.

MTI sells other mineral products, including ground calcium carbonate, and about 13 other companies also sell CaCO₃ of one sort or another. Some of them build PCC plants too. But only MTI sends a steady stream of informative press releases and reports to this newsletter's office. The following list was taken from a page in an annual report, and reflects the situation as of December 31, 1995.

Outside the U.S.:

¹This PCC plant is not located on-site at the paper mill.
²These plants are owned by a majority owned joint venture.