HOUSTON – Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals company, today announced the launch of PRINTEX® kappa 10 – a high-quality conductive additive that will supply surging demand from producers of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage systems and consumer applications.

The new product, produced with furnace technology in Europe and eventually in Asia, marks a crucial expansion of Orion’s portfolio of conductive additives. The company also makes other kappa grades with the acetylene process.

PRINTEX® kappa 10 facilitates a more efficient transfer of electrical energy within lithium-ion batteries. It forms a percolating network that enables the electrons to flow. This enhances the performance and power response during both charging and discharging.

The conductive additive works for both anode and cathode. It is also compatible with lithium-ferrous-phosphate (LFP) batteries, nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and other batteries.

“At Orion, we’re focused on products enabling more efficient and powerful lithium-ion batteries that help to decarbonize mobility. PRINTEX® kappa 10 is a key part of our strategy for expanding our business for such conductive additives,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said.

“Our strength lies in our dedication to innovation and delivering sustainable solutions for our customers,” Painter added. “As the world increasingly turns toward electric mobility, the demand for high-quality conductive additives like PRINTEX® kappa 10 will grow.”

Orion invites interested parties to visit the company’s website or contact the sales team for more information about PRINTEX® kappa 10.

About Orion S.A.

Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has four innovation centers and produces carbon black at 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information, other than as required by applicable law.

 

Contacts:

 

William Foreman

Director of Corporate Communications and

Government Affairs

Orion S.A.

Direct: +1 832-445-3305

Mobile: +1 281-889-7833

[email protected]

 

Wendy Wilson

Head of Investor Relations

Orion S.A.

Direct: +1 281-974-0155

[email protected]

Designing a hard hat sticker


When building a new plant, we traditionally create a sticker that the team can place on their hard hats. The decals add to a sense of comradery and express pride in being part of the project.

As we began constructing our latest facility in La Porte, Texas, we thought about hiring a graphic designer to make a sticker for the project. But then we decided to ask people across Orion to submit designs. We thought it would be a great way to give everyone – accountants, salespeople, IT technicians, etc. – an opportunity to flex their creative muscles and be a part of the project.

Our design specifications called for the sticker to be round and include the Orion colors: blue, black and white. We also wanted the sticker to include at least one element that localized the design and tied it to La Porte.

The response was overwhelming. We received 13 designs from colleagues across the world. Picking the final design was a tough task for our panel of judges. The winner was Lucas Barreto, an international technical purchaser at our plant in Paulinia, Brazil.

Lucas’ eye-catching sticker captures the local features of La Porte, a historic city where the Houston Ship Channel meets Galveston Bay. The decal includes the city’s symbol – a bay bird – as well as La Porte’s most famous landmark, the San Jacinto Monument – the world’s tallest war memorial. Sprinkled around the edges of the sticker are acetylene-based conductive additives, which will be produced by the plant.

The La Porte plant is special because it will be the only facility in the U.S. producing acetylene-based conductive additives. The material is commonly used in lithium-ion batteries, high-voltage cables and other products powering the global transition to electrification and renewable energy.

Acetylene is a colorless gas widely used as a chemical building block. Orion’s production process turns acetylene into a powder, which is added to lithium-ion batteries, enhancing electrical conductivity and extending the lifetime of the most valuable component of an electric vehicle. The material plays a similar role in high-voltage cables used for wind and solar farms.

The plant, which is expected to produce approximately 12 kilotons per year, should quadruple Orion’s effective manufacturing capacity of acetylene-based conductive additives.

Orion has a similar plant in France and is the only acetylene-based conductive additive producer in Europe.