Dead Sea Bromine to expand production capacity at Sodom plant

The Israel Chemicals subsidiary invested $12 million in R&D in 2004. Gadi Golan Israel Chemicals (TASE: CLIM) subsidiary Dead Sea Bromine has approved a plan to expand production capacity at its Sodom plant by 40,000 tons per year. With the scheduled completion of the plan in 2006, potential production capacity will reach 280,000 tons annually. Israel Chemicals Industrial Products president and CEO Yossi Shahar said that the plant’s production capacity was being expanded in order to meet increased demand for bromine-based products. He attributed the rise in demand to global economic recovery, and to the expected fall in bromine production capacity in the US and China, the world’s two leading bromine producers. The closing down of a bromine production facility in Europe also contributed to higher demand. The Sodom plant employs 1,000 workers and manufactures 50 products, which are exported all over the world. Shahar said that Dead Sea Bromine had invested $12 million in R&D in 2004, and had registered 120 patents to date worldwide. The 50th anniversary of the founding of Dead Sea Bromine is this week.