Celanese Corp - Ordinary Shares - Series A CE

Celanese Corporation (Celanese), incorporated on November 3, 2004, is a technology and specialty materials company. The Company's segments include Advanced Engineered Materials, Consumer Specialties, Industrial Specialties, Acetyl Intermediates and Other Activities. The Company's business involves processing chemical raw materials, such as methanol, carbon monoxide, ethylene and natural products, including wood pulp, into chemicals, thermoplastic polymers and other chemical-based products. Its product portfolio serves a range of end-use applications, including paints and coatings, textiles, automotive applications, consumer and medical applications, performance industrial applications, filtration applications, paper and packaging, chemical additives, construction, consumer and industrial adhesives, and food and beverage applications. The Company operates in North America, Europe and Asia. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had 30 global production facilities, and an additional eight affiliate production facilities.

Advanced Engineered Materials

The Advanced Engineered Materials segment includes the Company's engineered materials business and certain affiliates. The Advanced Engineered Materials segment develops, produces and supplies a portfolio of specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as industrial products and consumer electronics. Together with its affiliates, its engineered materials business offers products of the Advanced Engineered Materials segment, which are used in a range of end-use products, including fuel system components, automotive safety systems, medical applications, electronics, appliances, industrial products, battery separators, conveyor belts, filtration equipment, coatings, and electrical applications and products.

The Advanced Engineered Materials segment offers various products, including polyoxymethylene (POM), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), long-fiber reinforced thermoplastics (LFRT), liquid crystal polymers (LCP), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), nylon and polypropylene. POM, PBT and LFRT are used in a range of applications, including fuel system components, automotive safety systems, consumer electronics, appliances, industrial products and medical applications. UHMW-PE is used in battery separators, industrial products, filtration equipment, coatings and medical applications. Primary end uses for LCP are electrical applications or products and consumer electronics. Its products also offer low-friction and low-wear grade acetal copolymer applications. The Advanced Engineered Materials segment offers differentiated polymer technologies designed for the utility industry, the oil and gas industry, original equipment manufacturers and companies. These include composite technologies for the utility industry. Its operations include polymerization, compounding, research and development, and customer technology centers in regions, such as Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, South Korea and the United States.

The Company sells POM under the Celcon and Hostaform trademarks. POM is used for end-use applications in the automotive, industrial, consumer and medical industries. These applications include mechanical parts in automotive fuel system components and window lift systems, water handling, conveyor belts, sprinkler systems, drug delivery systems, and gears in large and small home appliances. The Company sells its UHMW-PE products under the trademark, GUR. UHMW-PE offers applications, including lead acid battery separators, heavy machine components, lithium ion separator membranes, and noise and vibration dampening tapes. UHMW-PE products' applications also include filtration equipment, ballistic fibers, thermoplastic and elastomeric additives, as well as medical implants.

The Company's products include a series of thermoplastic polyesters, including Celanex PBT, Celanex polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Thermx polycyclohexylene-dimethylene terephthalate (PCT), as well as Riteflex, a thermoplastic polyester elastomer. These products are used in a range of automotive, electrical and consumer applications, including ignition system parts, radiator grilles, electrical switches, appliance and sensor housings, light emitting diodes and technical fibers. Celstran and Factor, are the Company's LFRT products, which are used in automotive, transportation and industrial applications, such as instrument panels, consoles and front end modules. Vectra and Zenite, the Company's LCP brands are used in electrical and electronics applications for precision parts with thin walls and complex shapes. LCP brands are also used in high heat cookware applications. Forprene, Sofprene T, Pibiflex and Laprene are its TPE brands, which are primarily used in automotive, construction, appliances and consumer applications. Its nylon products include Nylfor A and Nylfor B and are used in automotive, appliances, industrial and consumer applications. Its polypropylene products include Polifor, Litepol and Tecnoprene and are primarily used in automotive, appliances, electrical and consumer applications.

The Company competes with BASF SE, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Koninklijke DSM N.V., SABIC Innovative Plastics, Solvay S.A., Asahi Kasei Corporation, Braskem S.A., Lanxess AG, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., Sumitomo Corporation, Teijin Limited and Toray Industries, Inc.

Consumer Specialties

The Consumer Specialties segment includes the Company's cellulose derivatives and food ingredients businesses, which serve consumer-driven applications. Its cellulose derivatives business is a producer and supplier of acetate tow, acetate flake and acetate film, primarily used in filter products applications. The Company's cellulose derivatives business has production sites in Belgium, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Company's food ingredients business is a supplier of acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) for the food and beverage industry. It also produces food protection ingredients, such as potassium sorbate and sorbic acid. Its food ingredients business has a production facility in Germany.

The Consumer Specialties segment's products include acetate flake, acetate tow and acetate film; Sunett sweetener, Qorus sweetener system and food protection ingredients. Acetate tow is a fiber used in cigarette filters. Acetate flake is processed into acetate tow. Acetate flake can also be a solvent cast to create a film, which is used in packaging for food and luxury goods, as well as other applications, such as anti-fog films, which are sold under the trademark, Clarifoil. Ace-K, a non-nutritive high intensity sweetener sold under the trademark, Sunett, is used in a range of beverages, confections and dairy products across the world. Sunett sweetener is a blending partner for caloric and non-caloric sweeteners as it balances the sweetness profile. The Qorus sweetener system is designed for low- to no-calorie carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, flavored waters, energy drinks, milk and dairy products. The Company's food protection ingredients, potassium sorbate and sorbic acid are used in foods, beverages and personal care products.

Celanese sells acetate tow to the tobacco companies. It sells Sunett sweetener to multinational and regional customers. The Company sells Qorus sweetener system to regional customers in the food and beverage industry. Food protection ingredients are sold through regional distributors to small and medium sized customers, and directly to multinational customers in the food industry.

The Company competes with Daicel Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd, Solvay S.A., Anhui Jinhe Industry Co., Ltd., Suzhou Hope Technology Co., Ltd., Ajinomoto Co. Inc., The NutraSweet Company, Tate & Lyle plc and Nantong Acetic Acid Chemical Co., Ltd.

Industrial Specialties

The Industrial Specialties segment includes the Company's emulsion polymers and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymers businesses. The Company's emulsion polymers business is a producer of vinyl acetate-based emulsions, and develops products and application technologies for applications, such as paints and coatings, adhesives, construction, glass fiber, textiles and paper. The emulsion polymers business has production facilities in Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States. Its emulsion polymers products are sold under the brand names, including EcoVAE, Mowilith, Vinamul, Celvolit, Duroset, TufCOR and Avicor. Its EVA polymers business is a manufacturer of a range of specialty EVA resins and compounds, as well as select grades of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). EVA polymers products are sold under the Ateva and VitalDose brands, and used in applications, including flexible packaging films, lamination film products, hot melt adhesives, automotive parts and carpeting. Its EVA polymers business has a production facility in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Industrial Specialties segment is based on its acetyl technology.

The Company's emulsion polymers business produces conventional vinyl- and acrylate-based emulsions and vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions. VAE emulsions are the components of water-based architectural coatings, adhesives, non-wovens, textiles, glass fiber and other applications. LDPE is produced in high-pressure reactors from ethylene, while EVA resins and compounds are produced in high-pressure reactors from ethylene and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). The segment's products are sold to a range of regional and multinational customers. Customers of the Company's emulsion polymers business are manufacturers of water-based paints and coatings, adhesives, paper, building and construction products, glass fiber, non-wovens and textiles. Customers of its EVA polymers business are engaged in the manufacture of a range of products, including hot melt adhesives, automotive components, thermal laminations, and flexible and food packaging materials.

The Company competes BASF SE, Dairen Chemical Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Wacker Chemie AG, Arkema, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and ExxonMobil Chemical.

Acetyl Intermediates

The Acetyl Intermediates segment includes the Company's intermediate chemistry business, which produces and supplies acetyl products, including acetic acid, VAM, acetic anhydride and acetate esters. These products are used as starting materials for colorants, paints, adhesives, coatings and pharmaceuticals. The Company's intermediate chemistry business also produces organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural and chemical products. Its technologies include AOPlus3 and VAntage2. The Acetyl Intermediates segment's products include acetyl products, and solvents and derivatives.

The Company's acetyl products include acetic acid, VAM, acetic anhydride and acetaldehyde. Acetic acid is used to manufacture VAM, purified terephthalic acid and other acetyl derivatives. VAM is used in a range of adhesives, paints, films, coatings and textiles. Acetic anhydride is a raw material used in the production of cellulose acetate, detergents and pharmaceuticals. Acetaldehyde is a feedstock for the production of a range of derivatives, such as pyridines, which are used in agricultural products. The Company also manufactures acetic acid, VAM and acetic anhydride for its own use in producing downstream, value-added products, as well as for sale to third parties. The Acetyl Intermediates segment produces VAM as a raw material for its emulsion polymers and EVA polymers businesses.

The Company manufactures a range of solvents, formaldehyde and other chemicals, which are used in the manufacture of paints, coatings, adhesives and other products. Its solvents and derivatives products include ethyl acetate, an acetate ester that is a solvent used in coatings, inks and adhesives, and in the manufacture of photographic films and coated papers; butyl acetate, an acetate ester that is a solvent used in inks, pharmaceuticals and perfume; formaldehyde and paraformaldehyde, which are used to produce adhesive resins for plywood, particle board, coatings, POM engineering resins and a compound used in making polyurethane, and other chemicals, such as crotonaldehyde, which are used by the Company's food ingredients business for the production of sorbic acid and potassium sorbates, as well as raw materials for the fragrance and food ingredients industry.

The Company's intermediate chemistry business sells its products both directly to customers and through distributors. Solvents and derivatives are sold to a range of regional and multinational customers. The Company manufactures formaldehyde for its own use, as well as for sale to regional customers that include manufacturers in the wood products and chemical derivatives industries. Specialty solvents are sold to a range of customers in the coatings and resins, and the specialty products industries. Its products serve regions, across the world in the synthetic lubricant, agrochemical, rubber processing and other specialty chemical areas.

The Company competes with BASF SE, BP PLC, Chang Chun Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Daicel Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Eastman Chemical Company, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Jiangsu Sopo (Group) Co., Ltd., Kuraray Co., Ltd., LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Nippon Gohsei, Perstorp Inc. and Showa Denko K.K.