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TO INCREASE its share of the Asian market for industrial carbon black and mechanical rubber goods, Colombian Chemicals Company, Marietta, Ga., has acquired majority ownership and operational control of Columbian Carbon Japan (CCJ), a joint venture it operates with its Japanese partner, D.P. Shokai.
Colombian, a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation, now controls 68 percent of CCJ, up from 50 percent. D.P. Shokai owns the remaining 32 percent. The increased stake in CCj will enable Columbian to strengthen its emphasis on serving customers in Japan. The plant has 15 employees.
The company considers Asia a highgrowth area. "It is a region that will show more growth than North America and Europe," notes Dietmar Voss, the company's senior vice-president of worldwide marketing and sales. "Business is different in Asia, and the culture is very different. That's why we have mainly Asian people working to develop the market."
Mr. Voss says that although the Asian market is currently flat and faces some...