Olin to enter the PVC business

Olin executives disclosed at a recent investor conference that the company intends to enter the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) business. Olin already produces vinyl chloride and ethylene dichloride (EDC), two key PVC raw materials, and says the US is the least expensive place to make PVC because of low-cost shale gas. The company says its options include forming partnerships with existing PVC producers, entering the field through acquisition, and building its own PVC plant on the US Gulf Coast. It already has a deal to ship EDC to the European PVC producer Kem One and sell the resulting polymer in North America.