HOUSTON, July 12, 2001 — Westlake Chemical Corporation and USFilter Operating Services have signed one of the chemical industry's largest industrial outsourcing agreements for water and wastewater treatment.
The 15-year, multi-million dollar agreement calls for USFilter to operate, maintain and make capital improvements to the water and wastewater treatment units at Westlake's two ethylene plants and supply demineralized water to its styrene plant - all located at Westlake's Lake Charles, La., complex. The agreement is expected to save Westlake nearly $1 million annually in operating costs.
Houston-based Westlake Chemical Corporation is a chemical manufacturer with two major chemical production complexes located in Lake Charles, La., and Calvert City, Ky. The Lake Charles complex includes three polyethylene plants, two ethylene plants and a styrene plant.
"This water and wastewater outsourcing arrangement helps Westlake remain a competitive force in the chemical marketplace," said Westlake President Albert Chao. "By developing innovative strategies such as this, we can operate more efficiently and cost-effectively within the highly competitive petrochemicals industry."
USFilter will oversee capital improvements that will include several USFilter technology and equipment installations such as USFilter softeners, reverse osmosis units and chemical feed systems.
"The industrial outsourcing market for water and wastewater treatment continues to grow as more and more businesses and industries realize the benefits of outsourcing, such as cost savings and consistent, guaranteed services," said Ron P. Davis, executive vice president and general manager, USFilter Operating Services. "This long-term agreement demonstrates USFilter's continued leadership and commitment in the expanding industrial outsourcing market. More importantly, it enables Westlake to maintain its competitive advantage."
The Westlake agreement comes just after USFilter's acquisition of Scaltech, one of the nation's providers of waste treatment for the refinery market. Under the terms of that agreement, USFilter took on Scaltech's 14 U.S. industrial outsourcing agreements in the refinery market. The Scaltech acquisition, coupled with the Westlake Chemical contract, further boosts USFilter's top position in the industrial outsourcing market.
Westlake Chemical Corporation (www.westlakegroup.com) is a part of the Westlake Group of Companies headquartered in Houston and is a global supplier of petrochemicals, plastics and fabricated products. Westlake operates 16 manufacturing facilities in North America where it produces ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, vinyl chloride monomers, PVC resin as well as fabricated PVC products, including PVC pipe, windows, fencing and decking.
USFilter Operating Services, which is part of USFilter, designs, builds, operates, owns and finances water, wastewater and related utility facilities and systeUSFilter is a Vivendi Water company, the global provider of commercial, industrial, municipal and residential water and wastewater treatment systems, products and services, with operations in more than 100 countries.
Together, Vivendi Water, Onyx (solid waste and industrial services), Dalkia (energy management), and Connex (transportation and logistics) comprise Vivendi Environnement, the largest environmental services company in the world with annual revenues of more than $23 billion. Visit USFilter's web site at www.usfilter.com.
