Sales of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments products, which include HITOX®, TIOPREM® and synthetic rutile (SR) products, increased 17 percent versus the prior year quarter, primarily due to an order for SR in the first quarter of 2014, as compared to SR orders in the previous year's quarter. Pricing for TIOPREM and HITOX products were lower year over year.

 

Commenting on the quarter, Dr. Olaf Karasch, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We reported sales growth of 15 percent and returned to profitability during the first quarter. We believe our performance reflects our efforts to improve operating efficiency at the plant level, including adjusting staffing levels and plant schedules. Our TiO2 segment continues to be pressured by ongoing industry-wide pricing pressures and higher inventory costs related to the purchase of higher-priced raw materials. We anticipate the SR plant in Malaysia being idle during the second quarter given current market conditions. This shutdown will adversely affect our profitability for the quarter."

 

"We remain optimistic about the outlook for our specialty alumina business, and continue to expect double-digit revenue and profitability growth for the remainder of 2014 for this part of our business. Our TiO2 business will continue to be negatively affected by softer demand trends, high raw material costs and high inventory levels across the industry," said Dr. Karasch. "Our strategic focus will remain on growing our specialty alumina business and improving efficiency and cost containment across all segments of the business. We believe this strategy should allow us to generate positive cash flow and produce breakeven or better profitability results during the ongoing downturn in the TiO2 cycle."