Ashland Hercules Water Technologies to increase prices on polyacrylamides, sizing and wet strength resins

WILMINGTON, Del. — Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), will increase prices on Jan. 14 for its portfolio of polyacrylamides, paper sizing agents and wet strength resins. This will be a global price increase ranging from 5 to 20 percent, or as contracts allow. In Asia Pacific, price increases may exceed 20 percent on selected products.

Hal Moffat, vice president, StreamLink Specialty Chemicals Asia Pacific, Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, said, “Our business directors for several key product lines have announced global price increases due to the steep escalation of costs for critical raw materials, energy and transportation, as well as some severe supply constraints. Several of the cost increases are particularly large in China and the rest of Asia Pacific, which require us to adjust our prices accordingly.  We will continue to partner with our customers to help offset or mitigate these cost increases.”

Ashland Hercules Water Technologies is the number one global producer of papermaking chemicals and is a leading specialty chemicals supplier to the pulp and paper, industrial and institutional, mining and municipal markets. Its water treatment, process and functional chemistries are used to improve operational efficiencies, to enhance product quality, to protect plant assets and to ensure environmental compliance.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our five commercial units – Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Consumer Markets (Valvoline) and Ashland Distribution.