Brief: Creation of Arkema
Creation of Arkema: a new global chemical player On October 1, 2004, Total reorganized its chemical business into 3 business units. These include Total Petrochemicals and Specialties (the chemistry branch) and implied the creation of a new unit: Arkema. This new global chemical player takes over vinyl products, industrial chemicals - including refrigerants such as Forane® - and performance products. This new structure, with Thierry le Henaff as its CEO, has sales of 6.5 billion USD a workforce of 19 300 employees in 90 industrial facilities and 6 research centres worldwide. According to Thierry Desmarest, CEO of Total, "Arkema is to become a competitive independent operator by 2006".