Norwalk, CT-based Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company, Inc. (www.rtvanderbiltholding.com) last Friday announced its decision to consolidate its commercial production of chemicals at a single location—the company’s newly upgraded plant in Murray, Ky. The company will diminish commercial production at its chemicals plant in Bethel, Conn. by the end of 2014 and transfer that displaced volume into the expanded Murray plant. The Company will continue to maintain a pilot plant and laboratory in Bethel in order to support the chemicals business.

“The decision to consolidate our commercial production in Murray was difficult for all of us,” said Hugh B. Vanderbilt, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company, Inc. “The manufacturing environment continues to be very competitive and consolidating our chemical manufacturing assets will enable us to compete more effectively going forward.”

The plant in Murray was built in 1969 and was recently expanded through a multi-million dollar upgrade; four of nine production lines are now completely automated. Production of specialty chemical lubricant additives for oils, fluids, and greases, as well as additives for rubber and plastics, paint and coatings, will be moved from Bethel, Conn. to Murray, Ky. by the end of 2014.

Ken Kelly, President of Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC, said: “While we regret having to make this decision, consolidating our commercial production of chemicals in Murray will enhance our efficiency and provide growth opportunities for the future. We do not expect any interruption in service or impact on our customers.”

“We are working together with the union in Bethel that represents our hourly employees, as well as with our salaried employees, to discuss the impact of these decisions,” stated Roger K. Price, President and Chief Operating Officer of R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company.

Vanderbilt Chemicals products serve the rubber and plastic additives industries, the petroleum oil additive industry, the coatings and the building materials industries. The products function as accelerators or as antioxidants for rubber compounds. In the petroleum oil additive business, the Company’s products, sold under the trade names MOLYVAN®, VANLUBE® and VANCHEM®, improve the performance of lubricating oils, greases and fluids under high temperature and extreme pressure conditions. In addition, several specialty products are used as friction reducers, antiwear additives, and corrosion inhibitors for passenger car motor oil and light diesel motor oil. For the paint industry, Vanderbilt Chemicals produces ACTIV-8®, a paint drier accelerator and ACTIV-8® HGL, a powerful chelating agent used to increase the activity of standard paint drying systems. ACTIV-8® is also used in electroplating, paper-pulping and corrosion-inhibiting applications. Additional products include VEEGUM® rheological additive products, used primarily for pharmaceutical and personal care applications, and VAN GEL® products, offered for industrial applications.

R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut and employs more than 400 people globally. The Company was founded in 1916 by Robert Thurlow Vanderbilt and is now in its ninety-seventh year of operation as a privately held and family-run business. Its ownership interests includes subsidiaries Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC; Vanderbilt Minerals, LLC; Vanderbilt Global Services, LLC; Vanderbilt International, SARL; and Vanderbilt (Beijing) Trading, Ltd., and the Company’s operating subsidiaries have manufacturing operations in Connecticut, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina.