New tire plants drawing raw material suppliers to South Carolina

Rubber & Plastics News had an article the other day highlighting three raw material suppliers — a carbon black distributor, a steel cord and bead wire producer, and a mold manufacturer — currently expanding their operations in South Carolina to support the huge new investments in tire production capacity that are occurring in the state.

Intertex World Resources Inc. is a distributor of carbon black, masterbatches, natural and synthetic rubber, and process oils. The company is investing $3.2 million to establish a 100,000-sq.-ft. facility in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, about 35 miles from Charleston. The new location will focus on carbon black, which Intertex imports primarily from China and Russia. The carbon black is imported in supersacks and transloaded to hopper cars for distribution. The new distribution site will serve tire plants from Virginia to Georgia. Intertex operates about 20 warehouses across the country and has customer service centers in Georgia and Ohio. According to the company, the South Carolina facility is operational and includes a rail line and one loading dock at present, though two more loading docks will be added within the next few months.