Businessweek

Israel Chemicals Ltd., a multi-national group, a multi-national group operating primarily in the fertilizers and specialty chemicals sectors. The company has operations in Israel, Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. Segments The company operates in three segments: Fertilizers, Performance Products, and Industrial Products. Fertilizers Segment The Fertilizers Segment mines and processes potash, mines and processes phosphate rock, and produces agricultural phosphoric acid, phosphate fertilizers, compound fertilizers, based mainly on potash and phosphate, and specialty fertilizers. It markets these products worldwide, mainly to Europe, Brazil, India, China and Israel. This segment consists of two sub-segments: potash and phosphate. It extracts potash from the Dead Sea and mines potash from subterranean mines in the United Kingdom and in Spain. It mines phosphate rock from open-air mines in the Negev, and also produces sulphuric and phosphoric acid in Israel and fertilizers in Israel, the Netherlands and Germany. The activity of Mifalei Tovala Ltd., which engages in the transportation of cargo, mainly of ICL companies in Israel, is included in this segment. Industrial Products Segment The Industrial Products Segment produces bromine out of a solution that is created as a by-product of the potash production process in Sdom, as well as bromine-based compounds. It uses majority of the bromine it produces for self-production of bromine compounds on production sites in Israel, the Netherlands and China. In addition, Industrial Products extracts salt, magnesia and chlorine from Dead Sea brine, and produces chlorine based products in Israel and the United States. In addition, it engages in the production and marketing of flame retardants and additional phosphorus based products, through the Superseta Group. Performance Products Segment The Performance Products Segment processes the agricultural phosphoric acid produced by its Fertilizers segment, using it to produce downstream products. These products include phosphoric acid (food grade and technical grade), phosphate salts, food additives, and hygiene products for the food industry. This segment also produces specialty products, based on aluminum compounds, and other raw materials. Production is carried out at production sites in Europe, (particularly in Germany) and the United States, as well as in Israel, China, and other countries. Other Operations The company's other operations include the desalination of water (through a proportionately consolidated company) and the production and marketing of pure magnesium as well as magnesium alloys. Acquisitions In January 2008, the company acquired the principal assets and operations of a business unit of the German group Henkel that engages in water treatment. The acquired business sells products, services and equipment for water treatment, mainly to industry in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey.