A diamond jubilee of carbon black

Cabot Ville Platte hosted special event to celebrate its 75th anniversary
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This month, Cabot Corporation’s carbon black manufacturing facility in Ville Platte celebrated 75 years in operation. Built in 1943, Cabot’s Ville Platte facility is the oldest plant in its network of 45 manufacturing sites globally.
Today it operates four manufacturing units that produce more than 10 different grades of carbon black, a reinforcing agent used in rubber applications. Customers throughout North America use the carbon black from the facility for automobile tires and industrial rubber products to increase durability, expand lifespan and improve performance.
To mark the anniversary, the plant welcomed carbon black customers, retired and current employees, local government officials as well as members of Cabot’s executive and leadership teams to a series of celebratory events, including tours, information sessions and receptions.
Three separate receptions were held. Customer Day was Thursday, November 15, where 13 customers from six companies visited the Ville Platte plant. In addition to this, there were several Cabot executives as well. These included Bart Kalkstein, Senior Vice President and President Reinforcing Materials; Rob Davies, Vice President Global Carbon Black Operations; Mike Moon, Vice President of Global Carbon Black Operations and Tom Miller, Vice President and General Manger Global Tire and NA Business Director and a number of sales account managers. They arrived at 9:00 am where they had breakfast and given a history and overview of the plant and then a tour.
Friday, November 16, was Retiree Day where 30 retirees arrived at 8:00 a.m. There was a brief social and welcome by Facility General Manager Mark Suellentrop. Breakfast was served after their welcome, and they watched a video montage of pictures from the last 75 years of the plant and its employees while they ate. They were then given a current update on the plant. The retirees that wanted a plant tour were escorted to certain areas in the plant.
Later that day was the Employee Dinner Celebration. The event was held at The Wolff Ballroom in Washington starting at 6:00 p.m. for a social hour with hors d’oeuvres. As guests arrived, there was a red carpet leading up to a Cabot backdrop where a photographer took pictures. At 7:00 p.m., Suellentrop welcomed the group followed by Kenny Hill giving the invocation. Dinner was then served. Suellentrop gave introductory remark and introduced guests. CEO and President Sean Keohane gave a keynote address followed by a video interview of retirees over the years and then a toast.
Cabot was originally founded in Pennsylvania in 1882 by Godfrey Lowell Cabot. As World War II commenced, demand for carbon black continued to grow, driving the company to seek expansion opportunities. Ville Platte’s abundant supply of natural gas, power facilities, water supply and railroad service made it a highly desirable location. The company located a site in Tate Cove, just north of Ville Platte, and began construction in February 1943.
The plant commenced operations with a single unit on November 25, 1943 and grew to six units by 1945. By 1946, Ville Platte became Cabot’s largest manufacturing facility of the time, with 230 employees at its peak.
Over the years, Cabot has continued to invest in the Ville Platte plant to improve the site’s environmental performance and maintain a safe workplace for employees, investing in automation, quality controls other technology enhancements. Due to its intense focus and commitment to safety, the site has gone more than three and a half years without a recordable safety incident.
Cabot has been a well-respected employer in Evangeline Parish throughout its existence and makes a meaningful difference in the community. Today, the plant employs approximately 90 people, who are active in a variety of central Louisiana community activities and provides charitable contributions to assist the local fire department, school sports teams, cultural institutions and health-related charities.
Management credits the employees of the plant, some of whom are second and third generation Cabot employees, with its success.
“From the very beginning it has been our people who make the Ville Platte plant an outstanding provider of service and quality to our customers, and a generous supporter of the community,” explained Suellentrop. “We are humbled to celebrate 75 years of operation in Ville Platte and look forward to many more!”