Cox Industries Inc., Orangeburg, S.C., purchased Koppers’ existing pole inventory, lease agreements for pole distribution yards, and related manufacturing assets. The sale does not include Koppers’ wood treating plant in Florence, S.C., its primary production facility, which it will retain to supply chemicals for treating crossties and other railroad products.

 

Cox v.p.-marketing Keith Harris said, “We will treat from our own facilities and on a contract basis with the Koppers facility in Florence. The purchase gave us two additional peeling locations, 13 additional distribution yards, and a new sales office in Pittsburgh.”

 

Cox already operated seven industrial treating plants in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia and Georgia, producing utility poles, cross-arms, piling and marine construction materials. The new locations are in Iowa, Maryland, Connecticut, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Alabama.

 

The new sales office in Pittsburgh allows “for the successful transition of Koppers employees to Cox.”

 

Koppers continues to operate its utility pole business in Australia.

 

Separately, Koppers paid $15.5 million for leased rail cars, storage tanks, and creosote distribution agreements from KMG Chemicals, Houston, Tx.

 

The company has also postponed construction of a planned naphthalene plant in Stickney, Il., that would replace its existing facility in Follansbee, W.V.