article includes a list of references but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . december 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message koppers inc. type public traded as nyse kop industry chemicals railroad ties and other products railroad bridge construction and repair wood preservation founded 1988 headquarters koppers tower pittsburgh pennsylvania key people leroy m. ball president and chief executive officer steven r. lacy senior vice president administration general counsel and secretary michael j. zugay chief financial officer james a. sullivan senior vice president global carbon materials and chemicals thomas d. loadman vice president and general manager railroad and utility products and services . paul goydan senior vice president performance chemicals david hillenbrand chairman of the board of directors products coke wood processing coal tar crossties utility poles creosote carbon black phthalic anhydride revenue 1.16 billion usd number of employees 2 100 website www.koppers.com koppers is a global chemical and materials company based in pittsburgh pennsylvania united states in an art deco 1920s skyscraper the koppers tower . contents 1 structure 2 history 3 beazer hostile takeover 4 current business interests 5 products 6 see also 7 references 8 external links structure edit the corporation is divided into three business units carbon and chemicals railroad products and services and performance chemicals . the company specialises in manufacturing carbon chemicals from coal tar . the five main chemicals that are produced are coal pitch for steel and aluminum production carbon black for rubber vulcanization creosote for wood treatment and naphthalene and phthalic anhydride for plastics and polyester . kopper s coal tar pitches are essential to manufacturing carbon anodes for aluminum smelting . koppers also has extensive operations making creosote treated wood products especially railroad ties and switches . utility poles foundations decking materials and wooden panneling are also produced by the company . history edit in 1943 koppers at the us government s behest built a factory in kobuta pennsylvania on the left bank of the ohio river just downriver from beaver to manufacture styrene butadiene monomer a building block used to make a form of synthetic rubber for the world war ii defense effort . in 1951 at port arthur texas the company built a plant to manufacture the chemical monomer ethylbenzene using as raw materials ethylene from the nearby gulf oil refinery and benzene which was a byproduct of the company s coke ovens in pennsylvania and which was shipped down to texas by barge . the ethylbenzene produced there was then shipped by barge back up to the kobuta plant where it was converted to styrene monomer and then polymerized to make expandable polystyrene . in the early 1950s the company purchased a license to manufacture polyethylene at its port arthur plant . these chemical operations later were the basis for forming a new corporate entity with sinclair oil corporation to form the sinclair koppers company in 1965 . beazer hostile takeover edit in early 1988 beazer a british conglomerate run by one of the foremost corporate raiders of the 1980s successfully launched a hostile takeover of koppers for 1.81 billion 3.8 billion today . the sale was completed on june 17 1988 . 1 a smaller more streamlined domestic business unit of koppers was bought back by local management in the early 2000s and although much simpler than the once sprawling chemical and aggregate conglomerate of the early to mid 20th century koppers has once again become successful at its core businesses . in 2006 the new beazer free independent koppers again went public 2 . current business interests edit koppers operates facilities in the united states canada united kingdom denmark australia china south africa . the coal tar processor cindu chemicals in the netherlands was acquired in 2010 . 1 koppers sources coal tar from around the world for further processing by distillation into carbon chemicals . its monessen pennsylvania coke ovens have a combined annual capacity of over 360 000 tons . the company further operates coke ovens in tangshan people s republic of china and has co located facilities near the operations of major steel makers . products edit one of koppers leading products is coal tar . asphalt sealants containing coal tar have high levels of benzo a pyrene and other toxic chemicals known collectively as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or pahs . 2 see also edit pittsburgh portal heinrich koppers references edit kopper holdings buys cindu chemicals www.businessweek.com the associated press 2 march 2010 chicago tribune january 15 2011 new doubts cast on safety of common driveway sealant by michael hawthorne http www.chicagotribune.com health ct met toxic coal tar sealant 20110115 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