OMNOVA Solutions Inc. - Introduction

Introduction

175 Ghent Road
Fairlawn, Ohio 44333-3300
U.S.A.
Telephone: (330) 869-4200
Fax: (330) 869-4288
Web site: http://www.omnova.com

Public Company
Incorporated: 1999
Employees: 2,400
Sales: $681.2 million (2002)
Stock Exchanges: New York
Ticker Symbol: OMN
NAIC: 325998 All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing

OMNOVA Solutions Inc. is a Fairlawn, Ohio, company comprised of two business segments: Decorative & Building Products and Performance Chemicals. The Decorative & Building Products segment includes four product categories. Commercial wallcoverings, accounting for nearly a third of the division's annual revenues, offers both decorative and protective wall surfacing products for such customers as hospitals, hotels, public and private offices, restaurants, schools, and stores. Coated fabrics products decorate and protect furniture at home and in the workplace as well as transportation seating. OMNOVA's decorative paper and vinyl laminates are used in a wide variety of applications, such as residential and office furniture, kitchen and bath cabinets, recreational vehicles, and floor and ceiling tile. The final product category of the Decorative & Building Products segment is commercial roofing, sold under the GenFlex brand and used in such structures as factories, government buildings, office complexes, restaurants, shopping malls, and stadiums. The Performance Chemicals business segment offers three product categories. Specialty chemicals are used in the manufacture of nonwoven products, such as diapers, engine filters, flooring and roofing mat, as well as plastic parts, tapes, tires, and textiles. OMNOVA's paper chemicals are used in the manufacture of a wide variety of papers used to produce magazines and catalogs, as well as food cartons and packaging materials. Finally, the segment's carpet chemicals product category provides SB latex carpet backing adhesive used in the manufacture of both residential and commercial carpeting. OMNOVA is a public company trading on the New York Stock Exchange.