l Rohm and Haas’ performance polymers segment reported sales of $839 million for the quarter ended June 30. In the same quarter one year ago, the unit’s sales were $909 million. For the six months, sales were $1.63 billion compared to $1.79 billion reported in 2000.
According to chairman Raj L. Gupta, there was some “recovery in demand from segments of the building and construction and automotive market.” The company’s coatings demand declined overall, however “performance was helped by share gain and new product introductions.” Adhesives and sealants suffered from softened demand from the packaging market and the powder coatings unit was affected by an “industry-wide decline in demand from the office furniture/durable goods markets,” according to the company.