We benefit from a number of competitive strengths, including the following:

• Leading Market Positions
  We have the first or second market positions globally in products that make up a majority of our sales. We are a leading global producer of acetic acid and the world’s largest producer of VAM. Ticona and our ventures, Polyplastics and KEPCO, are leading suppliers of POM and other engineering resins in North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. Our leadership positions are based on our large share of global production capacity, operating efficiencies, proprietary technology and competitive cost structures in our major products.
• Proprietary Production Technology and Operating Expertise
  Our production of acetyl products employs industry leading proprietary and licensed technologies, including our proprietary AO Plus acid-optimization technology for the production of acetic acid and VAntage vinyl acetate monomer technology. AO Plus enables plant capacity to be increased with minimal investment, while VAntage enables significant increases in production efficiencies, lower operating costs and increases in capacity at ten to fifteen percent of the cost of building a new plant.
• Low Cost Producer
  Our competitive cost structures are based on economies of scale, vertical integration, technical know-how and the use of advanced technologies.
• Global Reach
  We operate thirty-one production facilities throughout the world. The ventures in which we participate operate ten additional facilities. We have a strong and growing presence in Asia (particularly in China). Our infrastructure of manufacturing plants, terminals, and sales offices provides us with a competitive advantage in anticipating and meeting the needs of our global and local customers in well-established and growing markets, while our geographic diversity reduces the potential impact of volatility in any individual country or region.
• International Strategic Investments
  Our strategic investments, including our ventures, have enabled us to gain access, minimize costs and accelerate growth in new markets, while also generating significant cash flow and earnings. Our equity investments and cost investments represent an important component of our growth strategy.
• Diversified Products and End-Use Markets
  We offer our customers a broad range of products in a wide variety of end-use markets. For example, Ticona offers customers a broad range of high-quality engineering plastics to meet the needs of customers in numerous end-use markets, such as automotive, electrical/electronics, appliance and medical. Chemical Products has leading market positions in an integrated chain of basic and performance-based acetyl products, sold into diverse industrial applications. This product diversity and market exposure help us to reduce the potential impact of volatility in any individual market segment.