Book excerpt: The chemicals manufacturing industry is a vibrant, global business that encompasses many important sectors: from commodity chemicals, to specialty chemicals to custom manufacturing. Key products include biochemicals, nanochemicals, polymers, petrochemicals, fertilizers, plastics, coatings, ceramics, solvents, additives, dyes and many other products basic to home and business needs. In addition, the pharmaceuticals industry is often included when discussing chemicals. Plunkett's Chemicals, Plastics & Coatings Industry Almanac 2008 covers such sectors, providing a market research tool for competitive intelligence, strategic planning, business analysis and even employment searches. Our coverage includes business trends analysis and industry statistics. The almanac also contains a chemicals, plastics and coatings business glossary and a listing of industry contacts, such as industry associations and government agencies. Next, we profile hundreds of leading companies. Our 400 company profiles include complete business descriptions and up to 27 executives by name and title. A CD-ROM accompanies the book version and enables you to search, filter, view and export selected companies and organizations -- a handy tool for creating mailing lists.