Our Company
Community services
Charity programs 
OxyChile, along with its employees, has established a solidarity program which main target is show its concrete commitment to the community. This is supported by in the company mission that states its commitment to protecting the health, safety and environment not only of its employees, but also of its customers, vendors and, overall, of its neighboring community. 

Every year, the company and the employees actively put these social responsibility principles into practice by supporting different social organizations either directly as company or by matching employees contributions. As matter of example, "Un Niño, Nuestro Compromiso" (“A child our commitment”), is a charity program directed by two governamental institutions: The Plan Nacional de la Infancia (“National Program for Childhood”) and the “Plan Nacional de Superación de la Pobreza” (“National program to Overcome Poverty”), coordinated through different Municipalities who invite private companies in their area to sponsor children from low-income families and good academic performance.  Thus, with our help, children of our neighboring communities of Talcahuano and Hualpen are able to afford articles of clothing and school equipment.

Training
OxyChile is also committed to training and helping its neighboring community developing permanent links with community boards, municipalities, policemen, firefighters, schools, colleges and other institutions.
 
OxyChile and a small public medical clinic located in Hualpen have carried out leadership workshops for community leaders.  Likewise, the company has provided computing and health care courses for young people from the region.
 
Seminars are frequently scheduled to develop safe conduct in emergencies concerning our products.  Policemen, firefighters, highway workers and other people who participate in the transportation of dangerous substances attend these training programs.
 
In 1995, the company presented a project on emergency reaction to the authorities.  Since then, emergency drills are regularly performed to inform and train the community.
 
On the other hand, OxyChile received the "e-sello", a government recognition granted by SENCE which certifies that the company has crossed the digital gap.  The company generates the conditions needed so that the whole staff is able to manage new computer technologies.  This project coheres with the social responsibility expressed by OxyChile and the technological advances of the country.
 
Community Advisory Panel 
OxyChile has a community advisory panel made up of representatives from community boards, municipalities, health care systems, educational systems, firemen and policemen.  This panel usually meets to provide useful and relevant information about the company's activities, health care, safety and environmental issues.
 
Visits to the facility
Consistatn to the company's open policy towards the community, the plant is visited by more than 400 people every year.  The groups interested in visiting the facilities must make a formal request to the plant's management.  Once it is approved, one employee is designated to guide the visitors through the plant.  He provides safety elements and information on emergency signals, presents the processes and products and answers the visitor's inquiries.

Commitment to quality, health, environment and safety
OxyChile's processes are certified by ISO 9001 since 1998 and ISO 14001 since 2003, which reflects our commitment to manufacturing chemical products efficiently, improving processes and services constantly and improving measures to prevent pollution.

OxyChile has kept its commitment to Responsible Care® since 1994, implementing its 6 codes:  Community Information and Emergency Reaction, Transportation and Distribution, Personnel's health, Pollution Prevention, Production Processes Safety and Integral Product Responsibility.  Since then, OxyChile has lead the implementation of the   Responsible Care® initiative in the country through ASIQUIM.

Applications and uses for OxyChiles products and services
OxyChile's products and services provide a variety of applications which are mainly used in chemical processes, pulp and paper, mining industry, iron and steel industry, water treatment,  food industry, agricultural processes, forest and fishing industries among others.

OxyChile gives key importance to projects developed along with its customers, since this guarantees safe product application, high quality products and services and high reliability.

Our products
OxyChile's production plant in Talcahuano manufactures liquid chlorine , caustic soda , hydrogen, sodium hypochlorite , hydrochloric acid , ferric chloride and calcium chloride , which represent an important group of basic chemicals that allows the Company to offer quick and low cost solutions to its customers.

The process core consists of 32 OxyTech MGC membrane electrolizers , the most modern technology available with low emission levels, since mercury and asbetos are not present.  The raw material used is sodium chloride (salt), brought by vessel from the North of Chile which in turn is delivered by truck to the production plant where it is finally stored.     

The sodium chloride is dissolved in water and treated in sodium carbonate and caustic soda to precipitate its content of calcium and magnesium.  After this step, sodium chloride is treated with other reactive materials, cleared and filtrated.  Then the pH is adjusted before the secondary treatment system which allows higher purification, i.e., ultra-pure brine suitable for membrane cells. 

Then, in the membrane cells, sodium chloride is dissociated by electrolysis, generating chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and hydrogen gas. 

Next, the chlorine gas current is cooled, washed, dried, compressed and liquefied to obtain liquid chlorine with low humidity levels, ready for customer delivery in an inexpensive and sound way.

Caustic Soda is produced with about 32% concentration in the cells.  Then it is cooled, stored in tanks and delivered to customers.  This chemical product is obtained in solution and can be classified as membrane liquid caustic soda (high purity level) or as diaphragm caustic soda (produced by OxyChem in U.S.A.)

Likewise, OxyChile produces Hydrogen obtained along with chlorine and caustic soda in the electrolytic cells.  This gas is cooled and compressed before practical applications (metallurgic, petrochemical and chemical treatments). It is transported only through pipes due to its physical characteristics

Sodium hypochlorite is produced by the reaction of chlorine and caustic soda in a system that leaves a 14% to 16% solution.  This process controls the variables affecting its stability such as temperature, residual alkalinity and impurities from raw materials and production equipment. 

Hydrochloric acid   is a chemical product obtained by synthesis where hydrogen with chlorine react at high temperatures.  This generates a gas which is absorbed in demineralized water resulting in hydrochloric acid with 32% concentration. 

OxyChile also manufactures Ferric Chloride from diluted ferrous chloride.  This is concentrated in a process that adds chlorine and iron to the solution, obtaining concentrated ferrous chloride which is transformed into ferric chloride by adding chlorine.

Finally, Calcium Chloride is produced by the reaction of calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid.  Then a process of pH adjustment and filtration is carried out, generating a 35% solution.

Plants and Terminals
Our production plant is based in the industrial area of Talcahuano (VIII Region of Chile) between the bays of San Vicente and Concepcion (500 Km. south of Santiago).  The location, close to several ports, railroads and highways, provides a privileged access to Chilean and foreign markets.

The plant was first built by the Governament owned Petroquimica Chilena in 1970 and purchased by Diamond Shamrock 8 years later.  In 1986, it became part of OxyChem and currently it is part of its basic chemicals group.

In 1991, OxyChile implemented a technological breakthrough and started operations using membrane cells that allow improved process controls and minimized emissions.

Every year OxyChile invests in projects to reduce environmental impact and improve operations.  To carry out processes and activities successfully, OxyChile employs 110 people at the Talcahuano plant and 16 people at the Head office in Santiago.

Logistics and distribution are also part of its activities, with 3 maritime terminals:  one located in Tocopilla in the north of Chile (2,600 tons.), another in central Chile in San Antonio (6,600 tons.) and the other in San Vicente, near the plant in the south of the country (28,400 tons.).  In addition, 8 trucking and 2 rail carriers provide services in this field.

Code of Business Ethics
To know about our Code of Business Ethics Policy click  here
Our Corporate Competencies
Collaborative? We win together
We are driven to produce great results by working together. We know that diverse thinking delivers smarter ideas and broad organizational wins.  Together, we explore, develop, empower, and excel. We achieve more together than by ourselves.

Creative? We innovate and improve
We are high achievers targeting the best, fastest, and most efficient ways to constantly improve results and performance.  We vigorously explore and endorse new ideas to find a smarter course of action, influence progress, and inspire breakthroughs

Risk-Taking? We explore and challenge
We always act to eliminate Health, Environmental and Safety risks.  We take smart risks to challenge how we work to maximize returns and lead the industry. We have courage to challenge and make decisions. We celebrate diversity of thought and learn from failures

Proactive?We look ahead
We are always future-focused and have a strong sense of urgency. We use our experiences, knowledge and data to anticipate, plan, and influence to continually move forward and evolve. We course correct and avoid over-analysis

Accountable? We own our actions
We are passionate about the effect our individual actions have on collective results.  We take ownership for our results and seek to share information, mentor, and celebrate wins. Our integrity ensures we commit to our results and collaborate with one another in order to meet our goals

Results-Oriented? We add value
We are aligned with the vision and organizational goals to perform value-added work that delivers impactful solutions. We leverage our human and technical capital to assess, act, adjust, and reflect for greater success.

Our prospects
Our vision is to keep on leading in our industry, with sustainable, safe and low cost operation standards that ? with our products, prices, quality and clients ? give an adequate profit to our shareholders.

To operate with high standards regarding safety, environmental stewardship, and the protection of the health of our employees and the community.

To develop a profitable market for chlorine and its sub products.

To be the chosen supplier of caustic soda in Chile, focusing in the high volume business and in long term business relationships.

To have a workforce of excellence that is autonomous in their areas that shows initiative, that is proactive and flexible, and that is accountable for the challenges in the framework of our values.

Our destiny
Our mission is to be a basic chemical products supplier with operational excellence and offering services that add value to our customers, suppliers, shareholders, employees and the community.
Occidental Chemical Chile
Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada or OxyChile is the Chilean subsidiary of  Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem). Dallas, Texas-based OxyChem is a leading North American manufacturer of basic chemicals and vinyls - key building blocks for a variety of indispensable products such as plastics, pharmaceuticals and water treatment chemicals. OxyChem is a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, which is one of the largest U.S. oil and gas companies, based on equity market capitalization, and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Occidental Chemical Chile Ltda. is the only company in Chile that produces caustic soda, liquid chlorine, calcium chloride, ferric chloride and sodium hypochlorite (bleach).  This allows OxyChile to have a wide national and international projection, exporting its products to South America, Central America and the Caribbean.