Ineos Silicas of Warrington, UK, a silicates manufacturing subsidiary of Ineos, is reportedly for sale and drawing interest from competitors. A report in Chemical Week said the Ineos subsidiary has hired Morgan Stanley of London as financial adviser to oversee an evaluation of a potential Ineos divestiture. That process could take up to five months, the report said. The report quoted Ineos Silicas chief executive Brian Foster, who said several chemical companies, rather than equity firms, have expressed interest in acquiring the company. No potential suitors were identified, but the story said primary competitors include Degussa, W.R. Grace, J.M. Huber, PPG Industries and Rhodia in silicas production. Ineos Silicas operates plants in the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and the US. It had sales last year of USD 279m, the report said.