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Co in order to justify building a plant, the company needed commitments from customers, and these were slow in coming. A planned 1999 start-up date came and went as customer negotiations dragged on. Appliance manufacturers, meanwhile, were starting to get nervous. They began to evaluate the three HCFCs on their own, preparing for the possibility that 245fa would not be available in time to meet the phaseout deadline. However, by October of last year, Co was able to strike a deal with `M` under which the appliance maker agreed to exclusively use 245fa in its refrigerator and freezer products. Co. subsequently signed a similar pact with `W` and, in March, won board approval to build a 245fa plant in Geismar, La. The plant is slated to start up by July 1, 2002, in time--although barely--for customers to switch to the new product by the end of that year.
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