BASF increases prices globally for all masterbatches

(BASF) -- BASF Color Solutions increases prices globally for all masterbatches by minimum 5%. New prices are effective for deliveries starting 1st of July, 2011, or as contracts allow. These price increases are necessary to cover further significant increase in raw material cost seen for pigments and light stabilizers, plasticizers and polymers as well as increases in other costs like energy and labor costs.


The product range of BASF's Pigments & Resins business unit includes pigments, effect pigments, pigment preparations and dyes, resins, light stabilizers, photoinitiators and additives as well as specific masterbatches in Europe.

mrcplast.com

(Clariant) -- The masterbatches business unit of Clariant, a leading masterbatches player globally, announces global price increases for most of its products. "During the past months, the price development for our main raw materials, as well as other conversion costs, has reached a level which we cannot absorb ourselves anymore, despite our ongoing efforts to offset these costs with internal actions, such as in particular our Operational and Commercial Excellence program. Also to finance future investments to our supply chain in order to secure raw material availability, we have no alternative but to increase prices," comments Hans Bohnen, Head of Clariant`s Masterbatches Business Unit.

The price increases will become effective immediately or as contracts allow. Clariant customers will be contacted individually regarding the specifics of the price increase as they apply to their products and regions.

MRC

(Plastics Today) -- Chemical and engineering materials giant, DuPont is expanding its research and development reach in Asia and across the globe, opening a global Innovation Center in Korea, servicing the electronics and automotive industries, as well as one in Taiwan, focusing on the electronics and communications markets. This fall additional Innovation Centers will open in Thailand and India with more planned in Latin America, Europe, and North America in 2012 and beyond.

DuPont said its goal is to offer "local collaboration and application development and engage customers in inclusive innovation, wherever they are in the world." Connelly said in a presentation that the center would provide an "ideation environment", with real-time connection to DuPont's 75 global R&D and application development centers. The center will have design, testing, training, failures analysis, and processing capabilities, including injection molding and other processing technologies.

MRC

(ICIS) -- US June contract prices for polyethylene (PE) fell between 4-6%, depending on the grade, based on weak demand and downward pressure from global markets, sources said on Thursday.
Producers announced price reductions of between 2-3 cents/lb (USD 44-66/tonne, EUR 30-46/tonne) for high density PE (HDPE) grades, 4 cents/lb for linear low density PE (LLDPE) grades and between 4-6 cents/lb for low density PE (LDPE), sources said.

With the reduction, prices for LLDPE butene film were at 74-77 cents/lb DEL (delivered), LDPE film prices were at 84-86 cents/lb DEL and HDPE blow molding prices were at 72-74 cents/lb DEL, for small-volume buyers, as assessed by ICIS.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Palm methyl ester (PME) spot prices in Asia fell this week, dragged down by declining values of feedstock crude palm oil (CPO), with the market weakness likely to persist in the weeks ahead, industry sources said on Friday.

PME was trading at USD 1.170-1.190/tonne (EUR 807-812/tonne) FOB (free on board) SE (southeast) Asia on Friday, down USD 40/tonne from the previous week, while CPO for July delivery was at USD 1.029/tonne.

CPO prices started to fall early last week after official data showed a 13.7% month-on-month spike in May production to 210,243 tonnes.

⌠The increase in CPO production in May has exerted downward pressure on CPO prices, a Singapore based palm oil trader said.

MRC