Lanxess awards Foster Wheeler EPCm contract for the largest EPDM rubber plant in the world

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lanxess has awarded a subsidiary of Foster Wheeler's Global Engineering and Construction Group an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) contract for a new ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber plant to be built in Jiangsu Province, China, according to Daily Finance. Foster Wheeler is currently executing the front-end engineering design (FEED) for this facility.

This project's amount was not disclosed. The new facility is going to produce 160,000 tpa of EPDM rubber. The plant is expected to start up in 2015. Lanxess states that this new plant, which it describes as the largest EPDM rubber facility in the world, is its largest investment in China to date.

EPDM is used primarily in the automotive industry as door sealants or windscreen wipers. It is also used in the plastics modification, cable and wire, construction and oil additives industries.

As MRC informed earlier, Foster Wheeler had been also awarded EPCm contract by LANXESS Butyl Pte. Ltd. for a new neodymium polybutadiene (Nd-PBR) rubber plant to be built on Jurong Island, Singapore. Accoridng to Lanxess, the new plant, is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world and is designed to produce 140,000 tpa of Nd-PBR. It will be built alongside Lanxess' 100,000 tonnes-per-year synthetic butyl rubber plant, the largest facility of its type in Asia, due to start up in 2013, and for which Foster Wheeler is also the EPCm contractor.

Foster Wheeler AG is a global engineering and construction company and power equipment supplier delivering technically advanced facilities and equipment.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.8 billion in 2011 and currently around 16,900 employees in 31 countries. The company is currently represented at 48 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sabic released its first sustainability report entitled "Sustainability+Performance" on 24 November, covering sustainability performance in 2011and reflecting systematic approach woven into corporate strategy and business focus, according to a company's press release.

The report is going to be published annually and is aimed to serve as a valuable tool for customers, investors and stakeholders to evaluate Sabic’s commitment and performance toward sustainable business practices. In its report, SABIC stresses upon the fact that sustainability, driven by ingenuity, is part of its long-term competitive strategy.

Mohamed Al-Mady, Sabic Vice Chairman and CEO said, "Sustainability for SABIC means we have strategies, goals and actions in place to address stakeholder expectations of our responsibility as a corporation. These plans, driven by transparency and accountability, will ultimately deliver economic, social and environmental benefits that will secure the longer term sustainability of our business, our employees, our community and the planet at large".

Sabic is ranked among the world's largest petrochemicals manufacturers. It is the largest public company in Saudi Arabia. The comany manufactures chemicals and intermediates, industrial polymers, fertilizers and metals. It is currently the second largest global ethylene glycol producer. Among its products are propylene, paraxylene, styrene, vinyl chloride monomer. Sabic's venture capital arm is looking for opportunities in the U.S., Europe and China to buy stakes in start-up companies that can turn shale gas into petrochemicals, as MRC reported earlier. Formed last November, the Netherlands-based business is negotiating 30 to 40 deals and is looking especially at technologies that use different feedstocks.
MRC

(plastiker) -- DuPont Performance Polymers (DPP) has reinforced its collaboration with Biesterfeld Plastic by extending its distribution agreement into Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Ukraine.

The new agreement is a extension of the two companies llong-standing partnership that was founded in 1987.

DPP started its relationship with Biesterfeld Plastic in Germany in 1987. Since then it has been extended to include BeNeLux, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria and CEE, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, Turkey and now Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Ukraine.

DuPont, is an American chemical company was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009.

In the 20th century, DuPont developed many polymers such as Vespel, neoprene, nylon, Corian, Teflon, Mylar, Kevlar, Zemdrain, M5 fiber, Nomex, Tyvek, Sorona and Lycra. DuPont developed Freon (chlorofluorocarbons) for the refrigerant industry, and later more environmentally friendly refrigerants. It developed synthetic pigments and paints including ChromaFlair.


MRC

(4-traders) -- DKSH and Normalab have signed an exclusive agreement to expand Normalab's market presence and market share through leveraging DKSH comprehensive network of dedicated sales and service teams in Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Under the agreement, DKSH will provide Normalab value-added Market Expansion Services such as sales, marketing, project management and after-sales services in the petrochemical sector of each country.

Normalab is renowned worldwide and furnishes laboratories installed in plants from the refining, extraction, chemicals, petrochemicals and other sectors.

Sebastien Le Vern, Asia Sales Manager at Normalab, states: "We are very pleased about our new cooperation with DKSH in Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. When visiting DKSH sites, we were deeply impressed to see the sales and service teams' commitment and efforts to create maximum customer satisfaction. We are therefore confident that this partnership will help us raise the standard and quality of sales and services to our customers."

Normalab is certified and its core activity is the design and manufacture of testing instruments, dedicated to quality control in laboratories for various industries including: petroleum, petrochemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, bio fuels, etc.

DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services Group with a focus on Asia. As the term "Market Expansion Services" suggests, DKSH helps other companies and brands to grow their business in new or existing markets.

As MRC wrote earlier, DKSH has recently acquired the Swiss specialty chemicals distributor Staerkle & Nagler.

MRC

(bnamericas) -- Brazilian chemical imports were 18.5% higher in October 2012 than the year-ago month, at USD4.3bn, outpacing the 5.1% increase in exports to USD1.3bn, chemical industry association Abiquim said.

Compared with September 2012, imports were 14.3% higher and exports were up 10.2%. Abiquim said it expected a trade deficit in chemical products of USD28bn in 2012 compared to USD26.5bn in 2011.

Denise Naranjo, Abiquim's director of trade, said the result was due to a "combination of the deceleration of international demand for chemical products and the greater activity of the Brazilian market." She noted increased competition from Asia and the effect of trade being diverted away from Europe and into Brazil.

Naranjo said she was particularly concerned by the increase in imports of products for final use, such as fibers, detergents and paints, which have displaced products made in Brazil.

Fertilizers were the main imported item in the January-October period, with revenues of USD6.4bn, down by 8.2% year on year, the group said.

Thermoplastic resins were the main exported item with sales of USD1.9bn in January-October. According to Abiquim, exports of thermoplastic resins fell by 7.8% to USD1.9bn.
MRC