KraussMaffei extends strong market position in Russia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Two leading pipe manufacturers from Russia have recently chosen KraussMaffei Berstorff as a systems supplier for premium-quality technology and invested in PO pipe extrusion systems, said Kraussmaffei.

Isoljazionny Trubny Zawod (ITZ) is seeking to enter into a long-term partnership with KraussMaffei Berstorff. Polyplastic Group is already a satisfied KraussMaffei Berstorff customer and, consequently, has placed a follow-up order.

Andreas Kessler, General Sales Manager at KraussMaffei Berstorff, stressed, "Our customer Polyplastic, the largest plastics manufacturer in Russia, is impressed by our proven 36D single-screw extrusion technology and relies on the high quality of our products and our many years of experience in systems engineering".

"Our customer is currently modernizing its machinery with our equipment". The order is for two models of the 36D single-screw extruder series which will be integrated into an existing corrugated pipe production plant.

Another extruder model, the KME 90-36 B/R, will be installed in an existing line for the production of smooth HDPE tubes (up to a diameter of 800 mm). The systems will go into operation in the spring of 2013. In addition, the largest KraussMaffei Berstorff compounder line began operation at maximum output at Polyplastic's Saratov facility in May 2012.

Isoljazionny Trubny Zawod (ITZ) with head offices in Peresvet (near Moscow) has total confidence in KraussMaffei's large-diameter pipe technology. ITZ, a newcomer to HDPE production, has consciously chosen KraussMaffei technology because, in addition to delivering high quality it has a technical edge over other production systems available on the market.

The KraussMaffei Group is a global leader in the plastics and rubber processing industries. The company covers all areas of injection molding machinery, extrusion technology and reaction process machinery, which gives it a unique selling point in the industry.

As MRC wrote earlier, Onex Corporation,a Toronto based private equity investment firm and holding company, announced that it completed the acquisition of KraussMaffei Group, a leading manufacturer of plastic and rubber processing equipment, for EUR568 million.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- By virtue of a decree issued at the end of last year, the Qatari government established the Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution Company (Muntajat), which now holds the exclusive rights to purchase, market, distribute and sell the emirate’s chemical and petrochemical output on the global market, said Plasteurope.

Muntajat is headed by CEO Abdulrahman Ali Al Abdulla, and will establish 36 global offices in addition to logistics establishments and warehouses across the world to support its marketing, sales and distribution activities.

During the company’s inauguration, Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar’s minister of Energy & Industry and a member of Muntajat’s board of directors, said, "Muntajat is set to become the face of Qatar in the international chemicals and petrochemicals market, with a streamlined operation marked by its logistics efficiency and economies of scale. Muntajat’s activities will consolidate chemical and petrochemical marketing and distribution efforts into a single entity." The move creates one of the industry’s largest petrochemical marketing companies.

The new group’s formation is set against the backdrop of the proposed USD 25 bn the emirate plans to invest in its chemicals and petrochemicals sector by 2020, when Qatar’s "Chemical and Petrochemical Decade" is due to begin.

According to MRC, Qatar Petrochemical and Shell is expected to award the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract for their world-scale petrochemicals project in Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, named Al-Karaana Petrochemicals Complex, in 2013, while Mitsubishi Chemical will provide its production technology of oxo alcohols.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - In 2012 imports of bottle PET to the domestic market of Ukraine increased by 22,000 tonnes (up 15%) compared with 2011 and amounted to 163,000 tonnes, according to MRC DataScope.

Last year was quite successful for the Ukrainian PET converters. Almost all major makers of PET preforms increased their capacity utilization. Thus, in 2012 the purchases of material for the production of preforms increased by 22,000 tonnes, compared to the previous year and amounted to 163,000 tonnes.

Though, despite the increase in supply in 2012, the total imports of PET granulate were still below pre-crisis level. It should be noted that the peak of imports of PET granulate to Ukraine took place in 2007, when the total volume of imported PET reached 250,000 tonnes.

The leader in sales of bottle PET in Ukraine was a Pakistani maker Gatronova. In 2012, the Gatronova's sales in Ukraine grew by more than three times and totaled 21,800 tonnes. Due to the increase in imports of Pakistani PET, sales of Chinese China Resources Chemicals, leader in the supply of granulate in 2011, fell and took second place in the total imports.

In 2012 China Resources supplied 19,600 tonnes of PET granulate, whereas in 2011 that figure made 27,700 tonnes. The third place in the supplies to Ukraine took Lithuanian NeoGroup (18,000 tonnes).
Among the makers of PET in the CIS, Belarus plant Mogilevkhimvolokno managed to gain considerable success in the supplies of PET to the domestic market of Ukraine. In 2012 Mogilevkhimvolokno shipped to Ukraine about 9,000 tonnes of bottle PET, which is three times higher than over the previous year and hit the record high.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In 2012, the volume of production of polypropylene in Russia decreased by 3% year-on-year and amounted to about 662,000 tonnes. Other Russian producers were not able to fully compensate for a three-months outage at Stavrolen, according to MRC ScanPlast.

In December, Russian makers increased their capacity utilization and produced nearly 63,000 tonnes of polypropylene. The increase in capacity utilization at Tomskneftekhim and Ufaorgsintez did not allow to fully compensate for the three-month shutdown of PP production at Stavrolen (Lukoil group).

Russia's largest PP producer, Nizhnekamskneftekhim, held its capacity utilization at 100% over the past year. Thus, last year the plant produced slightly more than 212,000 tonnes of polypropylene, up 1% year-on-year.

Last year, Tomskneftekhim increased production to 137,000 tonnes, up 6% year-on-year. Such a high level of the output was due to the reduction of duration of the maintenance works. In 2012, the plant switched to the two-year cycle of outages for maintenance.

Last year, Ufaorgsintez increased its production volume to 125,000 tonnes, up 17% year-on-year, due to exports of propane-propylene fraction (PPF).

In 2012, Neftekhimiya (Kapotnya) reduced its output due to a lengthy outage for maintenance. The production volume of polypropylene made about 106,000 tonnes, down 7% year-on-year.

After a serious accident in mid-December, 2011, Stavrolen managed to quickly resume its PP production in March due to the exports of propylene. Over the incomplete ten months of operations, the plant produced about 83,000 tonnes of polypropylene.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India is one of the leading growing and developing economies of the world today which shows a healthy growth potential for any industry, said Plastemart.

The economy is now witnessing changes in growing consumerism driven lifestyles even outside the metros apart from increased industrial output. This growth is fed by increased industrial production. One such multiple application organic compound which is seeing rapid growth in India is ethylene. Asia Pacific accounted for nearly 50% of the global demand value of USD91 billion in 2010, and India accounted for nearly 9% of the total ethylene capacity in Asia Pacific.

With the Indian ethylene plant capacity crossing 4 MMTPA in the year 2010, the Indian ethylene industry faced tough competition from neighbor China, which is the leader in the Asia Pacific ethylene market. The Asia-Pacific region will continue to dominate the ethylene market in the future and generate more than a third of the worldwide demand.

The leading players in the Indian ethylene industry in 2010 were Reliance Industries, Indian Oil Corporation, Haldia Petrochemicals, and GAIL India Limited.

As MRC wrote earlier, Reliance Industries planned to expand capacity at its refineries in the western state of Gujarat. Reliance unveiled an USD18 billion investment plan for India over the next five years.
MRC