Linpac launches its first vertical rPET product for max shelf appeal

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Linpac Packaging has unveiled its first product under the Freshware range to stand vertically for maximum shelf appeal and shelf space efficiency, reported Foodproduction.

The VertiFresh standing salad bowl for the chilled retail convenience sector is manufactured from super-cleaned rPET.

The firm has also developed vacuum skin packs (VSPs) to combine the extended shelf life benefits of vacuum skin technologies with rigid tray sealed pre-formed rPET and polypropylene (PP) trays.

Linpac launched the Freshware range at the start of the year to take advantage of demand for chilled retail and prepared convenience foods. It offer packaging for prepared fruit and salads, dips, sandwich fillers, fresh pasta, pizza, prepared vegetables, chilled bakery, cooked meats and prepared fish.

As MRC informed earlier, Linpac Packaging plans to open a production site in Belarus by the end of the year. The Belarus facility will initially be 100% focussed on expandable polystyrene (EPS) because Russia mainly is an EPS market, said Linpac, who first considered building a factory in Belarus in 2009.

LINPAC Group Limited was founded in 1959 in Lincolnshire, England. It is now an international, GBP1.1 billion, mainly plastic packaging and supply chain manufacturing and services business, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom, and has 7,000 employees in 29 countries. The company manufactures food packaging, returnable transit packaging (RTP), rigid plastic containers, cartridges, bulk storage tanks, bulk containers, medical containers, spill control products, and GRP gratings and structures.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Axiall and OxyVinyls announced 3-cent/lb (USD66/ton) increases for PVC prices effective as of April 1, said Plastemart.

One of the producers cited healthy demand and reduced domestic availability for the price hike target. Nevertheless, PVC prices out of the US see limited interest in many export destinations. According to traders, American producers are not rushing to cut their offers for new shipments as they see satisfactory buying appetite in their domestic markets amidst tight supplies. All the same, PVC cargoes on the way from the US are still showing up at lower levels sporadically in Turkey, for which the US is the largest PVC supplier. "The persistent lack of demand in export markets will shake the confidence of US producers at some point," commented a market player.

As MRC wrote earlier, European producers aimed to increase prices of PVC for the CIS counries by EUR30-40/tonne, following the rise of European contract price of ethylene for March by EUR50/tonne from February, according to ICIS-MRC Price Report.

The rising costs of ethylene resulted from the growing oil quotations in the second half of February. European producers announced such a serious increase in export prices of PVC for the CIS markets on the back of high cost of the main feedstock (ethylene) and low margins.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Romania’s insolvent chemical producer Oltchim has been appointed a new general manager, said Romania-insider.

Mihail Talpasanu is the new general manager of the factory, taking over from the former manager Mihai Balan, whose mandate ended on March 15.

The Romanian Government approved Oltchim’s insolvency on January 23, with a consortium made of Rominsolv SPRL and BDO Business Restructuring RPRL as judiciary administrator. This was soon after the state failed to privatize Oltchim in a first privatization stage, which was won by media mogul Dan Diaconescu, who failed to pay the pledged amount (see MRC news).

The state announced it was seeking European Commission (EC) approval to grant the factory state aid. The government is requesting approval for some EUR 45 million in state aid for Oltchim in the much delayed and still ongoing privatization process of the state owned facility.

Oltchim S.A. manufactures and exports a wide range of diversified chemical products. The Company has five main segments: chloro-alkali products, macro- molecular products, chlorinated solvents, and pesticides. Oltchim's primary products are caustic liquid soda and solid chlorine, hydrochloric acid and sodium hypochlorite.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Production shutdowns at major PVC supplies in the US have helped keep the domestic market as well as global markets firm for the past few months, said Apic-online.

After Westlake announced that it was lifting its force majeure on PVC supplies late last week, more producers are expected to return to normal production by April if they finish their maintenance turnarounds as scheduled.

As MRC wrote earlier, Westlake Chemical has agreed to acquire the PVC pipe and fittings unit of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA's CertainTeed Corp. for USD175 million.

After having declared force majeure on output from Geismar, Louisiana on Feb 13 due to equipment failures related to the VCM unit, Westlake restarted its 300,000 tons/year PVC plant by early March. However, the company kept its force majeure in place and only lifted the force majeure on March 15.

Market sources also said that Formosa was planning a shutdown at its 575,000 tons/year PVC plant in Point Comfort, Louisiana in late January or early February. The shutdown was delayed several times, with the last reported delay taking place in late February. The producer is expected to keep the plant shut for three weeks, according to market players.

Shintec also reportedly shut its PVC plant in Freeport, Texas for three weeks for maintenance. The shutdown started in late February, according to market players. Georgia Gulf was also scheduled to have a two week shutdown at its PVC plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana within March.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ukraine will hold a new tender for two semisubmersible rigs after a USD1.23 bilion deal with construction giant Keppel was called off last week, according to Upstreamonline.

The Singapore firm disclosed last week that the contract with Naftohaz Ukrainy would not go forward as "certain conditions in the timeline set were not met," according to Keppel.

Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky said the company was not able to line up financing in time, accordint to a Reuters report.

"We need drilling rigs and we will soon hold a new tender," Stavytsky said according to the news wire.

Naftohaz did not immediately respond to a request from Upstream to confirm the report.

One source suggested to Upstream this week that discussions were still continuing for the contract though the previously negotiated agreement was off the table.

The Ukraine company previously said it intended a longterm programme to drill at least 200 development wells in the Black Sea at water depths between 120 metres and 1000 metres.

Four companies submitted bids in the tender, including Latvia’s Rigas Kugu Buvetava and two little-known companies headquartered in Belize.

Naftohaz was reportedly willing to pay up to USD1.4 billion for the units.

But Upstream reported some sources as doubtful that company would be able to muster the funds given its debt and a difficult road to finding large oil reserves in the Black Sea.

As MRC wrote earlier, Russian gas giant Gazprom and Ukrainian national oil and gas company Naftogaz previously started setting up a joint venture to develop the Black Sea shelf.
MRC