BASF opens advanced refinish competence center in Italy

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF Coatings, BASF Group’s company specialized in paints and coatings industry, has opened a new training center for automotive refinishing in Cesano Maderno, Italy, reported the company on its site.

The new Refinish Competence Center (RCC) will offer customers an opportunity to learn, practice and fully master the use of BASF's automotive refinish products. Training sessions and workshops have been developed and structured in order to enhance the productivity of bodyshops and to increase their efficiency and competitiveness.

The new training center, with an investment of more than EUR2.7 million and an area of 1,200 square meters, will train on average 800 people a year including technicians and end users yearly.

The new Italian RCC, which expands the BASF’s global Refinish Competence Center network, represents a center of excellence exhibiting some of the most advanced technologies and equipment. It offers two lines specifically devoted to small damage repair, two top-of-the-notch paint booths, a painting mixing station and a state-of-the-art infrared drying system. The layout has been planned according to the standards of the BASF RCC policy. The centers serve as training facility and marketing platform for BASF Coatings refinish brands and the equipment partners.

"The new Refinish Competence Centre has been designed with a strong focus on our customers," added Renato Chiesa, Managing Director of BASF Coatings in Italy. "In the current complex market environment, we believe that our center will offer bodyshops additional tools that will contribute to increase the efficiency level and the profitability of their business."

We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, as part of BASF's major innovation investment in China, the company opened the first Innovation Campus Asia Pacific and its new Greater China headquarters at its site in Pudong, Shanghai, in late 2012. The investment amounts to EUR 55 million. With this expansion the company's site will be one of BASF's largest outside of Germany. The further expansion of the facility is also planned.

In the Coatings Division, BASF develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints. BASF has significant market positions in the Coatings sector in Europe, North America, South America and the Asia Pacific region. In 2012 t he Coatings Division of the BASF Group achieved global sales of nearly EUR3 billion.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Yibin Tianyuan Group is in plans to restart its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant after maintenance, reported Apic-Online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is likely to restart by end of this week. It was shut on May 13, 2013.

Located in Sichuan province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 380,000 tonne per year.

We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, another PVC producer Sinopec Qilu had conducted maintenance works at its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant, which started on April 8, 2013 and ended in the first half of May, 2013.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC is one of the first producers of plastics to the European food industry to have all its food contact declarations updated in line with changes to European Union regulations, three years ahead of the required 2016 deadline, according to the company's press release.

Companies in the food packaging chain using polyolefins - polyethylenes (PE) and polypropylenes (PP) - can now access SABIC’s new food safety and compliance declarations.

These changes are intended to further increase the safety of packaged foods. SABIC has been required to retest all its polyolefins packaging materials to make sure they are compliant with the new testing conditions. SABIC provides hundreds of food contact declarations concerning its European polyolefins portfolio as an important service to its customers.

The new regulations involve more stringent testing on the ways migration from packaging into food is tested. As these new regulations come into force over the next three years, plastics processors and packaging companies will need to seek further assurances on compliance from their materials suppliers.

For PE and PP, SABIC already has assessed all substances regulated with a Specific Migration Limit (SML) under the new conditions (10 days at 60C). Its tests showed that none of its PE or PP materials will be subject to additional restrictions for use in food contact applications.

Food contact legislation in Europe is based on the principle that all substances are forbidden unless they are explicitly allowed. As far as migration from the package to the contents is concerned, there are strict limits on specific migration (SML, relating to individual chemicals) and overall migration (OML, the sum of all specific migrations).

While there is no formal obligation for them to execute migration tests, all manufacturers of plastics raw materials have to provide a Document of Conformity (DoC) to their direct customer, providing confirmation that the material meets the relevant legal requirements. Additionally, they have to disclose the identity of monomers and additives, regulated with a SML and/or QM restriction, as well as the identity of "dual-use" additives, and they have to provide information on restrictions of use if relevant.

We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, another major global chemical producer BASF has successfully completed the second phase of registration for REACH under EU chemical law. REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals and represents a fundamental reorganization of chemical law in Europe.
REACH applies to all substances currently produced in or imported to the EU. This is intended to ensure the safe handling of chemical substances in Europe.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers. SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 24.72 billion (USUSD 6.59 billion) in 2012, down 15,5% year-on-year. Sales revenues for 2012 totaled SR 189 billion (USUSD 50.40 billion). Total assets stood at SR 338 billion (USUSD 90.13 billion) at the end of 2012. SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik, the German speciality chemicals group, has introduced new superior despersant for solventborne high-end applications, reported the company on its site.

TEGO Dispers 672 is the new wetting and dispersing additive for high quality pigment concentrates, car repair coatings, plastic coatings and industrial coatings. It provides superior color strength and transparency in pigment concentrates and coatings with both organic and carbon black pigments.

In addition, Evonik's TEGO Dispers 672 works well with many different solventborne binders and provides excellent storage properties with colorants. Outstanding gloss, low haze and low rub-out can be achieved, especially in 2-pack PU systems. TEGO Dispers 672 is free of aromatic solvents and is our first choice for modern, high quality solventborne applications.

We remind that, as MRC informed previoulsy, as part of the company's strategic portfolio expansion, Evonik plans to launch a new generation of PVC plasticizers. Apart from its product lines expansion, the company will also develop a new brand of products.

Tthe international rating agency Moody's has upgraded the credit rating of Evonik Industries AG from Baa3 with a positive outlook to Baa2 with a positive outlook. The rating agency quotes, among other things, the robust operational performance and the clarity regarding the steps for the real estate disposal as key reasons for the upgrade.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2012, the company generated sales of around EUR13.6 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of about EUR2.6 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indonesian state-owned energy company Pertamina has signed an agreement to purchase petrochemical products from Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical, according to GV.

The agreement serves as a pre-marketing strategy for Pertamina and PTT’s joint Indonesian petrochemical business. Under the agreement, PTT will deliver at least 5,000 tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene products each month to Pertamina for sale in Indonesia, the Jakarta-based company said in a statement.

Pertamina and PTT already have a joint venture agreement to build a petrochemical facility with an annual production capacity of 1 million tonnes. The output from the facility will comprise of ethylene and polypropylene as well as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. There are no details on the facility itself.

The delivery of petrochemical products will commence when Pertamina and PTT officially establish the joint venture, which is scheduled for this year. Taryono, senior vice president of non-fuel distribution at Pertamina, said the pre-marketing strategy is a sign of Pertamina’s commitment to the domestic petrochemical market while also tapping into international opportunities. Construction of the facility is expected to start next year, with production beginning in 2018. Pertamina said it would control at least 51 percent of the joint venture, requiring an investment of up to USD5 billion.

Pertamina has said it planned to make petrochemicals a key part of its business as it strives to become a regional leader by 2025. Pertamina holds a 10 percent share of the domestic petrochemical market, which due to low refinery capacity relies on around USD5 billion a year in imports. Pertamina expects to hold 30 percent of the market when the facility, expected to be built near one of its existing refineries, begins operating.

Pertamina is an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin (established 1961) and Permina (established 1957). Pertamina is the world's largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year.
MRC