Azerbaijani producer "Etilen-Polyetilen" stopped PE production

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Azerbaijani low density polyethylene (LDPE) producer "Etilen-Polyetilen" (a part of Socar) has shut down its production, according to MRC analysts.

The company was forced to suspend the production of the material due to technical issues. By Wednesday, the LDPE production had been resumed, though with the limited capacity utilization.

The Azerbaijani producer temporarily stopped PE shipments to foreign markets, except for the strategic market - Turkey, because of the limited capacity utilization of the plant.

The Azerbaijani plant "Etilen-Polyetilen" (Sumgait) was put into operation in January, 1988, as a petrochemical complex EP-300 at the Sumgait plant of synthetic rubber. The annual production capacity of ethylene is 300,000 tonnes and of LDPE - 138,000 tonnes.
MRC

Dow expands its presence in the personal care ingredients market in Japan

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow Consumer & Industrial Solutions (DCIS), a business of The Dow Chemical Company, has announced the launch of two key ingredients for the personal care market in Japan, according to the company's press-release.

The launch of EPITEX 66 Polymer and MoistStar HA+ Moisturizing Technology brings advanced skin and sun care ingredients to Japanese formulators.

"Japan is one of the most advanced global markets for the personal care industry and offers Dow a great opportunity to present some innovative R&D solutions for the market," said Sudhir Shenoy, Asia Pacific Business Director of Dow Consumer & Industrial Solutions.

MoistStar HA+ Moisturizing Technology was designed to benefits consumers with longer lasting skin moisturization, and offers formulators ease of processing. In addition to notably improving moisturizing performance, MoistStar HA+ is a liquid and therefore easier to handle and incorporate into skin care formulations than Hyaluronic Acid (HA) powder. Furthermore, an independent lab found its handling to be as easy as conventional HA solutions.

EPITEX 66 Polymer is an emulsion that combines excellent water resistance with more pleasing skin aesthetics, as compared to conventional water resistance technologies. EPITEX 66 Polymer was designed to address low tack to improve the feel on skin when the personal care product is applied. Formulations containing EPITEX 66 Polymer can also incorporate UCON Fluid AP, a chemistry that offers a remarkably soft, smooth emollient feeling, to help further enhance the product’s skin feel.

We remind that, as MRC informed previously, last year Dow Polyurethanes, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, in cooperation with Cannon SpA, announced that PASCAL Polyurethane Insulation Technology for household refrigerators and freezers were developed to retrofit to existing production lines.

Dow Consumer & Industrial Solutions develops innovative, sustainable technologies and distinct chemistries that enhance the science of care. The company's technologies can be used in a variety of applications including household and institutional care, personal care and cosmetics, paints and coatings, metalworking fluids, pharmaceuticals, and other industrial segments.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. It is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
MRC

Sipchem picks HSBC as adviser for Sahara merger

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) has picked HSBC Holdings to advise on the firm's proposed merger with Sahara Petrochemical, reported Plastemart with reference to bankers in Reuters.

Sahara has yet to select an adviser while Sipchem has chosen HSBC, which has advised the firm on projects in the past, two of the bankers said.

Mergers between two listed Saudi entities are rare: consolidation in the Gulf is often scuppered by major shareholders who are unwilling to cede control of businesses except for very high price tags. However, both Sipchem and Sahara have Zamil Holding Company Group, one of the kingdom's most prominent family businesses, as a key stakeholder.

The two companies had said earlier this month that they were in initial talks for a tie-up.

As MRC reported earlier, Sahara Petrochemicals' net profit in 2012 amounted to SR 204.45 million compared to SR 411.58 million for the previous year with a decrease of 50%. However, the company's net profit surged 1,187 % to SR64.49 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to SR5.01 million for the same quarter last year, and an increase of 48% from SR43.71 million from the preceding quarter.

Saudi International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) has posted a 57.5% fall in first-quarter net profit, citing shutdowns at a number of plants during the period for the decline in earnings.

Sadara Chemical Company is a joint venture, formed by Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company in Saudi Arabia.

Established in 1999, Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) manufactures and markets methanol, butanediol, tetrahydrofuran, acetic acid, acetic anhydride, vinyl acetate monomer. Besides, it has launched several down-stream projects to manufacture ethylene vinyl acetate, low density polyethylene, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, cross linkable polyethylene, and semi conductive compound that are scheduled to start in 2013.
MRC

Shintech to add PVC capacity in Louisiana

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shintech Inc. will add almost 700 million pounds of PVC capacity as part of a USD500 million expansion of its plants in Louisiana, said Plasticsnews.

Shintech's parent firm - Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. of Tokyo - said in a June 19 news release that the firm will addd 660 million pounds of PVC capacity in Louisiana by 2015. Houston-based Shintech makes PVC in Plaquemine and Addis, La.

The project also will include 660 million pounds of new capacity for PVC feedstock vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and 440 million pounds of new capacity for caustic soda.

Officials said that Shintech has been expanding its sales in the United States and in emerging markets as well. The company added that the Plaquemine site has been running at capacity.

As MRC wrote before, in 2012 Shintech was the third largest producer in the import of SPVC to Russia.

Shintech was founded in 1974 to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin. The catalyst for its current success came in 1976 when it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. Since then Shintech has completed a series of production capacity expansions that combined aggressive domestic and export business plans with careful analysis of market conditions and customer needs. Currently, Shintech Inc. is the largest producer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the United States.
MRC

ACC anticipates growth in thin film recycling

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The polyethylene film recycling working group within the American Chemistry Council expects to see growth in thin film recovery and recycling, said Plasticsnews.

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., KW Plastics Recycling, Mil-tek and Verdeco Plastics Inc. have joined the ACC's Flexible Film Recycling Group (FFRG), which already included major chemical and recycling names such as Dow Chemical Co., ExxonMobil Chemical Co., S.C. Johnson and wood-alternative decking company Trex Co. Inc..

Alabama-based KW Plastics is a major recycler and a supplier of plastic one gallon, quart, pint and half-pint containers for the paint and coatings industry. Mil-tek, a Danish company with U.S. operations based in Ashburn, Va., designs and builds balers and other environmentally-friendly recycling and waste disposal equipment. Full-service recycler and reprocessor Verdeco Plastics Inc., out of Channahon, Ill., specializes in the purchase and resale of plastic materials.

FFRG Director Shari Jackson welcomed the new members in a news release: "Their participation in our group will drive growth in plastic film recycling that exceeded 1 billion pounds in 2011and confirms their commitment to supporting effective programs that will further increase bag and film sustainability."

We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, Halopolymer had become the first Russian company to enter the American Society of Plastics Industry, (SPI). This organization is one of the most influential in the United States and represents the interests of market participants of plastics industry.
MRC