Imports of PC chips to Russia fell by 14% since early 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of polycarbonate (PC) chips to the Russian market in January-October, 2013, dropped by 14% year on year and totalled 39,300 tonnes, according to MRC DataScope.

Sabic and Bayer, the key importers of PC chips, have increased steadily their supplies to the Russian market since early 2013. However, they reduced significantly their October shipments from September, as follows: Sabic - by 48.2% and Bayer - by 23.2%.

The share of these companies in the Russian market in January-October, 2013, was 64% and 16%, respectively. At the same time, Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Corp. (its import share is 3%) raised its October imports almost three-fold compared with the previous month.
The main sector of consumption of Sabic's products are producers of moulded parts for electrical engineering and electronics. Bayer supplies to Russia construction grades of PC (for the production of PC sheets) and optical grades of PC (for the production of information carriers). Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Corp.'s PC is mainly used for blow moulding bottles and CD-ROM drives moulding.полик

MRC

Mitsui Chemicals expands automotive use Polypropylene production in USA and... (11-11-2013)

Mitsui Chemicals and Prime Polymer, a Mitsui Chemicals subsidiary, announced a 21,000 ton increase in polypropylene production in the United States (Advanced Composites) and a 13,000 ton hikein Mexico (Advanced Composites Mexicana) to meet growing demands of the automotive materials sector. Mitsui Chemicals and Prime Polymer will continue to strategically intensify and expand operations through ongoing collaboration and reinforcement of production, sales, and technological support structures necessary in providing state-of-the-art, performance-driven materials.
Although the North American automotive industry was negatively impacted by the Global Financial Crisis, the market has returned to normalcy with forecasts of significant growth in the future. "The planned augmentation will strengthen Mitsui Chemicals' current top class position in the North American market and thereby make it better able to contribute to global strategies of automobile manufacturers," says Akio Ayukawa, Managing Executive Officer at Mitsui Chemicals. "In addition, by reinforcing R&D functions at strategic sites, Mitsui Chemicals will strengthen its ability to support diverse local market strategies of automobile manufacturers."

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Karpatneftekhim (part of LUKOIL), the largest polymers producer in Ukraine, resumed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production on 7 November, 2013, reported plant's sources to MRC.

The equipment for resumption of PVC production at the Kalush plant was technically ready already in early November. Investments into the PVC production at Karpatneftekhim amounts to USD250 million.

LUKOIL launched the only Ukrainian PVC production at Karpatneftekhim with an annual capacity of 300,000 tonnes in late May, 2011.

As noted earlier, LUKOIL resumed production of polyethylene (PE) at Karpatneftekhim on 10 September, 2013, after a year-long outage for a major overhaul. The plant's September PE output totalled about 4,700 tonnes and reached already 6,200 tonnes in October.

As MRC reported, the plant intends to start ethylene production in December.

Karpatneftekhim (Kalush, Ivano-Frankovsk region) is a subsidiary of LUKOIL, the largest polymers producer in Ukraine. Its capacities allow to produce 300,000 tonnes of ethylene, 100,000 tonnes of HDPE, 180,000 tonnes of caustic and 300,000 tonnes of PVC annually.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Corp is in plans to restart its polycarbonate (PC) plant, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the plant will be restarted in early November 2013. The plant is under a shutdown for maintenance turnaround.

The plant has a production capacity of 60,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, has established Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers Europe B.V. and has started its operation as a regional headquarters for the performance polymers business in Europe.

Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation is a Japanese petrochemical producer, mainly, of polycarbonate (PC) resins.

Mitsubishi Chemical with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, is a diversified chemical company involved in petrochemicals, polymers, agrochemicals, speciality chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The company's main focus is on three business pillars: petrochemicals, performance and functional products, and health care.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Board of Directors of Total, Europe’s third-largest oil company, has approved a third quarter 2013 interim dividend of EUR0.59 per share, reported the company on its site.

The Q3 dividend is unchanged versus the previous quarter, and payable in euros according to the following timetable: ex-dividend date March 24, 2014; record date March 26, 2014; payment date March 27, 2014.

American Depositary Receipts will receive the third quarter 2013 interim dividend in dollars based on the then-prevailing exchange rate according to the following timetable: ex-dividend date March 19, 2014; record date March 21, 2014; payment date April 11, 2014.

As MRC informed earlier, Total intends to invest EUR160m before 2016 to adapt its petrochemical platform in Carling, in the Lorraine region of eastern France, and to restore its competitiveness. Total plans indeed to develop new activities on the platform in the growing markets for hydrocarbon resins (Cray Valley) and for polymers, while shutting down the acutely loss-making steam cracker in the second half of 2015.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC