Wacker expands production capacity for dispersible polymer powders in Germany

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Chemie AG, the Munich-based chemical company, is expanding its production capacity for dispersible polymer powders in Germany, reported the company on its site.

The company is currently building a new spray dryer for dispersible polymer powders with an annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons at Wacker’s parent plant in Burghausen, Germany, investing an amount of around EUR20 million.

The facility is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015 and will be one of the largest of its kind worldwide.

With the construction of a new 50,000-metric-ton spray dryer, Wacker is strengthening its position as a market and technology leader in this field.

Wacker aims to meet the globally rising demand for dispersible polymer powders, which is driven by worldwide trends such as urbanization, renovation and energy efficiency, as well as the increasing need for environmentally compatible dry-mix mortar products. With the planned production expansion, the group is creating the necessary capacity to reliably meet the market growth predicted by industry experts in the long term.

"Worldwide, demand for high-quality dispersible polymer powders is rising particularly in residential construction and infrastructure measures," explains Arno von der Eltz, president of Wacker Polymers. "We started to extend our dispersible polymer powder production at our Nanjing site at the end of last year and now want to push ahead with expanding our capacities in Burghausen, too - and thus strengthen our global position as a leading manufacturer of dispersible polymer powders."

Wacker has been producing dispersible polymer powders as binders for dry-mix mortars in Burghausen, Germany, since 1957 and, today, is a global technology and market leader in this field. VINNAPAS dispersible polymer powders find use in various construction applications such as tile adhesives, self-leveling flooring compounds, plasters, repair mortars, external thermal insulation composite systems and cementitious waterproofing membranes.

As MRC informed previously, Wacker Polymers, a unit of Munich-based specialty chemical company Wacker Chemie, has recently developed a novel dispersible polymer powder for modifying cementitious and gypsum-based dry-mix mortars. VINNAPAS 8620 E is based on a terpolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate and ethylene (EVA), and is ideal for the formulation of high-quality, low-emission tile adhesives.

Wacker Polymers is a leading producer of state-of-the-art binders and polymeric additives based on polyvinyl acetate and vinyl acetate copolymers. These take the form of dispersible polymer powders, dispersions, solid resins, and solutions. They are used in construction chemicals, paints, surface coatings, adhesives and nonwovens, and in fiber composites and polymeric materials based on renewable resources. Wacker Polymers has production sites in Germany, China, South Korea and the USA, as well as a global sales network and technical centers in all major regions.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian producers have maintained their May polypropylene (PP) prices for June shipments, despite last month's weaker demand for polymer and increased stocks, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Demand for PP subsided in May on the back of the long holidays and converters' limited working capital. A high level of capacity utilisation at Russian producers led to growing stocks amid lower sales. However, Russian producers maintained their May PP prices for June. The market balance might seriously change because of a series of scheduled outages for maintenance.

The price spread was wide enough in the raffia market. Deals for Turkmen raffia were done in the southen regions in the range of Rb63,800-64,000/tonne FCA, including VAT, FCA. Offer prices for Poliom's raffia were in Sibiria around Rb64,000/tonne FCA Omsk, including VAT, while deals for raffia in the central part of Russia were done in the range of Rb65,000-66,500/tonne CPT, including VAT.

The price dispersion was more substantial in the injection moulding homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) market. Deals were done in the range of Rb67,700-70,500/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT.

Four producers plan to shut down their production for scheduled outages for maintenance in July and September. Tobolsk-Polymer and Tomskneftekhim will shut down their production for a one-month turnaround in July, while Ufaorgsintez and Poliom will stop their operations in late August.

A Russian PP producer said increased stocks was largely a planned event and would allow producers to fulfill their contractual obligations to customers during the scheduled shutdowns.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A fire triggered by an explosion at a Shell chemical plant in styrene monomer (SM)/propylene oxide (PO) plant (MSPO-2) at Moerdijk in the Netherlands has been brought under control, said BBC.

Fire crews managed to extinguish the blaze in the early hours of Wednesday, officials say. Two people suffered minor burns, but the cause of the blast - heard from more than 30km (20 miles) away - remains unknown.

A spokesman for Shell told that the factory was in operation 24 hours a day but that all personnel who were on site at the time had been accounted for.

The mayor of Moerdijk, Jan Klijs, said there appeared to have been a leak of benzene, but it was not yet known whether it was methylbenzene or ethylbenzene. Local media quoted residents as saying the ground "shook like an earthquake".

The local authority announced on Wednesday morning that the fire had been extinguished. It withdrew earlier advice for people living nearby to keep windows and doors closed.

The factory makes oil-based chemicals for use in products that range from car components to insulation materials.

The Shell complex was also hit by a serious fire in 2012.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, has increased prices on the following products on 1 June 2014, or as contracts allow, reported the company on its site.

These increases are due to elevated operating costs, especially in raw materials.

Thus, the prices for the said products rose as follows:
- Endex pure monomer hydrocarbon resins: list price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD 0.11/kg) globally. Offlist price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD 0.11/kg) globally;
- Kristalex pure monomer hydrocarbon resins: list price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD 0.11/kg) globally. Offlist price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD0.11/kg) globally;
- Piccolastic pure monomer hydrocarbon resins: list price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD 0.11/kg) globally. Offlist price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD0.11/kg) globally;
- Piccotex pure monomer hydrocarbon resins: list price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD 0.11/kg) globally. Offlist price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD0.11/kg) globally;
- Plastolyn pure monomer hydrocarbon resins: list price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD 0.11/kg) globally. Offlist price increase of USD 0.05/lb (USD0.11/kg) globally.

As MRC informed before, brand owners can now select Eastman Tritan copolyester and Eastar copolyester from Eastman Chemical Company for carbon filtration and reverse osmosis systems. Unlike polycarbonate (PC), both materials are made without bisphenol A (BPA), a big advantage for brand owners looking to answer consumers’ needs for BPA-free products. Tritan and Eastar provide a clear view of the filtration media, without the breakage and durability issues associated with some clear plastics, including styrene acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN). The glasslike clarity of Tritan and Eastar also allow for greater tinting flexibility, compared with the noticeable blue cast of SAN.

Eastman (headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA) is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally diverse company, Eastman serves customers in approximately 100 countries and had 2013 revenues of approximately USD9.4 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company and a global leader in EVA emulsions, has announced that due to market conditions, including the global supply unavailability of vinyl acetate monomer, it will increase the price of vinyl acetate-based emulsions sold in the Americas, as per the company's press release.

PVAc homopolymer, vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) and vinyl acrylic emulsions will increase by up to USD0.04/wet pound (USD90/tonne) effective June 16, 2014, or as contracts allow.

This announcement is in addition to the price increases for the same vinyl-based emulsions which were announced on March 7, 2014 and effective April 1, 2014, and announced on January 10, 2014 and effective on February 1, 2014.

As MRC informed previously, Celanese Corporation raised its April prices of vinyl acetate-based emulsions sold in the Americas as follows: PVAc homopolymer, EVA and vinyl acrylic emulsions will increase by up to USD0.03/wet pound (USD70/tonne).

This price increase affects all applications including, but not limited to, adhesives, paints and coatings, building and construction, nonwovens, glass fiber, carpet, paper and textiles.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,400 employees worldwide and had 2013 net sales of USD6.5 billion.
MRC