PP imports in Kazakhstan increased by 18%, PP exports grew by 49% in January-September 2014

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polypropylene (PP) in Kazakhstan increased to 13,400 tonnes in the first nine months of this year, up 18% year on year. PP exports from Kazakhstan grew almost one and a half times to 16,900 tonnes in the first nine months of the year, according to MRC.

September PP imports in the country decreased to 1,900 tonnes, compared with 2,100 tonnes in August. Imports of PP in the country increased to 13,400 tonnes in January - September 2014, compared with 11,400 tonnes in the same time a year earlier.

September exports of homopolymer PP in Kazakhstan were 1,700 tonnes, compared with 1,400 tonnes in August on the back of the rising deliveries from Russian producers. Imports of homopolymer PP in the country grew to 9,900 tonnes in the first nine months of this year, compared with 7,000 tonnes year on year.

Imports of propylene copolymers in January-September 2014 decreased to 3,500 tonnes, compared with 4,400 tonnes year on year. A local PP producer, Neftekhim Ltd increased its exports in September to 2,300 tonnes, compared with 500 tonnes in August.

Exports of homopolymer PP were 16,900 tonnes in January - September, up 49% year on year. As it was reported before, Neftekhim Ltd plans to launch the installation of polypropylene granulation in November.

Before that PP was produced in powder form. The producer plans to expand grades of PP in the near future as well as the geography of export.
mrcplsat.com

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Innovative technologies from PolyOne Corporation, a premier global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, have enabled Citroen to launch groundbreaking Airbump exterior protective panels on the new C4 Cactus passenger car, reported Polyone on its site.

The air-filled Airbump panels can compress up to 20 mm, and bounce back to shape in an instant. Citroen notes that this will reduce the cost of vehicle ownership by reducing damage due to everyday bumps, such as those from shopping carts or the doors of other vehicles.

Working closely with the Citroen design team, PolyOne developed a specialty OnColor Smartbatch color and additive technology that allows the distinctive panels to meet stringent UV stability, appearance and durability requirements.

"We are thrilled at the opportunity to be part of this effort by bringing enabling technologies to the Citroen team as they pioneer new directions in automotive design," said Christoph Palm, general manager, Color & Additives EMEA & India, PolyOne Corporation. "By working with Citroen and its Tier 1 suppliers, we were able to develop an advanced solution that provides the panels with uniform, attractive, and durable color despite exposure to sunlight, heat, and detergents."

As MRC informed previously, in June 2014, PolyOne Corporation presented its specialty portfolio for automotive interiors to designers and engineers at the 2014 WardsAuto Interiors conference. These advanced technologies, including soft-touch materials as well as colorants and special effects, enable customers to design new features that boost consumer appeal and reduce manufacturing complexity.

Citroen is part of PSA Peugeot Citroen, a leading manufacturer of automobiles. In 2013 the company sold 1,266,000 vehicles, with 41% of those sales outside Europe. PSA Peugeot Citroen employs almost 200,000 around the world, and has more than 14,500 researchers and engineers across four R&D centers.

PolyOne Corporation, with 2013 revenues of USD3.8 billion, is a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services, and solutions. PolyOne is a provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions with operations in specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, polymer distribution and specialty vinyl resins.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into Kazakhstan increased by 78% over the first nine months of 2014 and reached 54,700 tonnes, reported MRC analysts.

September imports of unblended PVC to Kazakhstan rose to 8,700 tonnes from 6,400 tonnes in August. Thus, the overall PVC imports to the local market rose to 54,700 tonnes from January to September 2014 versus 30,700 tonnes a year earlier. Some market participants said such a major increase in PVC imports was caused by on-going re-imports, including to Russia.

The key PVC suppliers to the local market are Chinese producers because of geographical factors, their share in the local market exceeded 95% this year.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF and Hemmelrath Technologies, a company that is specialized in modular facility concepts for the production of paint and coatings, have decided to cooperate in order to develop future-oriented concepts of pigment technology, reportd BASF of its site.

The aim pursued by both partners is to improve the output and quality of coatings and paint production and save costs through the introduction of new processes. Both organizations plan to combine the modular coating plant technology (MoFa-Technology), which is well known in the industry, with pigment preparations from the Xfast range of BASF.

Hemmelrath Technologies, which is based in Erlenbach (Bavaria/Germany), is a process innovator in the field of paste production for coatings and paint. The company has developed the so-called MoFa-Technology where the individual steps of coating production are combined and interlinked in one single facility. This technology leads to significant savings in energy, raw material and time compared with traditional production procedures and can be used both for large and small production quantities.

In joint tests, Hemmelrath Technologies and BASF want to develop concepts to combine MoFa-Technology with pigment preparations and are going to use the concentrated, solid preparations from the Xfast range of BASF to this end. These stir-in pigments in the shape of free-flowing granules that are low in dust can be stirred directly into aqueous coatings and paint formulations and disperse in no time at all. It is no longer necessary to grind the pigment particles in a bead mill.

"Our aim is to find out how to best combine the benefits of the MoFa-Technology with the Xfast pigment preparation," says Stefan Sutterlin, head of the pigment business of BASF in Europe. Technicians of both companies will provide their expertise and jointly develop coating formulations. "The first feasibility studies have been successful. We are convinced that we will set new market standards in quality, cost optimization and productivity," underlines Sutterlin.

As MRC wrote before, in July 2014, BASF Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd. inaugurated its new automotive coatings plant at the Shanghai Chemicail Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The expansion of its automotive coatings production capacity with an investment of around EUR50 million further strengthens BASF’s presence in China and its position as a leading coatings supplier to the automotive industry.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Poland’s largest chemical company is to embark upon a global dealmaking spree, targeting as many as 10 acquisitions as it seeks to diversify away from its domestic market, said Financial Times.

Grupa Azoty, Europe’s second-largest fertiliser company, is eyeing potential targets in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Lithuania, as well as Africa and South America, as part of a concerted effort by Poland’s biggest companies to expand globally.

Europe has three major regional fertiliser players: Norway’s Yara, with assets in France and Germany; Austria’s Borealis, whose empire stretches the length of the Danube River; and Grupa Azoty, which wants to consolidate its position as eastern Europe’s undisputed champion.

Mr Jarczewski cites Agrofert, a Czech company, and unnamed Hungarian and Lithuanian players as businesses he is interested in, from a list of 10 potential targets that Grupa Azoty have whittled down from 2,000 initial takeover candidates. The company will turn to international lenders and Polish banks to raise debt for each acquisition, according to Mr Jarczewski.

Grupa Azoty’s move comes as Poland’s government has loosened the state’s grip in a tacit understanding that its domestic businesses need to grow globally to survive.

KGHM, a Polish state-controller copper miner, opened a mine in Chile this month, while state-run petrochemical company PKN Orlen bought a Canadian oil and gas producer in June.

Poland’s big state-owned assets, mainly in the energy, petrochemical and banking sectors, are domestically dominant but lack the global clout of their western European rivals. An effort to internationalise their businesses has grown in recent years, and the recent trade sanctions applied by Russia and the EU this year as a result of the conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the importance for Poland’s biggest companies in diversifying away from reliance on their domestic market.

Grupa Azoty, which has allocated EUR2bn to spend on non-acquisitive capital expenditure between now and 2020, is looking at buying fertiliser production facilities in Africa, evaluating an investment in Malaysia and is also keen on a South American acquisition.

In May of last year, Acron, a Russian rival, began to acquire shares in the company, and today owns 20 per cent of Grupa Azoty.

MRC