ExxonMobil Chemical names new president as Pryor plans retirement

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Stephen D. Pryor, president of ExxonMobil Chemical and vice president of ExxonMobil, has elected to retire on January 1, 2015, after more than 44 years of service, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

ExxonMobil said it anticipated that its board of directors will appoint Neil A. Chapman as the new president of ExxonMobil Chemical and also elect him as a vice president of the corporation, effective January 1, 2015.

Chapman is currently senior vice president of polymers at ExxonMobil Chemical.

Pryor, 64, joined Mobil Corp. in 1971 and has held a number of financial and managerial positions in the US, Cyprus, the UK and New Zealand. In 1993, he was appointed vice president of Mobil Chemical Co. and general manager of the plastics division.

In 1996, he became president of Mobil Asia Pacific and in 1998, executive vice president responsible for Mobil’s international downstream business. Following the merger between Exxon and Mobil, he was appointed president of ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties Co., and in 2002 became executive vice president at ExxonMobil Chemical.

Pryor was appointed president of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co. in 2004 and president of ExxonMobil Chemical in 2008.

Pryor was born in New York, New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lafayette College and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.

Chapman, meanwhile, joined ExxonMobil's fuels marketing division as head of ExxonMobil Aviation International in the UK before becoming vice president of industrial and wholesale fuels based in the US. Chapman became vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical's global polyethylene business in 2005 and was appointed executive assistant to the chairman of ExxonMobil in 2006. He became president of ExxonMobil Global Services Co. in 2007 and was appointed to his current role in 2011.

Chapman was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Surrey University, England.

As MRC wrote before, ExxonMobil Chemical will begin a sales allocation for some grades of polypropylene because of operational difficulties at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, facility. It was unclear what the nature of the operational difficulties were at the Baton Rouge Polyolefins Plant, or which specific grades would be impacted. No timeframe for the allocation was provided in the letter. ExxonMobil Chemical could not be immediately reached for comment.

Exxon Mobil is the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, and produces in nonconventional areas like the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the U.S. side. Pemex is just starting exploration in the deep waters of the Mexican side of the Gulf.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell's Equistar plant at La Porte, Texas, reported emissions on 21 November as it restarted a low density polyethylene unit, according to Plastemart, citing a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

As the AB3 low density polyethylene unit was restarted, an atmospheric valve opened, releasing ethylene, polyethylene and vinyl acetate into the atmosphere, according to the filing. The valve was later closed. It was not clear whether there was any impact to production at the plant.

As MRC reported before, LyondellBasell had delayed the start-up of expanded production at its ethylene plant in La Porte, Tex., until later this year. A mechanical issue with a compressor at the plant was partially to blame for the extended turnaround at La Porte.

LyondellBasell Industries NV is a manufacturing company. The company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell Industries operates globally and is headquartered in the Netherlands. LyondellBasell is also a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Digital technologies such as social media, mobile devices and the Internet are becoming a driving force behind greater transparency of corporate conduct, and is redefining what sustainability means for the petrochemical industry, said Hydrocarbonprocessing, citing Peter L. Cella, CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical.

During his address, "Petrochemical Growth v. 2030: How the Connected World is Redefining Sustainability," at the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Annual Forum in Dubai, Cella discussed how sustainability has evolved over the years and how the changing expectations on transparency and corporate conduct in a digital age are impacting the industry.

"Doing the right thing and communicating with greater transparency is becoming an imperative, and social media is one of those essential vehicles," said Cella.

Social media has made the transparency process much easier for businesses, and its power is astounding -- and growing, he said. User activities on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms lead to almost immediate action, both positive and negative.

It’s this dynamic that businesses and leaders should recognize so they can provide greater transparency among their customers and stakeholders, he says.

Cella explained that customers, business partners, employees and other stakeholders want to work with transparent companies that openly display good corporate conduct. The numerous social media resources readily available allow for prompt and broad communication of strong stewardship and other positive endeavors for companies.

"Let’s be proactive and transparent in shaping our reputation," said Cella. "Social media platforms allow us to do just that – by providing a window into our corporate conduct. They also allow us to gather rich insight and identify potential issues. Let’s use the medium to our benefit."

As MRC wrote before, a pump serving ethylene unit No. 22 at Chevron Phillips Chemical's Sweeny, Texas plant has shut unexpectedly, according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The ethylene unit has an production capacity of 300,000 m tpa. Chevron Phillips operates three steam crackers at the Sweeny site, with estimated ethylene production of 1.9 mln mtpa.

Chevron Phillips Chemica, headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas (north of Houston), US,l is one of the world’s top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, piping, and proprietary plastics. Chevron and Phillips 66 each own 50% of Chevron Phillips Chemical.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LG Chem, South Korean petrochemical company, has restarted a phenol-acetone plant following maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the plant restarted early this week. It was shut on October 25, 2014.

Located at Yeosu, South Korea, the plant has a phenol capacity of 300,000 mt/year, acetone capacity of 180,000 mt/year and bisphenol-A capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, LG Chem is in plans to take off-stream its butadiene (BD) plant in South Korea for maintenance turnaround in March 2015. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month. Located in Daesan, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 145,000 mt/year.

LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to ICIS report, it is 15th biggest chemical company in the world in 2011. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Russia's unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production increased by 2% in the first ten months of 2014.
Bashkir Soda Company and Khimprom Volgograd showed a significant increase in PVC production, according to MRC ScanPlast.

October production of unmixed PVC in Russia decreased to 48,100 tonnes, compared with 61,600 tonnes in September on the back of scheduled maintenance works at two largest Russian producers - Bashkir Soda Company and Kaustik Volgograd. Total PVC production in the country grew to 519,200 tonnes in January - October of this year, compared with 507,400 tonnes year on year. The increase in production resulted from higher production rates at Bashkir Soda Company and Khimprom Volgograd, which worked without turnarounds, as well as the launch of RusVinyl, based in Nizhny Novgorod.

Structure of PVC production over the reported period looked as follows. SayanskKhimPlast produced 26,500 tonnes in October, compared with 26,300 tonnes in September. Total PVC production at SayanskKhimPlast in the first ten months of the year remained practically steady at 233,500 tonnes, compared with the same time a year earlier (234,300 tonnes).

Bashkir Soda Company (BSC), which this year has expanded its PVC capacities to 230,000 tonnes/year, produced 8,900 tonnes of PVC in October on the back of two weeks turnaround. Total PVC production at the company increased to 181,100 tonnes in the first ten months of this year, compared with 174,900 tonnes year on year. The producer plans to increase its PVC capacities to 240,000 tonnes/year.

Kaustik Volgograd also shut its PVC capacities in October for scheduled maintenance work for almost three weeks, as a consequence - the output of the resin decreased to 3,300 tonnes. Total PVC production at the plant was 75,100 tonnes in the first ten months of the year, compared with 74,200 tonnes year on year.

Khimprom Volgograd had to suspend its operation for several days in October because of problems with gas and electricity.
Khimprom's emulsion PVC production was 1,400 tonnes in October, remaining practically at the September level. Total EPVC production at the plant was 15,200 tonnes in the first ten months of the year, up 11% year on year on the back of reduced time of the turnaround. According to unofficial information, in the end of last week, the company stopped its carbide furnaces, it is possible that November will be the last month of the enterprise's work.

As it was already written, RusVinil (JV of SIBUR and SolVin) launched SPVC production in August in the test mode. Total SPVC production at the plant was 14,500 tonnes in September-October of this year. The plant's annual production capacity is 330,000 tonnes.


MRC