US PolyOne acquires specialty assets from Accella Performance Materials

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PolyOne Corporation, a premier global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, announced the acquisition of specialty assets from Accella Performance Materials, a leading North American manufacturer of liquid polymer formulations, as per the company's press-release.

Accella will retain its polyurethanes and rubber products businesses.

The acquired business joins PolyOne's Global Color, Additives and Inks segment, and provides specialty coatings solutions and value-added services in a wide range of applications, including consumer products, interior and under-the-hood automotive parts, outdoor recreational equipment and food packaging.

"We're thrilled to have acquired this specialty business and its innovative technologies, and we look forward to serving our newest customers with increased innovation, delivery, quality and services," said John V. Van Hulle, president, Global Color, Additives and Inks, PolyOne Corporation. "The acquired Accella technology portfolio complements our existing specialty business, and expands our presence in fast-growing end markets that are aligned with key megatrends."

With a purchase price of USD49 million, PolyOne expects the acquisition to add USD35 million to revenues and be accretive to earnings in 2015.

"This is a compelling acquisition that highlights our approach to M&A," said Robert M. Patterson, president and chief executive officer, PolyOne Corporation. "Our invest-to-grow integration playbook is one we have historically executed with great success. We will leverage our best-in-class technical, commercial and operational capabilities to drive growth for this new business, PolyOne, and most importantly our customers."

As MRC informed earlier, in February 2014, PolyOne Corporation announced the addition of new capabilities to its OnColor HC Plus portfolio. These expanded offerings add medical-grade LDPE, nylon, PEBA, PS and PVC to the globally available palette of specialty healthcare colorants, and are pre-certified to meet or exceed biocompatibility requirements for ISO 10993 and/or USP Class VI protocols.

PolyOne Corporation 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) -- Poliom (part of Titan Group), the third largest polypropylene (PP) producer in Russia after Tobolsk-Polymer and Nizhnekamskneftekhim, temporarily shut down its PP production because of technical issues, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

The company's customers said Poliom shut down its production of polymer on 27 November due to technical problems. The company's representatives did not comment on the information regarding the outage.

According to unofficial information, the plant will not be idle for a long time and will have resumed its production by 1 December.

LLC "Poliom" was founded on 14 May, 2005 for the construction of the polypropylene (PP) plant within the petrochemical cluster project "PARK: regional agro-industrial clusters." The plant was built on Basell technology, the supplier of technological equipment was Tecnimont. The opening ceremony was held on 25 April 2013. The product range consists of 100 PP grades (homopolymer PP, statistical and block copolymers). In April 2014, the production capacity of Omsk PP Plant reached 210,000 tonnes of polypropylene per year. The plant's overall production totalled 142,800 tonnes over the firs ten months of 2014.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Chemie AG achieved a year-on-year increase in sales in the period July through September 2014 due to higher volumes in many product areas and higher prices for some products, especially solar silicon, according to the company's report.

The Munich-based chemical company generated third-quarter sales of EUR1,232.2 million (Q3 2013: EUR1,165.4 million), almost 6% more than a year earlier. All five business divisions contributed to this growth, and the group as a whole almost matched its sales figure for the strong preceding quarter (EUR1,242.3 million).

Wacker’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in Q3 2014 more than doubled relative to the year-earlier period, rising to EUR347.5 million (Q3 2013: EUR167.9 million). Compared to the preceding quarter (€229.5 million), the increase was over 51%. The EBITDA margin rose accordingly to 28.2% from 14.4% in Q3 2013 and 18.5% in Q2 2014. The group’s third-quarter earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were almost six times higher year on year, coming in at EUR196.3 million (Q3 2013: EUR35.1 million).

In its full-year 2014 outlook, Wacker presented a more specific earnings forecast. It now expects to post EBITDA of around EUR1 billion (2013: EUR678.7 million), while the full-year EBITDA margin is expected be over 20% (2013: 15.2%).

"After the first nine months of the year, we are well on track to achieve our targets for 2014," said Group CEO Rudolf Staudigl in Munich on Thursday. "Demand has remained robust in numerous sectors and regions, and there have also been positive price signals for key WACKER products, particularly for our polysilicon business. Additionally, the measures introduced to improve our cost structures are having a tangible effect, helping us enhance our competitiveness and our profitability."

The Wacker Group invested EUR152.9 million in the third quarter of 2014 (Q3 2013: EUR98.2 million). This represents a project-related increase of almost 56% on the prior-year period and over 51% on the preceding quarter (EUR101.0 million). The group’s net cash flow in the third quarter of 2014 was EUR178.4 million, compared with EUR164.7 million a year ago, a year-on-year increase of around 8%.

Investing activities during the reporting quarter remained centered on the construction of the new polysilicon production site in Charleston (Tennessee, USA). Almost two-thirds of the Group’s investment spending was allocated to this project in the July-through-September period. The facilities there are expected to be completed by the middle of next year, with the start-up in the second half of 2015.

At the Burghausen site in Germany, the expansion of production capacity for dispersible polymer powders is proceeding according to plan. Wacker is constructing a new spray dryer there with an annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons. The facility is scheduled to come on stream in the first quarter of 2015 and will be one of the largest of its kind worldwide. A total of around EUR20 million has been budgeted for the project.

Production capacity for dispersible polymer powders is also being extended at the Nanjing site in China, with a number of individual measures being taken there to eliminate production bottlenecks and thus enhance productivity. Once these measures are completed, Wacker expects to be able to produce up to 60,000 metric tons of dispersible polymer powder at the site annually, depending on the product mix.

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) -- Total and Rosneft said Friday they have signed a Term Sheet that envisages the main terms and conditions of the purchase by Rosneft of a 16.67% share held by Total in a refinery located in Schwedt, Germany (PCK Raffinerie GmbH), as per Eurasia Review.

The document was signed in Sochi by the Head of Rosneft Igor Sechin and Chief Executive Officer of Total Patrick Pouyanne.

PCK Raffinerie GmbH refinery is located in the city of Schwedt/Oder in Brandenburg, Germany. Primary distillation capacity is 11.5 mln/t, with a Nelson index of 9.2. Current shareholders include: 37.5% ROG, 37.5% Shell, 16.67% Total, 8.33% Eni.

Once the deal is closed, Rosneft together with Ruhr Oel GmbH will manage close to 55% of the refinery’s ownership.

According to Rosneft, the deal represents a deepening of the energy partnership between Russia and Europe based on the effectiveness of supply of a refinery located along the Druzhba pipeline. Total and Rosneft are further agreeing on an off-take agreement to supply Total’s retail and wholesale customers securing stable supply to the premium Berlin and surrounding areas, markets and customers supplied by pipeline from the refinery.

Commenting on the signing Igor Sechin said, "This agreement is reflective of the level of trust, long-term commitment and mutual benefit in the relationships between Total and Rosneft. It proves the effectiveness of the European-Russian energy partnership in that it delivers added value to all companies and countries involved. As for Rosneft, this deal means a strengthening of its position in one of Europe’s most efficient and effective refineries and an opportunity to serve the end-customers in its most important market".

In May 2011, Rosneft acquired a 50% share in ROG in Germany. ROG holds a share in 4 refineries in Germany (Gelsenkirchen - 100%, Bayernoil - 25%; MiRO – 24%; PCK- 37,5%). Moreover the joint venture holds stakes in five pipeline and sea crude oil terminals in the North, Baltic, Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. Rosneft partner in the JV on a parity basis is BP Europa SE. ROG is the leader of German market in terms of refining volumes –-21.2 mln tones in 2013.

Rosneft became Russia's largest publicly traded oil company in March 2013 after the USD55 billion takeover of TNK-BP, which was Russia’s third-largest oil producer at the time. Rosneft also controls Angarsk Polymer Plant in Russia and Lisichansky refinery in Ukraine.
MRC