PE prices fell by USD450-500/tonne in Uzbekistan last month

MOSCOW (MRC) -- By early December, export polyethylene (PE) prices in Uzbekistan had fallen by USD450-500/tonne from November on the back of a slump in demand, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Starting prices of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) were at USD1,850-1,900/tonne FCA Kengsoy in export trades in Uzbekistan in early November that did not correspond to the global trends. As a consequence, deals were not registered in the trades. Starting prices had been reduced to USD1,350-1,450/tonne by early December because of the total absence of deals.

1,100 tonnes of injection moulding HDPE, 1,450 tonnes of blow moulding HDPE, 100 tonnes of HDPE for rotational moulding of large items and about 350 tonnes of LLDPE C4 were put up for auction in the first week of December in the export trades. Injection moulding HDPE and LLDPE accounted for the strongest demand in the trades, Russian companies were actively contracting PE.

All the quantities of HDPE for December shipments were sold out at USD1,350/tonne FCA Kengsoy in the trades. Deals for LLDPE were done at USD1,450/tonne FCA Kengsoy, but not all quantities were contracted.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In response to evolving industry trends and customer preferences for products with better environmental, health, and safety (EHS) profiles, Dynaloy LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Chemical, is launching three new formulated products that offer exceptional performance without the use of certain chemicals, while continuing to offer its line of traditional cleaners, reported Eastman on its site.

"We understand concerns in the industry about some formulations. That’s why we’ve developed products that have the same or better functional capability but none of the chemicals that raise EHS concerns. For customers who prefer conventional cleaners, we still provide a robust selection of those products as well," said Diane Scheele, Dynaloy business manager.

The newly released Dynastrip DL9150 is a non-TMAH containing multi-purpose photoresist and post-etch residue remover. With outstanding cleaning and metal compatibility, this product raises the bar for achieving environmental, health, and safety compliance while also performing as well as comparable products that contain TMAH.

With the release of Dynastrip DL9240, it’s possible to remove tough photoresists and residue materials without the use of N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP), a solvent. Dynastrip DL9240 shows excellent compatibility with dielectric materials while cleaning hard-to-remove photoresist in advanced packaging applications.

The third product is Dynastrip DL9005. Used for high density solder cleaning applications, this product is formulated for customers who have concerns about meeting improved waste-related guidelines. It does not contain a common photoresist stripping solvent, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). DMSO is a solvent that may cause nuisance odors in waste stream abatement systems.

These new Dynaloy products combine superior performance with EHS-advantaged profiles to allow companies around the world to address existing and emerging EHS concerns and regulations.

As MRC informed earlier, Eastman Chemical Company has recently announced the completion of its acquisition of Taminco Corporation, a global specialty chemical company, for a total of USD2.8 billion in cash and assumed debt. Taminco’s former Specialty Amines and Crop Protection businesses will be operated as part of the Additives & Functional Products segment and its former Functional Amines business will be operated as part of the Specialty Fluids & Intermediates segment.

Founded in 1965, Dynaloy, LLC (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) has grown from a small regional provider of electronic cleaning chemistries to what is now an international manufacturer of chemicals for the electronics industry. A wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company, Dynaloy combines the responsiveness of a small company with the market knowledge, material science expertise, and vast resources of a world leader in chemical manufacturing. And as part of a global organization, Dynaloy is committed to finding innovative approaches that lead to practical solutions.

Eastman 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 occupies 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. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA and employs approximately 14,000 people around the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lubrizol Corporation has enhanced its blending plant operations in Deer Park, Texas, as pending heavy-duty diesel, passenger car and marine diesel specification upgrades drive demand for higher-performing engine oils, as per the company's press release.

The USD28 million expansion will improve blending efficiency and increase capacity to ensure supply reliability as the market shifts and grows.

In addition to responding to market specifications, Lubrizol is also committed to improving service to its customers by investing in materials handling operations. An additional USD37 million will provide infrastructure improvements to railcar loading and unloading operations and enhance tank truck and isotainer handling.

The expansion strengthens Deer Park's position as an efficient, high-volume finished product supplier. It includes installation of new component storage tanks, state-of-the-art automated piggable component manifolds, new automated unloading locations and additional capability in the company's automated inline blending technology. The project also reduces manual labor and improves flexibility and customer response time.

"We are in a unique position to be nimble and highly responsive to the needs of our customers," says Fries. The upgrades at Deer Park are a great example of our underlying commitment to investing in our people, processes and products to help our customers succeed around the world."

As MRC wrote before, in June 2014, Lubrizol Corp. received all necessary regulatory approvals to proceed with its previously announced chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) joint venture with Sekisui Chemical Co. in Thailand. Lubrizol said the partners will invest about USD50-million to build a 30,000-t/y CPVC resin plant in the first phase. This phase, for which a specific location was not given, is expected to be fully operational by late 2014 or early 2015. A second phase will double capacity to 60,000 t/y with a further USD50-million investment and is scheduled to begin production by the end of 2016.

The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an innovative specialty chemical company that apart from its production develops and supplies technologies to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol's advanced polymer technology delivers exceptional performance for the plumbing, fire sprinkler, industrial and other building and construction related applications. Lubrizol is providing innovative solutions for its customers high-performance application needs and remains committed to ongoing investment in its CPVC capabilities that support future growth.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Formosa Petrochemical Corp (FPCC) is likely to shut its No 1 cracker for maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A source in Taiwan informed that the plant is likely to be shut in June 2015. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.

Located at Mailiao in Taiwan, the cracker has a production capacity of 700,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, the producer shut this cracker before in the late September 2014.

Formosa Petrochemical is involved primarily in the business of refining crude oil, selling refined petroleum products and producing and selling olefins (including ethylene, propylene, butadiene and BTX) from its naphtha cracking operations. Formosa Petrochemical is also the largest olefins producer in Taiwan and its olefins products are mostly sold to companies within the Formosa Group. Among the company's chemical products are paraxylene (PX), phenyl ethylene, acetone and pure terephthalic acid (PTA). The company's plastic products include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins, polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and panlite (PC).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Arabia's Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co (Yansab), a subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), has announced it will be shutting its ethylene glycol plant in April 2015 for between 35 and 60 days for planned maintenance, reported Reuters.

The financial impact on the company from the maintenance work was estimated to be around 450 million riyals (USD119.9 million), which would be recorded in its second-quarter financials, it said in a bourse filing. (USD1 US dollar = 3.7530 Saudi riyal).

As MRC informed previously, Yansab reported a net profit of SAR2.64 billion in full-year profit for 2013 versus SAR2.45 billion in 2012, citing higher prices for its products and lower financing costs.

The objectives of Yansab, a subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), are to engage in manufacturing of petrochemical products (ethylene, ethylene glycol, high density polyethylene, low linear density polyethylene, polypropylene, butene 1, butene 2, MTBE and BTX) in accordance with its Articles of Association, and other applicable regulations in the Kingdom. The Company commenced its Commercial operations on 1 March 2010.
MRC