GPPC to shut down SM plant in Taiwan for maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corporation (GPPC) is likely to shut its styrene monomer (SM) plant for maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

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

Located in Tashe, Taiwan, the plant has a production capacity of 140,000 mt/year.

We remind that last year, GPPC shut down this SM plant for maintenance turnaround on February 15, 2014. The plant remained off-stream till March 11, 2014.

Besides, as MRC reported earlier, in April 2014, GPPC shut its SM plant in Taiwan for a one-month turnaround. Located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the plant has a production capacity of 250,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Accella Performance Materials Inc. is acquiring IPS Polymer Systems Inc. to expand the firm’s growing polyurethane operation, said Plasticsnews.

The St. Louis-based Accella’s strategic plan is to build the leading polyurethane systems house in North America with an even stronger presence on the West Coast, it said. The addition of IPS, which operates out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will help accomplish those goals.

"IPS is an excellent fit with Accella’s current polyurethanes business and will bring expanded technology and capabilities to both companies," Accella CEO Andy Harris said in a statement.

Merger of IPS with Accella, which was formally called Dash Multi-Corp., brings together an expansive polyurethane technology portfolio, regional manufacturing and technical application expertise, Accella said.

As MRC wrote before, PolyOne Corporation announced the acquisition of specialty assets from Accella Performance Materials. Accella will retain its polyurethanes and rubber products businesses.

Accella Performance Materials is a group of chemical and material companies. Accella Performance Materials is a producer of plastisol, polyurethane and rubber industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Chemie AG is currently building a new plant for specialty monomers with an annual capacity of 3,800 metric tons at its Burghausen site, said the producer on its site.

The Group has budgeted around EUR8 million for this. The specialty monomers vinyl neodecanoate and vinyl laurate are key raw materials for the manufacture of specific dispersible polymer powders. The plant is scheduled for start-up in the second quarter of 2015.

This new development allows Wacker to meet increasing demand for high-quality polymeric binders and strengthens its position as the world’s leading manufacturer of dispersible polymer powders. Besides, with the construction of the new plant, Wacker is strengthening its position as a market and technology leader in this field.

"The construction of the new plant for specialty monomers is an important strategic step," explains Christoph Riemer, head of dispersible polymer powder business at Wacker Polymers. "It makes us more independent of raw-material price fluctuations and boosts supply security during peak-demand periods. In addition, it strengthens the position of specialty products in our dispersible polymer powder portfolio."

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.

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, as well as 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) -- Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical Co said it had shut its 525,000 tonnes per year naphtha cracker in Chiba for maintenance, said Reuters.

The cracker will be restarted after the maintenance, which is going to last about a week, a company spokesman said, declining to give further details.

Traders said earlier that the cracker was shut on Monday due to a mechanical problem. Maruzen is 40 percent owned by Cosmo Oil Co group.

As MRC wrote before, Maruzen Petrochemical posted a 53% decline in its six-month net profit to yen (Y) 2.08bn in 2014 from the corresponding period last year due partly to decreased profits from some of the products. Operating profit for the six months to 30 September 2014 plummeted by 77% year on year to Y1.41bn, despite net sales rising 7.8% to Y236.8bn.

Maruzen Petrochemical Co. develops, produces, imports, and exports petrochemical products. It offers basic petrochemicals and ethylene derivatives, including ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylene oxide and glycol, and high-density polyethylene, which serve as raw materials in plastics, synthetic fiber, synthetic rubber, and coatings.
MRC