Arkema implements a price increase on its EVA copolymers range

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema, a France-based chemical manufacturer, has announced a price increase of EUR100/tonne for its whole Evatane (high content ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer) range starting March 1, 2015, reported the company on its site.

During the past months, the EVA market was undergoing a price erosion that affected profitability. Due to the price hike of ethylene, we are forced to pass this increase to the market.

Marketed under the trademark Evatane, Arkema's EVA products are functional polyolefins used in highly diverse industrial applications, including hot-melt, cables, multilayer packaging films, technical polymers modification, solar panels, petroleum additives, bitumen and inks.

As MRC informed previously, in May 2014, Arkema last announced a price increase of EUR100/tonne on its whole Evatane EVA range, high content EVA copolymer effective from 1 May or as contracts allowed.

Arkema with annual revenue of EUR7.6 billion is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc. Arkema operates 11 organic peroxide plants on the three continents.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the German chemicals giant, and FoundOcean Ltd. have launched an integrated material and service system for the provision of a new high strength grout, MasterFlow 9800, in Edinburgh, UK, reported BASF on its site.

BASF will present the new product at its booth at the EWEA Offshore 2015 fair in Copenhagen, Denmark, from March 10 to 12.

The new MasterFlow 9800 high-strength grout is the result of over three years of joint development with FoundOcean Ltd., the primary purpose of which has been to deliver significant and quantifiable improvements in productivity and safety when grouting offshore structures. The material is especially formulated for large?scale applications where bulk grout supply and continuous mixing and pumping are a major benefit.

"MasterFlow 9800 was developed toward the demanding requirements of a highly challenging offshore application environment. Aligning the excellent properties of the new offshore grout with the operational advantages of FoundOcean’s continuous mixing and pumping equipment will bring major health and safety improvements and installation cost reductions", says Luc Westhof, Global Key Account Manager at BASF’s Construction Chemicals division.

MasterFlow 9800 is set to improve offshore grouting by introducing a high strength grout with important operational advantages. The material offers a number of superior properties, including extremely low autogenous shrinkage and excellent early strength development, even at cold temperatures, and high fatigue resistance. When combined with its operational advantages, these properties have the potential to provide significant reductions in grouting time cost optimization for the foundations installation, whilst ensuring the durability of the grouted connection.

As MRC reported earlier, in October 2014, BASF and Archroma agreed on the sale of BASF’s global textile chemicals business to Archroma, a supplier of specialty chemicals to the textile, paper and emulsions industries.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo (former Styron), the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe have announced that effective March 3, 2015, or as existing contract terms allow, the company increased the selling price of natural polycarbonate (PC), reported the company on its site.

Thus, the company's PC price increased as follows:

- CALIBRE polycarbonate resins - by EUR350/tonne.

We remind that, as MRC informed previously, last time Styron increased its PC prices in Europe, starting from 1 August, 2014. The price rise of the company's selling price of natural PC was, as follows:

- CALIBRE polycarbonate resins - by EUR180/tonne.

Then, the price increase is in response to escalating costs of key raw materials used in the production of polycarbonate.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo’s technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo is completing its renaming process in 1Q 2015.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical is in plans to start a new ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/low density polyethylene (LDPE) swing plant, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is planned to be started in April 2016.

Located at Lianyugang in Jiangsu province of China, the plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

We remind that, as MRC wrote before, on December 29, 2014, Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) started a new ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) film plant in Saudi Arabia. Located at Hail in Saudi Arabia, the plant has a production capacity of 4,000 mt/year.

Besides, South Korean petrochemical company LG Chemical is likely to shut its ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) plant in South Korea for maintenance turnaround in end March 2015. It is likely to remain off-stream for around three weeks.Located at Daesan in South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 140,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema reported that its fourth-quarter net income Group share increased to 23 million euros from 21 million euros in the prior year, said the company in its press release.

Earnings per share grew to 0.33 euros from 0.32 euros in the previous year.

But, adjusted net income for the quarter dropped to 20 million euros from 46 million euros in the prior year. Adjusted net income per share was 0.29 euros, down from 0.70 euros in the previous year.

The Board of Directors confirms that the dividend proposed to the annual general meeting on 2 June 2015 be maintained at 1.85 euros per share, the same level as in 2013.

Pending approval by the shareholders' annual general meeting, the ex-coupon date will be set at 12 June 2015, with payment of the dividend in cash or in new shares taking place from 8 July 2015.

Sales amounted to 1.431 billion euros, 1.7% down at constant scope of business and foreign exchange rate and excluding the impact of the shutdown of the Chauny activity in France. Sales for the quarter grew to 1.431 billion euros from 1.411 billion euros in the prior year.

Arkema confirmed its mid- and long-term targets.

As MRC wrote before, Arkema announced the construction of a new organic peroxide plant on its Changshu site in China. This investment will help double the site’s production capacity.

Arkema with annual revenue of EUR6.4 billion is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc. Arkema operates 11 organic peroxide plants on the three continents.

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