MOSCOW (MRC) -- Swiss specialty chemicals company Sika AG reported that its net sales for the first quarter of 2015 declined 0.9% to 1.195 billion Swiss francs from 1.206 billion francs in the same quarter last year, as per Reuters.
However, at constant exchange rates, sales for the quarter rose by 5.1% to 1.195 billion francs. Gains in all regions contributed to this impressive performance, with North and Latin America even posting double-digit growth.
It is planned to open between seven and nine factories in 2015.
Sika expects sales growth of 6% to 8% at constant exchange rates, in line with Strategy 2018. The strong Swiss franc remains a considerable challenge for the margins. However, with raw materials prices falling and in view of the success of Sika's growth model, the company aims to achieve a slight improvement in margins compared with the previous year. Nevertheless, the unknown outcome of Saint-Gobain's hostile takeover bid remains a major element of uncertainty in this forecast.
As MRC informed earlier, Saint-Gobain's attempted takeover of Switzerland's Sika took another twist as two investors said they will appeal a ruling stipulating that the French building materials company is not required to make an offer for all of Sika's shares.
Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protecting in the building sector and the motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 90 countries around the world and manufactures in over 160 factories. Its more than 16,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 5.6 billion in 2014.
MRC
MOSCOW (MRC) -- Alfa Laval, a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has won an order to supply Alfa Laval OLMI heat exchangers to a petrochemical plant in Turkmenistan, said Uk.finance.
The order, booked in the Energy & Process segment late March, has a value of approximately SEK 70 million and delivery is scheduled for 2016.
The Alfa Laval OLMI heat exchangers will be used to increase the yield and recover energy in the production of ethylene, an important ingredient for the manufacturing of industrial chemicals and plastics products.
"We are pleased to have booked another large order for our OLMI heat exchangers," says Lars Renstrom, President and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group. "It confirms that our OLMI products are very well suited for the petrochemical industry’s demanding applications."
As MRC informed earlier, preparations to start the construction of an industrial complex for polyethylene and polypropylene production in Turkmenistan's Kyyanly seaside settlement are underway. A number of industrial facilities worth USD10 billion, including a gas chemical complex in Kyyanly, will be built with Japanese capital in Turkmenistan in the near future.
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.
MRC
MOSCOW (MRC) -- Henan Shenma Chlorine Alkali is not in plans to undertake a maintenance turnaround at its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in 2015, reported Apic-online.
A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is likely to undergo a maintenance turnaround in 2016, though a specific schedule for the same has not been worked out.
Located at Henan in China, the plant has a production capacity of 450,000 mt/year.
As MRC wrote before, last time Henan Shenma Chlorine Alkali shut down its PVC plant in Henan province of China for maintenance turnaround on May 6, 2014. It stayed off-stream for around two weeks.
Besides, we remind that Shandong Dongyue restarted its PVC plant in early March 2015, following maintenance turnaround. It was shut on February 6, 2015. Located in Shandong province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 120,000 mt/year.
MRC