HDPE imports into Ukraine decreased by 4% in January - August 2015

MOSCOW (MRC) - Ukraine's imports of high density polyethylene (HDPE)) decreased to 60,200 tonne in first eight months of this year, down 4% year on year, compared to the same period of 2014, as per MRC DataScope.

August imports of HDPE into the country decreased to 7,600 tonnes, compared with 10,900 tonnes in July on the back of a decrease in the supply of injection moulding HDPE from the producers of caps for PET containers. HDPE imports in the country decreased to 60,200 tonnes in January - August of this year, compared with 62,700 tonnes in the same time a year earlier. The largest drop in demand occurred for polyethylene for extrusion blow moulding (EBM).

Structure of HDPE imports over the reported period was as follows.

August imports of film HDPE into the country remained practically at the July level at about 4,400 tonnes. Ukraine's film HDPE imports in January-August increased to 29,600 tonnes in the first eight months of the year, up 11% year on year.

August imports of injection moulding HDPE in Ukraine decreased to 1,100 tonnes, compared with 3.1 tonnes in July. Such a significant reduction in supply resulted from a weaker demand in the sector of closures for PET containers. Demand for injection moulding HDPE from local converters fell by 6% to 11,100 tonnes in January - August 2015.

August imports of HDPE for extrusion blow moulding (EBM) was about 1,100 tonnes, which was close to the July figures. Total imports of extrusion blow moulding HDPE into Ukraine were about 8,700 tonnes in the first eight months of the year, down 28% year on year.


August imports of pipe HDPE into the country (including natural HDPE grades) declined to 1,000 tonnes against 1,600 tonnes a month earlier because of the reduction of export quotas from Europe and Russia. Total imports of pipe HDPE into Ukraine in the first eight months of the year fell to 8,700 tonnes, down 9% year on year.

HDPE imports into the other sectors of consumption in January - August 2015 were about 2,000 tonnes.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- JGC Corporation announced today that, in partnership with Bechtel and Samsung Engineering, it has received a Letter of Intent from PTTGC America to deliver front-end engineering and design (FEED) services for a new world-scale petrochemicals complex at Dilles Bottom, Ohio, U.S., said the company on its site.

The value of the contract was not disclosed. The project scope includes an ethane cracker with an annual capacity of 1.0 million tons per year, a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit, an ethylene oxide ethylene glycol (EOEG) unit as well as the associated off-sites and utilities. JGC’s Houston office will be the lead execution center for the FEED.

The purpose of this project is to produce petrochemical products, such as ethylene, utilizing cheap shale gas produced in the U.S as feedstock. Through the project’s successful completion, PTTGC aims to meet the increasing demand for petrochemical products.

Selection for this contract reflects JGC’s proven technical capabilities and strong track record of delivering more than 40 successful cracker projects around the world, as well as the expertise of Bechtel and Samsung Engineering.

In 2011, JGC Group put into action its new 5-year medium term management plan, entitled "NEW HORIZON 2015." One important pillar of the plan is the strengthening and expansion of domestic and overseas subsidiaries, and the creation of strategic networks among subsidiaries to improve EPC project execution ability.

As numerous petrochemical projects utilizing shale gas are planned in North America, JGC, together with JGC America, will vigorously promote sales activities aimed at expanding its business opportunities in North America.

As MRC informed earlier, Petronas LNG awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract to JGC Corp. for the expansion of Petronas' liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

JGC Corporation, formerly Japan Gasoline Co., is a global engineering company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The company was founded on 25 October 1928. In 1976, it changed its original name from Japan Gasoline Co. to JGC Corp. JGC participates in the design and construction of large energy projects, such as Al Zour Refinery, Nigeria LNG, Pearl GTL, Ichthys LNG, Gorgon LNG, Tangguh LNG and Dolphin Gas Project.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation has announced the introduction of Celanese Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) to the Japanese market to meet the demanding product quality and materials specification needs of automotive customers in the country, reported the company on its site.

"We see tremendous growth potential for a PPS polymer solution, and we are excited to bring our technical knowledge, processing expertise and product offering to regional and global OEM customers who call Japan their home. Celanese PPS is a highly stable and durable polymer and is a primary reason why customers in the Japanese automotive industry, among others, specify parts made from this material," said Hajime Suzuki, Celanese managing director for Japan. "We see tremendous growth potential for a PPS polymer solution, and we are excited to bring our technical knowledge, processing expertise and product offering to regional and global OEM customers who call Japan their home."

Celanese will offer the following PPS grades in Japan:

- Celanese ICE PPS - ICE (Improved Crystallization Evolution) grades are part of the PPS semi-crystalline polymer family that features exceptionally high temperature performance up to 240 degrees Celsius (464 degrees Fahrenheit); outstanding resistance to fuels, oils and solvents; excellent hardness, stiffness and dimensional stability; and inherent flame-resistance. ICE grades use an innovative platform technology developed by Celanese material scientists to deliver material properties that are equivalent to or better than standard injection molding PPS grades - and at the same time, significantly improve the processing characteristics;

- Celanese Flex PPS - offers excellent thermal, chemical and permeation resistance, contains no plasticizers and can be tailored to meet customer requirements. Celanese Flex PPS is an exceptional material selection for under-hood automotive applications where flexible tubing requirements help engineers and designers meet the engine "packaging" requirements of today’s high performance turbo engines where space constraints test the limits of inferior engineered polymer materials.

As MRC wrote before, in June 2015, Jacobs Engineering Group was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract from Celanese Corp. for the construction of a vinyl acetate ethylene (EVA) emulsions production plant at Jurong Island, Singapore.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,500 employees worldwide and had 2014 net sales of USD6.8 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Jiutai Energy is likely to start production at its new coal-to-polyethylene plant, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company is likely to start commercial production at the plant in this month. The plant is expected to operate at normal rates from December 2015.

Located at Erdos, Inner Mongolia region in China, the new PE plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, PetroChina, China's largest oil and gas producer, restarted its high density polyethylene/linear low density polyethylene (HDPE/LLDPE) plant in early June 2015, following maintenance turnaround. It was shut on April 10, 2015. Located in Dushanzi, China, the plant has a production capacity of 660,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Platform Specialty Products Corporation ("Platform") announced today that the shareholders of Alent plc ("Alent") approved Platform's previously-announced recommended offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Alent in a cash and stock transaction for approximately USD2.1 billion1 (the "Alent Acquisition"), said the company in its press release.

Earlier today, at a court meeting and general meeting, Alent's shareholders voted to approve, by the required majorities, the proposed scheme of arrangement under the U.K. Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme") and certain other matters in connection with the implementation of the Alent Acquisition.

The Alent Acquisition remains subject to the sanction of the U.K. court and certain other closing conditions and approvals set forth in the Scheme, including, among others, regulatory approvals in certain foreign jurisdictions. As of today, Platform has received notice of the early termination of the antitrust waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and approval from the South Korean regulatory authorities. The Alent Acquisition is expected to close in late 2015 or early 2016. Following closing of the Alent Acquisition, Platform will remain a New York Stock Exchange listed company domiciled in the United States.

Alent is a leading global supplier of advanced surface treatment plating chemicals and electronics assembly materials. Its principal end-market is global electronics production which accounts for approximately three-quarters of net sales value with the automotive and industrial end-markets comprising the balance.

Platform is a global, diversified producer of high-technology specialty chemicals and provider of technical services. The business involves the formulation of a broad range of solutions-oriented specialty chemicals, which are sold into multiple industries, including agrochemical, animal health, electronics, graphic arts, plating, and offshore oil production and drilling.

MRC