CB&I wins EPC on new US Gulf chemicals project

MOSCOW (MRC) -- CB&I has been awarded a contract in excess of USD100 million by a major chemical corporation to engineer, procure, fabricate and construct a specialty chemicals plant in the US Gulf Coast region, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing with reference to the officials' announcement.

"We are pleased to be selected for this significant project," said Patrick K. Mullen, president of CB&I's engineering and construction operating group.

"This contract underscores CB&I's commitment to providing the highest levels of safety, planning and execution to our customer and the ability to deliver real-time reliability and performance," he added.

The name and specific location of the client were not disclosed.

As MRC informed previously, in July 2015, CB&I was awarded a contract by Carbon Holdings for the license and basic engineering design of an ethylbenzene/styrene plant to be built in Ain Sokhna, Egypt. The units will be a part of the Tahrir Petrochemicals complex expansion and will use CB&I's ethylbenzene (EB) and styrene (SM) technologies to produce 400,000 metric tons per annum of styrene monomer.

CB&I is the most complete energy infrastructure focused company in the world. With 125 years of experience and the expertise of approximately 54,000 employees, CB&I provides reliable solutions while maintaining a relentless focus on safety and an uncompromising standard of quality.
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Rehau launches 10,000 tonnes/y profiles recycling plant in Poland

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Plastics processor Rehau has launched a new vinyl construction profiles recycling operation in Poland aimed at reinforcing the group’s commitment to sustainability, said Plasticsnewseurope.

The global Rehau, Germany-based manufacturer of products for construction, automotive and industrial applications established a 10,000 tpa waste processing plant at its production site in Srem, Poland.

At the 1,250 square metre plant, employing a dozen, the firm is using a Hamos-supplied precision sorting unit to separate raw materials from used building profile components.

A mix of PVC profile sections and production scrap from the windows industry are providing recycled material for extrusion into the core of new window profiles.

Rehau has a long history of recycling PVC windows and profiles. More recently the firm joined the German recycler Rewindo window recycling service, based in Bonn, which operates throughout the country. Recycling is an integrated part of Rehau’s production processes.

As MRC informed earlier, Rehau opened the first UK facility to produce pre-insulated pipework for district heating and biomass applications at its factory in Blaenau, Gwynedd / North Wales. Sales of the "Rauvitherm" pipework have more than doubled in the UK over the last 12 months, driven by the buoyant biomass and district heating markets, and, more recently, by the impact of the UK"s Renewable Heat Incentive programme. Rehau expects sales to increase further and has established the new production facility as part of a reported GBP 3m (EUR 3.8m) investment programme.

Rehau employs close to 200 staff at its Blaenau site, better known for its production of rigid PVC window systems. It also has a second factory in Wales, at Amlwch in Anglesey.
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Zeon decides to end UK NBR production; will shut down facility by March 2016

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Zeon Chemicals Europe Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zeon Corp., has decided to discontinue production at its nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) plant in Sully, the UK, reported GV with reference to several media reports.

The company announced earlier this year that it was considering closing the facility, due to the uncertainty in long term availability and supply of raw materials to the site, as well as changing market conditions.

Production is expected to end in late December with the site closing at the end of March 2016. Capacity of the plant was not available.

Zeon noted that it has already completed a consultation process with the site's approximate 100 employees.

We remind that, as MRC wrote before, in August 2015, specialty chemicals company Lanxess inaugurated its new EUR200m neodymium butadiene rubber (Nd-BR) plant in Singapore. The new facility is located adjacent to the company's existing butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island, and has a production capacity of 140,000t a year. Set to produce Nd-BR for global markets, the plant will join the nine additional production facilities operated by the company's Tire & Specialty Rubber (TSR) business unit in North and South America and Europe, and will primarily focus on the growing Asian markets.
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Chandra Asri to temporarily shut down in preparation for expanded cracker

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chandra Asri is planning a 90-day shutdown in order to integrate and tie-in its expanded naphtha cracker with existing facilities at the Banten, Indonesia, site, as per GV.

The shutdown will affect ethylene, polyethylene and butadiene operations. During the tie-in, the company's other downstream plants, specifically polypropylene and styrene monomer, will continue to operate. The shutdown is set to begin 25 Sept. and be completed in December.

Once the tie-in process is complete, Chandra Asri's naphtha cracker capacity will increase by some 43%, increasing ethylene capacity to 860,000 t/y from 600,000 t/y, propylene capacity to 470,000 t/y from 320,000 t/y, pygas capacity to 400,000 t/y from 280,000 t/y and mixed C4 capacity to 315,000 t/y from 220,000 t/y.

As MRC wrote previously, Barito Pacific's subsidiary Chandra Asri Petrochemical (CAP) is reportedly planning to build a naphtha refinery at its Cilegon complex in Banten, Indonesia, with an estimated investment of USD740m.

Chandra Asri Petrochemical (CAP) is the largest vertically integrated petrochemical company in Indonesia with facilities located in Ciwandan, Cilegon and Puloampel, Serang in Banten Province. CAP is Indonesia's premier petrochemical plant incorporating world-class, state-of-the-art technology and supporting facilities. At the heart of CAP lies the Lummus Naphtha Cracker producing high quality Ethylene, Propylene, Mixed C4, and Pyrolysis Gasoline (Py-Gas) for the Indonesian as well as regional export markets.
MRC

Merck KGaA rebrands, reorganises divisions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, has announced the relaunch of its brand identity. The fundamental revision of the visual appearance as well as the introduction of a new logo reflect the transformation into a global science and technology company, said the producer on its site.

At the same time, the brand architecture at business level has been simplified. Outside the United States and Canada, the company will operate uniformly as Merck.

"Merck has fundamentally changed over the past ten years," emphasized Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO. "We have developed from a classic supplier of pharmaceuticals and chemicals into a global technology company. With our unique combination of highly specialized biopharmaceutical, life science and materials businesses, we are in a position today to offer solutions to support global megatrends such as health and digitization. The complete overhaul of our brand identity is to communicate this new direction vis-a-vis our customers, partners and applicants. We want to be recognizable and remain visible as Merck worldwide so as to strengthen our well-known brand name. For this we have deliberately rid ourselves of outdated features and will be focusing on a young and eye-catching image."

The investment in the Merck brand is part of the "Fit for 2018" strategic transformation and growth program, which includes the focus on innovative, technology-driven businesses as well as the modernization and expansion of global headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. This also involves a more self-confident and at the same time clearer tone of voice, reflecting Merck's character and linking its pride in a nearly 350-year-old culture with scientific curiosity and a passion for research.

With the introduction of the new brand design, the previously independent divisional brands Merck Serono and Merck Millipore will be eliminated. In the future, Merck Serono will operate as the biopharmaceutical business of Merck, and Merck Millipore as the life science business of Merck. "Following the two major acquisitions, the Merck Serono and Merck Millipore brands helped us to position the duality of existing and acquired businesses in the marketplace. We succeeded in doing so. That's why we are returning to the brand that we have been known under for nearly 350 years," Kley added. Product brands such as Erbitux or MilliQ will not be affected by this change.

Merck holds the rights to the Merck name and brand globally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada. The company will therefore continue to operate in these two countries as EMD Serono in the biopharmaceutical business, as EMD Performance Materials in the high-tech materials business, as well as EMD Millipore in the life science business up until the planned acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich has been completed.

As MRC informed before, German Merck KGaA said last week that the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG had appointed Stefan Oschmann, 58, as new Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA. The appointment will take effect with the end of the Annual General Meeting on April 29, 2016.

Merck KGaA is a German multinational chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences company headquartered in Darmstadt, with around 40,000 employees in around 70 countries. Merck was founded in 1668 and is the world's oldest operating chemical and pharmaceutical company. Merck operates mainly in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America. It has major research and development centres in Darmstadt, Boston, Tokyo and Beijing.
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