JBF secures paraxylene supply from ONGC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India-based JBF Petrochemicals has signed a long-term agreement with ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd. (OMPL) for the supply of paraxylene, the main raw material in the production of purefied terephthalic acid (PTA), said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

JBF Petrochemicals is in the process of commissioning a PTA plant with 1.25 MMtpy of capacity, using technology from BP, at Mangalore. The paraxylene will be supplied by OMPL to JBF through a dedicated pipeline of about 3 kilometers in length.

The agreement includes the supply of paraxylene (PX) over a period of 10 years, with a provision to further increase the period of supply by another 5 to 10 years by mutual consent.

The deal assures the long-term supply of raw material for the PTA project, according to JBF officials.

As it was written earlier, in 2013, Technip was awarded by JBF Petrochemicals, a wholly–owned subsidiary of JBF Industries Ltd, an important contract(1) for a 1.25 million tons per year latest-generation purified terephthalic acid (PTA) unit, to be located in the Special Economic Zone in Mangalore, India.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Private Indian refiner Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is likely to shut crude distillation unit (CDU) at its refinery in the western Indian state of Gujarat, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in India informed that the unit is likely to be taken off-stream in early May 2016 for a maintenance turnaorund. It is slated to remain shut for period of around 20 days.

Located in Jamnagar, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, the refinery has a production capacity of 580,000 bpd.

As MRC reported earlier, in April 2015, RIL successfully put into operation two plants in Dahej, Gujarat, India. The first is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin plant, which consists of two lines with a combined manufacturing capacity of 650 KTA. Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and mono ethylene glycol (MEG), the two feedstocks for the new PET plant, are available within the Dahej complex, offering the advantages of lower freight costs and consistent product quality due to in-house raw material linkages. India is one of the fastest growing markets for PET packaging, with demand increasing by 15%–20% annually.

The second facility is a new purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant that provides a capacity of 1,150 KTA. With the commissioning of this plant, also built with Invista technology, Reliance’s total PTA capacity will increase to 3.2 MMTPA, and its global capacity share will rise to 4%. Paraxylene, the key feedstock for the PTA plant, is sourced from Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery.

Reliance Industries is one of the world's largest producers of polymers. The company's polymer production includes polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Chemours Company announced a global price increase on all Ti-Pure titanium dioxide (TiO2) grades, reported Reuters.

Effective 1 May 2016 or as contracts allow, a net price increase of USD150/tonne or the local currency equivalent will apply for all Ti-Pure TiO2 grades sold in all regions, says the company.

We remind that Russia's TiO2 imports decreased by 18% in January-March 2016 year on year, according to MRC DataScope.

Total imports, excluding shipments from Crimean Titan, in the first quarter amounted to 9,300 tonnes. Despite the general reduction of import shipments, it should be noted the growth of the volume of imports from DuPont. Imports of DuPont's titanium dioxide into Russia reached 3,500 tonnes in the first quarter of 2016, up more than two-fold year on year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has opened a world-scale bioacrylamide (BioACM) production facility at its Bradford, UK, site today, the company announced.

The new production plant at Bradford adds to BASF’s bioacrylamide capacity worldwide, however BASF has not disclosed new or existing capacity figures. BASF operates a polyacrylamides production hub at Bradford. Polyacrylamides are used as water-soluble flocculation aids in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, enhanced oil recovery, mineral processing, and paper making.

"With the start-up of the BioACM plant at Bradford we will increase our operational efficiency and supply reliability for polyacrylamide whilst securing the location where we have a long history and strong relationships."

The development of a biocatalytic manufacturing process for acrylamide started in Bradford with a collaboration with Huddersfield University. Subsequent work by scientists from Britain, Germany, South Africa and the United States, made significant improvements to the performance of the biocatalyzed conversion technology.

In 2014, BASF commissioned its first bio-acrylamide plant in the United States, in Suffolk, Virginia. The new production plant in Bradford adds to BASF’s bio-acrylamide capacity globally. BASF will further pursue its activities within the extension of BioACM technology worldwide and is actively investigating potential BioACM projects at other locations including Asia Pacific.

As MRC informed earlier, BASF has celebrated the inauguration of its new facilities for the production of Ucrete in Bukit Raja, Klang/Malaysia. It is the first manufacturing hub in Asia Pacific to produce all components of Ucrete.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF 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 generated sales of more than EUR70 billion in 2015.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) has announced that it will establish a new manufacturing site in Plana nad Luznici, Czech Republic, according to GV.

According to YFAI, construction work on the new plant will start soon. Operational start is planned by early 2018. The company says it plans to create about 300 new jobs in the region.

“With our new location in South Bohemia, we are responding to market demand and our customers’ increasing presence in Eastern Europe,” said Jochen Heier, Vice President and General Manager, Europe & South Africa at YFAI.

On around 20,000 m2 production area the company will manufacture interior components, including instrument panels and door panels, for future models of different customers. The plant will be set up to adapt flexibly to the capacity requirements of YFAI and its customers and enable the company to respond to continued growth in the automotive market.

The new plant in the South Bohemian region is not YFAI’s first presence in the Czech Republic. The company already operates a plant in Zatec as well as other sites in Slovakia and Hungary in Eastern Europe.

As MRC wrote before, in July 2014, Nexen Tire Corp., South Korea's smallest tiremaker, announced that it aimed to make inroads into the European market by spending 1.2 trillion won (USD 1.17 billion) to build a new production plant in the Czech Republic,

YFAI is a supplier of instrument panels and cockpit systems, door panels, floor consoles and overhead consoles. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company has around 100 manufacturing and technical centres in 17 countries and employs over 28,000 people globally. Established in 2015, YFAI is a joint venture between Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Huayu Automotive Systems Co., Ltd., the component group of SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, and the multi-industrial company Johnson Controls.
MRC