SABIC launched two new LDPE foam grades for Middle East, Africa and Asia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC has announced the launch of two new dedicated foam grades, SABIC LDPE HP2024JDF and HP2024NDF, for Middle East, African, and Asian markets for physical extrusion foam, as per the company's press release.

These grades have been successfully adopted by the market. SABIC is committed to the ongoing development of innovative solutions beyond its established foam solutions portfolio, and therefore is additionally launching a new dedicated foam grade, SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF, to broaden the application window for the tapes, seals and underlayment market.

The advantages of SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF are the high viscosity, giving good head pressure for uniform and thicker foam thickness, relatively higher resin density for better mechanical strength, and good compression stress as well as resilience.

In foam processing, the product quality and consistency of foam grades, including security of supply, are key requirements for customers. SABIC’s newly developed dedicated LDPE foam grades will help customers address their specific needs.

Next to SABIC LDPE HP2024NDF and HP2024JDF, a new dedicated LDPE foam grade SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF, will be launched in the beginning of 2017. SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF offers special benefits using various foam production processes such as physical foam extrusion, the chemical cross-linking process, as well as the bun process resulting in lightweight foams. It offers material and energy savings, while retaining or even improving product performance; and it offers benefits in thermal and acoustic insulation, cushioning and protection. SABIC is helping to improve these benefits by enhancements to the physical properties and foamability of the polymers themselves.

All three grades are less sensitive to web-breaks and foam-collapse due to high consistency and a wider operating window compared to existing materials in the market, resulting in a higher material yield during processing. The foams produced give a higher compression strength, better resilience, uniform surface and cell structure, and fewer pinholes, as well as better dimensional stability compared to existing materials. This offers opportunities for material savings during production.

As MRC reported earlier, in October 2016, SABIC developed next generation LDPE foam grades. Thus, the first product of a new generation LDPE foam grades from SABIC was designed to increase production efficiency at the foam manufacturer.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world's market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company, has selected Tecnicas Reunidas (TR) to execute the turnkey contract for the "Clean Fuels" project in the Ras Tanura refinery in the east coast of Saudi Arabia, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The contract has a duration of 48 months until the mechanical completion of the plant. The scope of this contract includes engineering, procurement, construction and assistance with commissioning in two packages:

Package 1: Isomerization, Naphtha hydro-treatment, CCR, interconnections, flare system and buildings.
Package 2: utilities & offsites.

"The awarding of this contract highlights the position of TR in the Saudi Arabian market, proving the continued confidence placed in the company by one of its most important clients, Saudi Aramco, with which it has been working uninterruptedly since 2003, in more than 10 refining, petrochemical and gas projects," the company said in a press release.

As MRC wrote previously, in June 2016, Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Saudi Basic Industries Corp. were one step closer to building their first plant to process crude directly into chemicals, cutting out a link in the production chain from hydrocarbons to the finished products that go into plastics and other consumer goods. The state-owned companies signed an agreement to study such a project to be located in Saudi Arabia, they said in a statement. A joint venture is possible if the companies decide to move ahead after the study is completed by early 2017, they said. Oil companies normally refine crude into transportation fuels including gasoline and diesel and leave byproducts such as naphtha to be processed separately into chemicals.

Saudi Aramco is an integrated oil and chemicals company, a global leader in hydrocarbon production, refining processes and distribution, as well as one of the largest global oil exporters. It manages proven reserves of crude oil and condensate estimated at 261.1bn barrels, and produces 9.54 million bbl daily. Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the company employs over 61,000 staff in 77 countries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ineos Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, will present new product highlights and a range of new applications for the healthcare industry at Pharmapack 2017 in Paris, said Ineos on its site.

The focus of INEOS Styrolution’s booth at this year’s Pharmapack will be on providing complete solutions - suitable styrenic materials, compliance testing, full service HD package - for medical device manufacturers.

Alexander Silvestre, Global Director - Healthcare, is particularly excited about the company’s exhibits at this year’s Pharmapack: "I encourage customers to stop by at our booth. We will present several new solutions for the healthcare industry for the very first time. They will enable medical device manufacturers to develop new applications based on very robust regulatory compliant styrenic materials".

INEOS Styrolution’s Novodur HD ABS is the material of choice for many healthcare applications. Its good chemical resistance, flowability, surface appearance and suitability for common sterilization methods (such as gamma-radiation, E-beam, NO2, or EtO sterilization) make Novodur an attractive material for many leading medical device manufacturers.

Due to properties like outstanding transparency and impact resistance, INEOS Styrolution’s Styrolux SBC is the perfect fit for a wide range of healthcare applications from filter housings to drip chambers, lab-ware and drainage containers.

As MRC informed before, in early 2016, Styrolution announced that it had changed company names and visual identity to Ineos Styrolution to mark Ineos ownership. Despite the company changing its names, including all entities, and logo, the company will continue to operate and actively pursue business opportunities as before. Corporate structure, company organization, all financing arrangements and operative contracts with business partners are not affected by the name and logo change. They remain as is.

INEOS Styrolution is the leading, global styrenics supplier with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS standard and styrenic specialties. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including automotive, electronics, household, construction, healthcare, toys/sports/leisure, and packaging. In 2015, sales were at 5 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,100 people and operates 15 production sites in nine countries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell and Aereon announced they will collaborate on solutions to help industrial customers boost the safety, efficiency and reliability of their operations by leveraging Honeywell's Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) ecosystem, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"For years, manufacturers and producers have looked for ways to solve operational problems that were believed to be unsolvable -- such as unplanned downtime, underperforming assets and inefficient supply chains," said Andrew Hird, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Process Solutions' Digital Transformation business. "With the capabilities of the IIoT, we can find new ways to solve those problems. A key part is the creation of an industrial ecosystem that leverages the depth of knowledge and experience of a range of equipment and service providers such as Aereon."

The Inspire ecosystem is a part of Honeywell's Connected Plant initiative that helps manufacturers leverage the IIoT to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of operations across a single plant or several plants across an enterprise.

Aereon is recognized for its air emissions solutions for the complete oil and gas sector, from the wellhead to the gas station. It offers products for flare systems, enclosed combustion systems, high efficiency thermal oxidizers and vapor/gas recovery units.

"Aereon's fundamental strength is its wide array of fit-for-purpose combustion and vapor recovery products supported by in-house expertise to design, manufacture and support its field-installed base," said Mark Zyskowski, senior global vice president, Aereon. "We are pleased to be able to bring our expertise to the IIoT ecosystem that Honeywell is developing to help customers around the globe maximize value from their operations by tapping into the power of the IIoT."

Honeywell and its ecosystem partners are building an infrastructure that allows methods to capture and aggregate data, and apply advanced analytics. This infrastructure leverages domain knowledge from an ecosystem of equipment vendors and process licensors, and allows customers to use this information to determine methods to reduce or even eliminate manufacturing upsets and inefficiencies.

As MRC infromed earlier, in mid-June, Honeywell UOP has opened a new production line at its catalyst manufacturing facility in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Honeywell UOP has an 80-year history in China, beginning in 1937 when it built one of China’s first refineries in Yumen. It was one of the first American companies invited back to China during the 1970s, to help modernize the Chinese petroleum industry. More recently, Honeywell UOP hydroprocessing and Platforming technology has helped China develop cleaner-burning transportation fuels to combat air pollution.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Axens announces the successful outcome of its tender offer on the Heurtey Petrochem shares. The results of this offer were published by the Autorite des marches financiers (the AMF, the French capital market regulator), said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

A total of 2,374,874 Heurtey Petrochem shares were validly tendered to the offer, which took place from Dec. 1, 2016 to Jan. 5, 2017.

At the settlement date of the tender offer set on Jan. 13, Axens will hold in concert with IFP Investissements a total of 4,144,659 shares and 4,219,159 voting rights of Heurtey Petrochem, representing 84.33% of the share capital and 83.55% of the voting rights.

Pursuant to Article 232-4 of the AMF General Regulations, the tender offer will be reopened for a period of 10 trading days; the timetable will be published shortly by the AMF. The offer price will remain the same (25 euros per share). This reopening will offer shareholders who have not yet tendered their shares an opportunity to do so at this time.

As MRC informed earlier, in the early December, Axens announces the launch of its takeover bid for the shares of Heurtey Petrochem group.

Axens is an international provider of advanced technologies, catalysts, adsorbents and services. The main scope of Axens' business is focused on the conversion of oil, coal, natural gas and biomass to clean fuels as well as production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates. Axens’ global offer is based on: highly trained human resources, modern production facilities and extensive commercial feedback from plants using our processes and catalysts all around the world.
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