Celanese raises April VAM prices in Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Africa and Americas

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, has increased list and off-list selling prices for Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) sold in Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, as per the company's press release.

The price increases below is effective 1 April, 2018, or as contracts otherwise allow, and are incremental to any previously announced increases.

Thus, VAM prices will be raised, as follows:

- by EUR100/mt - for Europe;
- by USD150/mt - for Turkey, Middle East and Africa;
- by USD0.05/lb - for USA and Canada;
- by USD150/mt - for Mexico and South America.

As MRC wrote previously, Celanese Corporation last increased its list and off-list selling VAM prices in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas on 1 February, 2018. Thus, the company raised February VAM prices, as stated below:

- by EUR50/mt - for Europe and the Middle East;
- by USD0.05/lb - for USA and Canada;
- by USD100/mt - for Mexico and South America.

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, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
MRC

INEOS Styrolution to build world-scale styrene monomer plant in the US Gulf Coast

MOSCOW (MRC) -- INEOS Styrolution will commission an engineering study to build a world-scale styrene monomer (SM) plant in the US Gulf Coast, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The new SM plant will use best-in-class technology and benefit from access to low-cost feedstock and energy from shale gas as well as an excellent infrastructure. A specific location is yet to be defined.

Steve Harrington, President Global Styrene Monomer and Asia-Pacific, comments: "The new plant will complement our existing SM production facilities and provide a sustained competitive advantage to enable us to supply the global market."

"This plan supports our ‘Triple Shift’ growth strategy and maintains our leading position as a global styrenics supplier to our key customers and industries”, adds Kevin McQuade, CEO at INEOS Styrolution.
MRC

Sadara, world largest mixed feed cracker, passes performance tests

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TechnipFMC’s technology and design are part of Sadara Chemical Company’s 1500 KTA mixed feed cracker (MFC) in Saudi Arabia, which recently passed all performance tests, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The tests confirm that the performance targets for the furnaces and recovery section have been met.

TechnipFMC’s scope included the technology and front-end engineering design for the cracker and the design of the 12 furnaces. The furnaces are split between being designed to crack ethane (gas) and naphtha (liquid). A number of the furnaces were also designed to be able switch between gas and liquid feedstock, based on market demand.

The work was executed by the company’s operating centers in Claremont, California, and Zoetermeer, The Netherlands. The two centers are part of TechnipFMC Process Technology, a global network of centers which look after the company’s expanding portfolio of onshore process technologies in petrochemicals, refining, hydrogen and syngas, polymers, gas monetization and renewables.

The Sadara MFC is the only facility in Saudi Arabia with the flexibility to crack ethane/LPG and naphtha simultaneously. It is the heart of 26 world-scale manufacturing assets that were built for the Sadara Chemical Complex, the largest of its kind ever built in a single phase. Ethylene and propylene produced by the MFC are converted to a wide range of value-added plastics and specialty chemicals through Sadara’s other manufacturing units.

As MRC informed before, in late December 2016, Sadara Basic Services, fully owned by Sadara Chemical Co , started a planned six-week maintenance of a mixed-feed cracker at its parent company's petrochemical complex in Jubail.

Sadara Chemical Company is a USD20 billion joint venture that was developed by Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company. The more than 3 million metric tons of performance-focused products from the Sadara complex will add new value chains to the Kingdom’s vast petroleum reserves, resulting in the diversification of the economy and region.
MRC

Some Russian producers aimed to increase PVC prices in April

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Negotiations on April shipments of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) began in Russia on last Wednesday. The opinions of the producers were mixed, some of them intended to roll over prices, others announced an increase in prices by roubles (Rb) 1,000/tonne, as per the ICIS-MRC Price Report.

March was quite difficult for converters. On the one hand, PVC prices have increased significantly. in some cases price rise reached Rb3,000/tonne compared with the February level. On other hand some converters reported poorer demand for finished products on bad weather. However, situation in the finished products market is expected to improve in April, as well as stronger demand for PVC from customers.

Taking this into account some producers aimed to achieve SPVC price rise of Rb1,000/tonne. At the same time, only two producers out of four announced the increase in prices for PVC for April deliveries. Two producers intended to roll over the March prices for supplies in April.

PVC supply was sufficient in the market, although import volumes continued to be insignificant, and Russian producers have reduced capacity utilisation. RusVinyl shuts PVC production for two weeks turnaround in the second half of April. The plant's annual production capacity is 330,000 tonnes.

Some companies in the second half of March increased the volume of purchases of acetylene PVC in China, according to preliminary data, not less than 4,000 tonnes were contracted. Having large stocks local producers significantly reduced export prices In the second half of the month, price offers reached USD850/tonne DAP Moscow. Main suppliers intended to increase their prices in April again.

Overall, deals for March shipments were done in the range of Rb65500-68000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, for K=65/67 and for volumes up to 500 tonnes. Price offers for April delivery were discussed in the range of Rb65 500-69 000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. Negotiations on April prices for resin with K70 started from Rb65,500/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, and reached Rb71,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT.
MRC

Celanese raised VAM prices in Asia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, has increased list and off-list selling prices for the following acetyl intermediate product, as per the company's press release.

The price increases below was effective 23 March, 2018, or as contracts otherwise allow, and were incremental to any previously announced increases: CNY200/mt for China and USD50/mt for Asia (outside of China).

As MRC wrote before, Celanese Corporation last raised its list and off-list selling prices for Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) sold in Asia on 9 March 2017.

Thus, VAM prices went up, as follows:

- by Rb200/mt - for China;
- by USD50/mt - for Asia outside China.

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, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
MRC