Bedrock Automation and Wood partner to advance Open Secure Automation

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bedrock Automation, the maker of the world’s most secure open industrial control system (ICS), has established a partnership agreement with Wood, a globally recognized integration provider, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Under the agreement, Wood automation & control will deliver Bedrock Open Secure Automation (OSA®) to its clients in the energy and industrial markets. Wood has active membership in The Open Process Automation™ Forum, which is focused on the development of a standards-based, open, secure, interoperable process control architecture.

"This partnership centers on combining our diverse capabilities and innovative solutions in automation with Bedrock’s OSA® technology to bring open and secure systems to our clients, advancing our position as a world-leading automation provider and bringing greater cyber protection to our client’s projects,” said Jeff Shannon, Senior Manager of Strategy and Development in Wood’s automation & control group.

Wood’s automation and control group is a system-independent integrator comprised of over 1,400 automation professionals, with access to over 5,000 technical experts that provide full engineering, consulting, procurement, and construction services to customers around the world. Wood’s core automation experience spans the full spectrum from small integration projects to main automation contractor programs for large, multi-EPC projects, including a diverse portfolio of vertical markets. The company’s expertise extends across the full spectrum of hardware, including instrumentation, programmable logic controllers (PLC), distributed control systems (DCS), logic solvers and higher-level applications.

"We are delighted with this new partnership, which is another significant step forward in delivering Open Secure Automation to everyone. Bedrock’s focus will be to work with Wood – applying the vast knowledge and expertise of both companies to deliver secure and open control systems technology,” said Robert Bergman, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Bedrock Automation.
MRC

Trinseo raises February prices of PS and copolymers in Europe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe have announced a price increase for all polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) grades, said the producer on its site.

Effective February 1, 2019, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below rose as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) - by EUR45 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR45 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR30 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR35 per metric ton.

As MRC informed before, Trinseo last increased its prices for all PS grades on 1 January 2019. Thus, January prices for the said products grew, as stated below:

- STYRON GPPS grades - by EUR15 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech HIPS grades - by EUR15 per metric ton.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD4.4 billion in net sales in 2017, with 16 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,200 employees.
MRC

Chevron names new Finance Chief in management Shuffle

MOSCOW (MRC) --Chevron Corp. on Monday named Pierre Breber as chief financial officer amid a shift of senior executives, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Breber, who currently serves as executive vice president of downstream and chemicals, succeeds Patricia Yarrington, a 38-year veteran of the energy giant. Ms. Yarrington, who rose to the CFO position in 2009, is retiring, the company said. Mr. Breber begins his new post April 1.

Mr. Breber joined Chevron in 1989. Before his current position, he served in various roles, including president and treasurer, as well as executive vice president of gas and midstream.

"Pierre is uniquely qualified to be our next CFO, having served in senior finance roles and also in operating roles across our downstream, midstream and upstream businesses," Michael Wirth, Chevron’s chief executive, said in a prepared statement. "Pierre’s deep financial background and broad knowledge of our operations will be valuable in ensuring we remain financially strong and create lasting shareholder value."

Ms. Yarrington joined Chevron in 1980 as a financial analyst and rose through the ranks, with roles that included investor relations, strategic planning and vice president of policy, government and public affairs, according to the company’s website. She also served on the San Francisco Federal Reserve’s board of directors from 2009 to 2014, with a stint as chairman in 2013 and 2014.

Ms. Yarrington’s retirement is the second notable departure from the company’s top leadership in as many years. John Watson, the former CEO of Chevron who retired last year, joined the company in the same year and same position as Ms. Yarrington. Mr. Watson was replaced by Mr. Wirth, who joined the company in 1982.

In other moves, Chevron said that Mark Nelson would replace Mr. Breber as executive vice president of downstream and chemicals. Colin Parfitt will take over Mr. Nelson’s current position, vice president of midstream. Both appointments are effective March 1.

In 2018, the company reported USD14.8 billion in earnings, up from USD9.2 billion the previous year. Last year, Chevron production set a company record of about 2.9 million barrels a day, including new output from giant natural-gas export projects in Australia and increased production in North America.

As MRC informed previously, Chevron Corp has recently said it will pay USD350 million to buy a refinery in Pasadena, Texas, from Brazilian state oil company Petrobras. In addition to the 110,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery, Chevron will take ownership of a 466-acre (188.5 hectares) complex on the Houston Ship Channel that includes storage tanks with capacity for 5.1 million barrels of crude oil and refined products, as well as 143 acres of additional land, the company said.
MRC

NEXT to sell renewable diesel to Shell Trading US

MOSCOW (MRC) -- NEXT Renewable Fuels, Inc. (NEXT) and Shell Trading (US) Company (Shell) have entered a long-term Purchase and Sale Agreement for the purchase of renewable diesel from NEXT’s planned Port Westward, Oregon facility, said the company.

Representing an investment of more than $1 billion (USD), NEXT continues to develop its Oregon renewable diesel facility with an expected annual processing capacity of 13.3 million barrels (600 million gallons). Scheduled to open in 2021, NEXT will supply Shell and other partners with its alternative liquid fuels, satisfying end-user demand while also meeting both federal and state environmental compliance and fuel security requirements.

"We are pleased to be working with Shell on bringing our advanced renewable fuels to their customers. Shell and NEXT share a vision for a greener world through the advancement of renewable transportation fuels, giving consumers greener fuel options,” said Lou Soumas, NEXT Renewable Fuels President. “We look forward to supplying Shell for many years."

NEXT renewable diesel is a second-generation advanced biofuel made from 100 percent renewable feedstocks including used cooking oils, animal tallows, and selected virgin seed and vegetable oils.

"As a drop-in fuel, NEXT’s renewable diesel is a perfect fit with our existing fuels business and will allow us to integrate this advanced fuel seamlessly into our supply chain," said Kate Andresen, Shell Biodiesel Trading Manager for the Americas.

NEXT selected the Port Westward site due to its strategic location at a deep-water site on the Columbia River, access to global feedstock supplies, and close transport to North American West Coast markets.

NEXT is focused on the development and production of second-generation advanced biofuels, including renewable diesel, renewable propane and renewable naphtha to supply contracted off-take agreements for customers in the western United States and Canada. NEXT’s fuels reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%, improving the environment and moving us forward to a greener future.

STUSCO operates in the U.S. as part of Shell Trading and Supply, one of the largest energy trading operations in the world, with its largest trading hubs located in London, Houston, Singapore, Dubai and Rotterdam, trading in crude oil, natural gas, LNG, electrical power, refined products, chemical feedstocks and environmental products. This global organization combines our network of trading companies, industry leading shipping and maritime capabilities, and integrated network of supply and distribution activities to act as the central nervous system for Royal Dutch Shell, adding value across Shell’s Upstream, Downstream and Integrated Gas businesses.
MRC

BP 2018 profit doubles to five-year high as output soars

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP joined its competitors in posting a strong 2018 performance, with a doubling of profits driven by strong growth in oil and gas output following a large U.S. shale acquisition, said the company.

Record utilisation of its oil and gas fields and refining capacity further helped BP seal what was a transformational year as the aftermath of the deadly 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster eased.

But while the London-listed firm's revenue beat forecasts, debt rose and the pace of its share buyback scheme slowed in the last quarter after it paid the first and largest tranche of the USD10.5 billion BHP acquisition.

BP shares rose more than 3.3 percent in early trade, hitting their highest since early December.

"We now have a powerful track record of safe and reliable performance, efficient execution and capital discipline. And we're doing this while growing the business," BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said in a statement.

Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron all reported stronger-than-forecast earnings last week driven by higher production in U.S. shale basins where Oil Majors have invested billions in recent years.

The strong gains came despite a sharp drop in crude prices at the end of the year that wiped out most gains made in share prices throughout the year.
MRC