CCC Plastics adds Harinder Tamber as new technical specialist

MOSCOW (MRC) -- CCC Plastics, a Mississauga, Ont.-based supplier of resins and colourants, has appointed film and extrusion industry veteran Harinder Tamber as its new technical specialist, as per Canplastics.

Tamber has an M. Tech in polymer technology from IIT Delhi, India, and a Ph.D. in polymer science from the Polymer Research Institute at Syracuse, N.Y. He has previously worked with for Macro Engineering, Windmoeller & Hoelscher, Brampton Engineering, Nordson Corp., and Magic MP spa. Additionally, he has been awarded six U.S. patents and has four patents pending.

"This addition reflects CCC’s commitment to growing our business in partnership with our customers and suppliers by investing in our technical depth," the company said in a statement.

As MRC informed earlier, iD Additives Inc., a North American supplier of additives to the plastics industry, has named CCC Plastics as its distributor throughout Canada for its lines of foaming agents and purging products.

Founded in 1920, CCC is one of the largest independent resin distributors in Canada, and the 10th largest distributor in North America.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- A plume of smoke reminiscent of a recent petrochemical disaster in Houston, billowed from the KMCO specialty chemical processing plant Tuesday, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Local officials said they received reports of an explosion at the plant and preliminary info showed two employees were injured and one person was unaccounted for.

Officials said a shelter in place was ordered for all area residents and two local school districts. Roads surrounding the plant were also closed.

Local media reported residents said the explosion shook their homes as a large plume of smoke billowed over the plant. Smoke could be seen up to 20 miles away from the plant.

According to the company's website, the plant manufactures products such as glycol, oilfield products and more.

It is unknown what caused the explosion.

Cleanup efforts are still underway in Deer Park, Texas after a chemical plant fire sent billows of smoke into the air for days. The local emergency management office said the county remained at Level 3- Increased Readiness as clean up efforts were underway at the ITC site in Deer Park. The office said they were also actively monitoring the KMCO explosion.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal Dutch Shell became the first major oil and gas company to announce plans to leave a leading U.S. refining lobby due to disagreement on climate policies, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In its first review of its association with 19 key industry groups, the company said it had found "material misalignment" over climate policy with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and would quit the body in 2020.

The review is part of Shell's drive to increase transparency and show investors it is in line with the 2015 Paris climate agreement's goals to limit global warming by reducing carbon emissions to a net zero by the end of the century. It is also the latest sign of how investor pressure on oil companies is leading to changes in their behaviour around climate.

"AFPM has not stated support for the goal of the Paris Agreement. Shell supports the goal of the Paris Agreement," the Anglo-Dutch company said in its decision. Shell said it also disagreed with AFPM's opposition to a price on carbon and action on low-carbon technologies.

AFPM Chief Executive Chet Thompson thanked Shell for its "longstanding collaboration." "Like any family, we aren't always fully aligned on every policy, but we always strive to reach consensus positions on policies," Thompson said in a statement.

"We will also continue working on behalf of the refining and petrochemical industries to advance policies that ensure reliable and affordable access to fuels and petrochemicals, while being responsible stewards of the environment."

AFPM counts around 300 U.S. and international members including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP and Total that operate 110 refineries and 229 petrochemical plants, according to its 2018 annual report. Shell's review was welcomed by Adam Matthews, director of ethics and engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board, which invests in Shell and led discussions with the company over its climate policy.

"This is an industry first," Matthews said. "With this review Shell have set the benchmark for best practice on corporate climate lobbying not just within oil and gas but across all industries. The challenge now is for others to follow suit."
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Well Resources Inc. announced the successful start-up of a brownfield Ionikylation unit in Sinopec’s 161,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The unit, capable of producing 300,000 tonnes-per-year of high quality alkylate, is the largest commercial adoption of the Ionikylation technology to date. Sinopec is on track to commission two additional Ionikylation units of the same capacity at its Anqing and Wuhan refineries later this year.

The construction of the Ionikylation unit at Sinopec Jiujiang refinery started in February 2018 and completed in December 2018. Unit start-up preparation began in mid-March 2019. On March 31, 2019, the catalyst and feed were introduced into the Ionikylation reactor and subsequently Sinopec reported that the first batch of high-quality alkylate was successfully produced.

Ionikylation is a commercially proven and environmentally friendly alkylation process that uses a proprietary composite ionic liquid as the catalyst. Unlike traditional alkylation processes that use dangerous and hazardous hydrofluoric or sulfuric acid as the catalyst, the Ionikylation catalyst is safe to handle. Ionikylation is a cost-effective option for refiners that are looking to improve the safety of their operations without sacrificing product quality.

As MRC informed before, in September 2018, Sinopec Corp joined a group planning to build an oil refinery in Alberta, an enterprise that would strengthen demand for the Canadian province's heavily discounted crude. State-owned Sinopec, formally known as China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, along with an Alberta indigenous group, China State Construction Engineering Corp and Alberta management company Teedrum, plan to build a refinery to process 167,000 barrels per day of crude into gasoline and other product.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec Limited is a Chinese oil and gas company based in Beijing, China. It is listed in Hong Kong and also trades in Shanghai and New York . Sinopec is the worlds fifth biggest company by revenue.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hexion Inc., a thermoset-resins controlled by funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management LLC, on Monday said it filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy after reaching a restructuring agreement with the vast majority of its lenders, as per the company's press release.

All of Hexion’s global business segments are continuing to operate as normal, and Hexion’s operations outside the U.S. are not included in the Chapter 11 proceedings.

Under the RSA, creditors representing all tranches of the Company’s notes have agreed to support, and the Company has agreed to pursue, confirmation of the Plan. The RSA contemplates that the Plan will provide for, among other things: (1) significant de-leveraging of the Company’s capital structure by over $2.0 billion, (2) an infusion of $300 million in equity capital through a fully-backstopped rights offering, (3) a committed exit facility of over $1.6 billion, and (4) payment in full of the Company’s trade creditors, employees, and other general unsecured creditors. Consummation of the Plan will be subject to confirmation by the Bankruptcy Court in addition to other conditions to be set forth in the Plan.

Mr. Rogerson continued, “We appreciate the support of our creditors, and this agreement reflects their confidence in our business and our team as we continue executing our strategy and providing our customers with the high-quality products and service they expect. We are also committed to operating our business safely and efficiently while maintaining productive relationships with all of our business partners. I would like to thank our outstanding team for their continued dedication to our company. Supported by innovative research and development capabilities, strong strategic partnerships, an enviable global manufacturing footprint, blue-chip customers and a world-class team, this process better positions Hexion for investing in our long-term growth."

Hexion has received commitments for $700 million in debtor-in-possession (“DIP”) financing, a portion of which will be used to pay off its asset-based revolving credit facility. Following court approval, this financing, combined with cash generated by the Company’s ongoing operations, is expected to be available and sufficient to meet Hexion’s operational and restructuring needs on a global basis.

In conjunction with the filing, the Company has filed a number of customary first day motions. These motions should allow the Company to continue to operate in the normal course of business without interruption or disruption to its relationships with its customers, suppliers, vendors and employees. The Company expects to receive Court approval for these requests. The Company intends to pay suppliers to the U.S. operations in full for all goods received and services rendered on or after the filing date. Payments to suppliers supporting operations outside of the U.S. will continue without interruption and in the normal course.
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