Westlake Chemical unit acquires DaVinci Roofscapes

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Westlake Chemical company’s WLK unit - Royal Building Products - has completed the acquisition of DaVinci Roofscapes, L.L.C., according to MarketScreener.

DaVinci has a leadership position as a supplier of premium composite siding and roofing. The company operates from Lenexa, KA. Moreover, it has a solid reputation for addressing customer needs with superior product quality, technology and operating excellence.

Notably, its products will continue to be sold under the DaVinci brand. The buyout complements Royal Building’s existing premium products such as Celect, Zuri and Cedar Renditions.

"We are very excited about the addition of DaVinci, which brings an impressive business with a strong leadership position in the composite roofing industry," said Scott Szwejbka, vice president - exteriors. "DaVinci has an outstanding reputation for meeting customer needs with superior technology, product quality, and operating excellence. We are pleased to welcome this talented team into the Westlake family."

As MRC informed previously, Westlake Chemical Corporation has recently announced that it will expand capacities for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) at three of its chemical facilities. Two of the plants are located in Germany (Burghausen, Gendorf) and one is located in Geismar, Louisiana. The expansions in Burghausen and Geismar are expected to be completed in 2019. The Gendorf expansions are expected to be completed in 2020 and 2021.

Westlake Chemical Corporation is an international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's range of products includes: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, chlor-alkali and derivative products, PVC suspension and specialty resins, PVC Compounds, and PVC building products including siding, pipe, fittings and specialty components, windows, fence, deck and film.

Royal Building Products, a Westlake Chemical company (NYSE: WLK), manufactures and distributes leading materials for the home remodeling, building and construction markets. For nearly 50 years, the company’s commitment to quality, innovation and customer relationships has attracted the loyalty of a growing number of building professionals, homeowners, architects, engineers and distributors to its products. With operations throughout Canada and the United States, Royal Building Products offers the renovation, remodeling and new construction industries a broad range of innovative products including siding, trim, accessories, soffit, rainware, mouldings and decking.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lanzhou Petrochemical has brought on-stream its No. 4 cracker following a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has completd turnaround at the cracker on June 12, 2019. The cracker was shut for maintenance on April 27, 2019.

Located in Lanzhou, Gansu province of China, the No. 4 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 460,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 230,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, in April 2019, LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) announced that PetroChina will use the LyondellBasell Hostalen "Advanced Cascade Process" (Hostalen ACP) technology to produce 1,100,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) capacity.

PetroChina Company Limited, is a Chinese oil and gas company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is China's biggest oil producer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sahara International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) signed a hydrogen supply agreement with Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery Company (SASREF), said Refiningandpetrochemicalsme.

The agreement is to supply SASREF with the hydrogen gas that is required in SASREF’s future production operations starting in 2020 for an initial term of twenty years.

Al-Saadoon, expressed his delight at the new agreement, indicated that this agreement is a result of the ongoing collaboration between the companies after signing the supply agreement for CO2 in 2017. Both companies will continue to jointly explore growth and site integration opportunities.

This agreement aligns with the Saudi 2030 Vision and the continuation efforts to utilise all available resources through effective partnerships to maximise the added value of the company's products and enhance its revenues.

According to Sipchem’s CEO, Abdullah Al-Saadoon, both companies will continue to “jointly explore growth” and potential site integration in the future.

As MRC informed earlier, Sahara Petrochemicals has announced that its current CEO, Salah Mohammed Bahmdan, will head up the new group that will be formed from its merger with Saudi International Petrochemical (Sipchem).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Exxon Mobil Corp said it was going ahead with an oil development project in Argentina that could produce up to 55,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day (boepd) within five years, reported Reuters.

The project will include 90 wells, a central production facility and export infrastructure connected to a pipeline and refineries, the company said.

However, the country last month awarded permits for hydrocarbon exploration in 18 areas off its southern coast to companies, including Exxon, to boost its reserves, which fell in the last decade due to regulations that discouraged foreign investment in the energy sector.

If the expansion is successful, Exxon said it could invest in a second phase in the block, which would produce up to 75,000 boepd.

ExxonMobil Exploration Argentina operates the block and holds a 90 percent interest, while Gas y Petroleo del Neuquen holds the rest.

As MRC informed before, ExxonMobil said that it has completed an expansion at its Singapore refinery to upgrade its production of EHC Group II base stocks, strengthening the global supply of high-quality base stocks and enhancing the integrated facility’s competitiveness.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into Belarus increased in the first four months of 2019 by 17% year on year, totalling about 12,800 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

According to the statistical committee of the Republic of Belarus, in April of this year local converters increased significantly in the volume of PVC purchases under pressure from the seasonal factor and expectations of a serious price increase in May-June from key suppliers - producers from Russia. Total imports were about 34,500 tonnes, compared to 3,300 tonnes a month earlier.
Thus, imports of unmixed PVC reached 12,800 tonnes in January-April 2019 versus 10,900 tonnes a year earlier, with local windows producers accounting for a increase in demand.

Russian producers with the share of about 87% of the Belarusian market were the key suppliers of resin to Belarus over the stated period.
Producers from Ukraine and Germany with the share of 7% and 3% were the second and third largest suppliers, respectively.
MRC