March 12 (plastemart) -- Spain's Repsol is to shut down its petrochemical units producing styrene, propylene oxide and glycols at the refinery indefinitely. It has also halted the hydrocracker at its Puertollano refinery for 3 months due to low refining margins.
Since the cracker was operating at minimum levels and production at the petrochemical units had already stopped, the effect on output will be very limited. Repsol does not plan to lay off any of the 90 workers affected by the stoppages.
PP output went up by 27% and moved at 53.86 kt. Nizhnekamskneftekhim was the one that demonstrated the most serious increase in PP production (by 39%). At the same time, Ufaorgsyntez cut down output by 34%. Lack of propylene in January was the reason of reduced utilization of PP production capacities at the enterprise.
PP exports went up by 14%. PP-homo exports (nearly 90% of overall PP exports) increased 3%. Over the course of the two recent months, PP-homo exports moved at nearly 25 kt. Weak demand in the domestic market and high prices in the foreign markets facilitated higher exports.
Polypropylene imports went up by 13%. PP-impact imports demonstrated the highest growth rates (by 36%). Major volumes of PP-impact were imported to the injection moulding sector. High imports of copolymers and weak buying activity in the Russian market resulted in oversupply in January. Demand for copolymers became stronger only at the end of February.
For more detailed information on the Russian PP market, see MRC Monthly Report.
March 11 (plasteurope) -- Industrial packaging company Mauser is setting up two reconditioning joint ventures in Spain. The company said it had entered a strategic alliance to establish the jvs with Empresa de Gestiуn Medioambiental, an environmental agency owned by the regional government of Andalusia, and businessman Jose Enrique Sendil.
The joint ventures are: Arbiden (Aprovechamiento y Recuperaciуn de Bidones y Envases), located in Seville, and NCG Iberia Reconditioning, located in Barcelona.
March 11 (yourpetrochemicalnews) -- Arkema is implementing a price increase of 80┬/T (110 $/T) , for all Evatane╝ resins (High Content Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymers). This increase will take effect globally on 1st April 2010, or as customer contracts allow.
The reason for this price increase is the continuing escalation in raw material costs, which previous price adjustments have not been able to compensate. In order to support the long term financial health of the business and ensure continuous supply of high-quality polyolefins, Arkema needs to pass a further portion of these costs on to the value chain. We remain committed to our partnership with dedicated resources and a complete offering, including the supply of high performance ethylene copolymers.
Arkema's EVA products are used in highly diverse industrial applications, including hotmelt, cable, multilayer packaging film, technical polymer modification, solar panel, petroleum additives, bitumen and ink.
The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PVC - 0.2%;
EVA - 1.1%.
Annual sales growth in Russia, during the recent 5 years:
PVC - 69%;
PE - 121%.
Imports by polymers processing technologies:
coating;
March 11 (plasteurope) -- The European plastics converters association EuPC recently organised a meeting with members of the European People's Party (EPP) to discuss the theme ⌠Plastics and trade. The event, held in February 2010 and hosted by the European Parliament, was aimed at raising awareness among MEPs of the current economic position of the European plastics converting industry.
The gathering was warned by EuPC managing director Alexandre Dangis that plastics converters in Europe are seeing the delocalisation of plastic raw material production out of Europe and becoming increasingly dependent on non-European suppliers.
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