Ethylene supply in Japan is coming back to life

(Plastemart) -- The supply network for ethylene, an essential building block for plastics, is "finally coming back to life," as per Japan Petrochemical Industry Association Chairman. However, the same does not hold true for demand. With Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.'s resumption of production at its Kashima complex in Ibaraki Prefecture, all of the country's ethylene capacity is going back online, as per Asia Pulse.


Japan's largest imported of ethylene - China is plagued with inventory pile up amid Beijing's inflation-fighting policies and slowing demand. For the domestic market, Takahashi sees a short-term drop-off in ethylene shipments to the automobile and electronics industries.


MRC

Celanese to increase the price of all emulsions sold in the Americas

(Celanese) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company and global leader in emulsion polymers, announced today that it will increase the price of all emulsions sold in the Americas effective June 15, 2011, or as contracts allow.


The increase will be as follows: vinyl acetate homopolymers by USD 0.03 / pound, vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions by USD 0.03 / pound, vinyl acrylic emulsions by USD 0.05 / pound and pure acrylic emulsions by USD 0.09 / pound. Sustained price increases in raw materials are the primary reason for this price increase.


This price increase includes all emulsions and affects applications including, but not limited to, adhesives, paint and coatings, building and construction, nonwovens, glass fiber, carpet and textiles.


Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of specialty materials and chemical products which are used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company employs approximately 7,250 employees worldwide and had 2010 net sales of USD 5.9 billion, with approximately 72% generated outside of North America.


MRC

European polypropylene producers will find it difficult to hold prices steady

(ICIS) -- Most European polypropylene (PP) producers will find it difficult to hold prices steady after the June contract price for the feedstock propylene (C3) fell by EUR 40/tonne (USD 56/tonne) from the previous month, market sources said on Wednesday.


In addition to the feedstock's price fall, PP producers said buyers remain cautious, which has caused a slowdown in demand on a global scale and freed up the availability of certain grades.


The resulting balanced supply and reasonable demand have largely offset the pressure of imported material building on PP prices, holding May contract prices steady. However, there have been a few corrections of EUR 10-20/tonne - both up and down - at one or two accounts as the spread of the prices narrowed.


ICIS assessed gross contract prices for homopolymer PP raffia steady at EUR 1.540-1.550/tonne FD EU (Europe). These prices are subject to discounts and rebates.


MRC

ACN prices in Asia are set to fall further

(ICIS) -- Acrylonitrile (ACN) prices in Asia are set to fall further as demand has weakened from downstream acrylic fibre (AF) sector, and with additional supply expected to hit the market in July, industry sources said on Wednesday.


ACN spot prices have fallen by USD 100/tonne (EUR 71/tonne) since early May to USD 2.650-2.750/tonne CFR (cost and freight) NE (northeast) Asia in the week ending 20 May, according to ICIS data.


ACN spot prices were on an uptrend since August 2010 until mid-May this year, when a number of AF producers have cut operating rates or shut down production in China given extreme softness in demand.


AF - used in clothing and home furnishings such as carpets, upholstery and cushions -accounts for more than half of Asia's ACN consumption.


MRC

Braskem to maintain its polyvinyl chloride production

(ICIS) -- Brazil-based Braskem will maintain its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production - even if that means purchasing feedstock - after the company idled a chlor-alkali unit following a chlorine leak and pipline rupture at its Maceio facility in Alagoas, the company said on Tuesday.


That chlor-alkali unit was the site of two recent accidents. On Saturday, a chlorine leak at the site sickened 130 people, according to the Maceio Health State Office. Since then, 129 people have left the hospital.


On Monday, a plant pipeline burst, injuring five workers, according to a public relations firm for Braskem.


The Ministerio Public Federal (MPF) and the Civil Police are investigating the leak and a pipeline burst. The MPF gave the company five days to explain what happened.


On Tuesday, the city council asked Braskem to explain the accident before both the community and the city council. However, the company did not show up. Meanwhile, Braskem will keep the chlor-alkali unit shut down, it said. The company gave no timeline on the length of the shutdown.


The Maceio unit has a capacity of 460 KTa of caustic soda. An ethylene dichloride (EDC) unit at Maceio has a capacity of 600 KTa.


MRC