Niagara Bottling to construct a new plant in Mooresville

(Plastics Today) -- Family-owned water bottler Niagara Bottling LLC, headquartered in Ontario, CA, is expanding again with its announcement of construction of a new 310,000-sf plant in Mooresville, NC. Niagara has its own captive plastics processing operations to include perform molding, bottle blowmolding and injection molding of closures.

Niagara Bottling is one of the largest privately held producers and suppliers of bottled water in the United States, with nine manufacturing plants throughout the country. Andrew Peykoff Sr. started Niagara Bottling in 1963, when he began bottling water in 5-gallon glass bottles for home and office delivery. Today, the company has two plants in Ontario, CA, and another facility in Irvine, CA which the company opened in 1973. The company has added a new facility almost every year since 2006.

All of the company's plants are vertically integrated and process PET preforms, bottles and caps. One of the company's Ontario facilities also blowmolds HDPE containers in 1 and 2.5-gallon sizes in addition to PET bottles. The facilities produce water bottles in 8 oz., 12 oz., and 0.5-liter sizes.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC)-- Over the seven months, Ukrainian companies increased PE imports to 174.3 KT, that was 5% more year on year. In July, total volume of PE import made 23.3 KT, according to MRC DataScope.

This year the peak of PE import to the Ukrainian market was observed in March (27.5 KT). Low pressure polyethylene (HDPE) prevails in the import supplies.

Overall volume of HDPE import in 2011 increased by 19% and made 76.4 KT. Other PE grades demonstrated negative dynamic. Following the seven months results, the supplies of LDPE and LLDPE decreased by 2% and 10% respectively.

The structure of HDPE supplies to the Ukrainian market has changed significantly. The largest increase in imports was observed in the sector of pipe polyethylene. This year supplies to this sector has increased by 52% and made 22.3KT (including supplies of uncolored pipe HDPE).

The leader of pipe HDPE market leader is colored PE100 by Sabic. In July, the most significant increase in pipe PE import was fixed in the material for production of pressure water pipe of PE4PP25B grade by Stavrolen.

Return to HDPE production at Karpatneftechem (Lukoil group) in 2010 reduced the volume of PE film import by 2% to 25.5KT. The leaders in imports are PE grades of Liten FB 75 (Czech company Unipetrol) and PE 293-285D (Russian Kazanorgsyntez).

Full interpretation of the analytics on the Ukrainian PE market by grades, technologies, converters is available in MRC DataScope for May, June and July, 2011

MRC

(ICIS) -- US propylene contracts for August began to settle flat on Friday, pressured by a drop in energy prices in the past two weeks.

US producers had originally sought a 3 cent/lb increase for the month, but buyers resisted the initiative and pushed for a rollover after crude oil prices started to falter. Market sources said that, except for one supplier, all settlement participants had agreed to the rollover.

The settlement keeps polymer-grade propylene (PGP) at 78 cents/lb (USD 1.720/tonne, EUR 1.204/tonne) and chemical-grade propylene at 76.50 cents/lb. US propylene contracts usually settle at the beginning of the month being negotiated.

Upstream, crude oil prices ended 1.7% down for the week for a monthly drop of around 10%.
Market activity this week centred on renewed jitters about the global economy, following the US credit downgrade by Standard & Poor's.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Asian spot prices of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) may continue to increase in the coming weeks, given a strong likelihood that costs of feedstock paraxylene (PX) will spike on tight supply once Fujia Dahua shuts its aromatics plant in Dalian, China, market sources said on Monday.

Offers for Taiwan PTA cargoes were quoted at USD 1.260-1.265/tonne (EUR 882-886/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) CMP (China Main Port) on Monday morning, up USD 10-15/tonne from Friday's levels, traders said, adding that one shipment was concluded at USD 1.260/tonne CFR CMP.

Over the weekend, the local government of Dalian in northeastern China has ordered that the 700 KTa PX plant be immediately shut following protests over the weekend that the company's aromatics facility be relocated on pollution concerns.

Early last week, rains and strong waves brought on by Typhoon Muifa breached the protective dike of Fujia Dahua's aromatics complex, raising concerns of toxic chemical spill among residents in the surrounding areas.

MRC

(ICIS) -- European bisphenol A (BPA) market players are forecasting shortages and tightness in the market from September because of upstream phenol supply problems caused by a force majeure at INEOS Phenol, sources said on Monday.

Another factor was that Slovakian company Slovnaft recently stopped production of feedstock phenol, exacerbating the shortage in Europe, sources said.

One BPA producer said that some buyers may find themselves in a difficult situation in September when INEOS Phenol shuts for planned maintenance for four weeks.

However, a BPA buyer said that the force majeure has not had any impact on the market and it will not change the situation in September. The buyer added that plenty of material is available despite the INEOS outage and additional product can be ordered from Asia and Russia if necessary.

MRC