In September Russian PP production grew by 10%

(MRC) -- In September, Russian producers increased output of polypropylene (PP) to 59,000 tonnes. Following the nine months results, overall PP production in Russia increased by 10% and made 510,600 tonnes, according to MRC ScanPlast.


In September, only Nizhnekamskneftechem suspended PP facilities for a scheduled turnaround. As a result, the company's PP output decreased by 11% compared to August. Other Russian producers increased PP production. The biggest production growth was reached by Stavrolen - about 16% compared with August.

In September, Russian producers reduced production of copolymers of propylene in favor of homopolymers of propylene. In general, this year the structure of PP production remains without big changes: a share of homopolymers made more than 80% of total production.

Following the nine months results, overall PP production by Russian producers made 510,600 tonnes, which was by 10% more year on year.


The biggest increase in production - about 25% - was demonstrated by Neftechemiya (Kapotnya). Such a high growth index was due to a long shutdown for a turnaround last year. Besides, Stavrolen increased PP production by 14%. Other Russian producers didn't show such a significant production volumes.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Prices of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) in India are set to weaken further in the fourth quarter as feedstock butadiene (BD) prices tumble and car sales fall, industry sources said on Tuesday. Prices of non-oil grade 1502 SBR have plummeted by $700/tonne (┬511/tonne) since mid-September to $3,400-3,500/tonne CFR (cost & freight) India in the week ended 12 October, ICIS data showed. This is in line with the more than a $800/tonne drop in feedstock BD prices to $2,300-2,400/tonne CFR NE (northeast) Asia during the same period. Market players expect prices of SBR 1502 to fall further to around the $3,000/tonne level.

MRC

(Sabic) -- Visitors to this year's Fakuma plastics exhibition will have an opportunity to see several of SABIC's latest polypropylenes running on different injection moulding machines of its machine manufacturing partners, producing thin-walled packaging and medical components. The grades presented at Fakuma are supplied on a global scale from our facilities in Europe, Saudi Arabia and Asia.

SABIC's new grade for thin-wall injection moulded packaging, SABIC PP Flowpact FPC 100, will have its public premier at the show. Stork Plastics Machinery B.V., the Dutch specialist in high-speed injection moulding machines, will use it to make margarine tubs with 0.45-mm wall thicknesses in a four-cavity mould installed on a Stork E 2500-850 full-electric machine with a 2500-kN electric clamp unit.

KrausMaffei will be running SABIC QR673K, part of the SABIC PP Qrystal grade family, at their stand. The material has state-of-the-art part aesthetics and a broad processing window which enables lower processing temperatures, thus reducing energy consumption and cycle times.

SABIC PP Flowpact FPC 100 will also be used by ARBURG GmbH + Co KG, to make in-mould labelled 1.2-litre pails. A two-cavity mould will be running on an Arburg Allrounder 720 H with a clamp force of 3200 kN.

MRC

(Arabian oil and gas) -- Sahara Petrochemicals Company has signed a bridge loan agreement with Riyad Bank with the value up to $267m, te company said in a statement. ⌠This value will be used to finance the new projects that are currently under implementation, and future projects of the company, the company said in a statement.

The company said that it will repay this loan to Riyad Bank after completion of the company's capital increase/Rights Issue and from the future earnings of the Company with maximum period of 12 months.

The company has recently signed MoU with Chemanol for new Neopentyl glycol (NPG) project. According to the MoU, Chemanol will provide formaldehyde, the necessary feedstock for this product. SAHARA also signed a heads of agreements with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Sojitz Corporation from Japan to provide the necessary technology to develop and build the NPG plant, with a total cost of $125.3m.

Sahara Petrochemicals produces mainly polypropylene and polyethylene through its subsidiaries Al Waha and Saudi Ethylene and Polyethylene Company.

MRC

(ICIS) -- China's demand for prilled and powdered polypropylene (PP) has been slowing, with the full-year import volumes of the polymer expected to fall while its domestic production will have a moderate increase, industry sources said on Tuesday.

Consumption of the material from downstream industries weakened significantly amid a domestic credit crunch, as China continues with its monetary tightening policy to tame inflation, they said.
China's demand for PP resins is estimated to grow by 5.7% this year to 16m tonnes, just about a third of the 15.6% growth recorded last year, according to Chemease, an ICIS service in China.
The country consumed 15.2m tonnes of PP in 2010, of which 4.8m tonnes or about 32% were imported, data from Chemease showed. This year, Chemease expects China to take in 3% less PP from abroad at 4.66m tonnes.

Meanwhile, China's PP output is estimated to rise by 10% to 11.4m tonnes this year, slowing from a 28% increase in output last year at 10.3m tonnes, according to Chemease. Of the total PP output in 2010, China exported 940,000 tonnes, the data showed.

MRC