BASF to build high performance specialty plastics plant in Korea

(basf.com) -- BASF will build a new plant to produce Ultrason╝ polyethersulfone (PESU), one of BASF's high-performance thermoplastics, at the company's site in Yeosu, Korea. The annual capacity of the new plant is 6,000 metric tons. Construction of this specialty plastics plant will start in early 2012 and production is expected to begin by early 2014. About 50 new jobs will be created once the plant is operational.

"Overall in Asia Pacific, we are investing approximately ┬2.3 billion from 2011 to 2015 in order to achieve our goal to produce 70% of our sales in the region. By establishing local production of our high performance specialty plastics in Korea, we can support the growth of key local industries," said Dr. Albert Heuser, President, Market and Business Development, Asia Pacific, BASF.

Ultrason is sold to customers in the electronics industry, as well as the automotive and aerospace industries for the production of heat-resistant light weight components and to the water treatment industry for manufacturing of water treatment membranes.

At present this specialty plastic is only produced at BASF's Ludwigshafen site in Germany. ⌠BASF is committed to strengthening its market position in the engineering plastics business, said Dr. Wolfgang Hapke, President of BASF's Performance Polymers Division. ⌠This new plant will significantly enhance our engineering plastics position in the rapidly growing Asian market and reaffirm our dedication to being our customers' supplier of choice for high performance materials.
The Korean electronics industry is a major target market for Ultrason. The location also benefits from the proximity to other major markets such as China and Japan.

MRC

(sacbee.com) -- World Bioplastics - industry study, presents historical demand data (2000, 2005, 2010) and forecasts for 2015 and 2020 by product, market, world region and for 16 major countries. The study also considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share and profiles 38 industry competitors such as Arkema, NatureWorks, Metabolix, BASF, Innovia Films,Novamont and Rodenburg Biopolymer

Global demand for biodegradable and bio-based plastics will more than triple to over one million metric tons in 2015, valued at $2.9 billion. Bioplastics have moved past the initial phase of market introduction and are now experiencing robust increases in demand in virtually all parts of the world.

Ultimately, however, price considerations will be the main driver of bioplastic market success, and rising petroleum costs may allow some bioplastic resins to achieve price parity with conventional plastics by the end of the decade. Starch-based resins, PLA to pace biodegradables Biodegradable plastics accounted for 90 percent of the world bioplastics market in 2010. Excellent growth is forecast for the two leading biodegradable plastics, starch-based resins and polylactic acid (PLA), both of which will more than double in demand through 2015.

Despite the strong advances for biodegradable resins, non-biodegradable biobased resins will be the primary driver of bioplastics demand through 2015 and beyond. Gains will be stimulated by the availability of commercial quantities of bio-based polyethylene from Braskem's 200,000 metric ton per year plant in Brazil, which opened in late 2010. Two other bio-based polyethylene plants, as well as bio-based polypropylene and PVC facilities, are expected to open around 2015. Additionally, industrial production of fully bio-based PET is forecast to become a reality by the end of the decade.

MRC

(europeanplasticsnews) -- Russian petrochemical giant Sibur may help implement a number of petrochemical projects in Iran in cooperation with the local National Petrochemical Company, Iran's leading petrochemical producer, according to Iranian media reports.

According to Abdul-Hussein Bayat, Director General of National Petrochemical Company, Sibur may help build a petrochemical plant, Khaleej Farce, in Bushehr.
The Iranian media have also reported on a recent agreement between Iran and Russia on the construction of a petrochemical complex in an industrial Assaluye area on the northern bank of the Persian Gulf. According to Bayat, the Iranian petrochemical industry needs about ┬37bn of investments, with an annual volume of investments of at least ┬4.47bn.
He added that over the past 50 years more than ┬34bn has been invested in developing the counrty's petrochemical industry and increasing its production capacities. The country currently has the capacity for the production of 51m tonnes of petrochemical products per year.
According to Bayat, Iran currently ranks first in the Middle East in terms of annual production of petrochemical products, thanks to its rich raw materials base and favourable geographical location.
According to Bayat, by the end of 2015 the volume of production of petrochemical products in Iran should increase by half - to 100m tonnes per year.

The Polymers Summit ICIS-MRC - 2011 has been held today, on Nov, 30 in the Ritz-Carlton Moscow. The main topics of the reports were devoted to the development of petrochemical market and the strategy in the market of base polymers as well as launching new polymer productions.

MRC

(plasticsnews.com) -- The leader of Europe's trade association for plastics processors has highlighted ⌠the dangers of an obsession with the EU's financial woes and ⌠a neglect of the opportunities which can be created by our manufacturing sector.

Alexandre Dangis, managing director of Brussels-based European Plastics Converters (EuPC), said: ⌠The EU needs the political will to implement austerity measures for sure but governments and the media should recognize that large areas of the corporate manufacturing sector are performing well, generating profits and creating jobs. The mood in the plastics sector is upbeat, he said.

⌠We are an incredibly lively industry, he said. ⌠We are developing products from new types of material such as bio-based plastics, we are finding ways to recycle more plastics products, using more recyclates in final applications, and we are using plastics in more demanding and challenging applications such as in aerospace, automotive and healthcare.
⌠We are also in the lead in showing how our plastics products can help alleviate the effects of pressing issues such as climate change through the insulating qualities of plastics building products' for more sustainable housing.
According to Dangis, the European Union's institutions can do more to boost the industry's business development potential. ⌠The creation of a Single European Market necessitated the harmonization of technical standards and all too often in this process the role of plastics in general or individually has been questioned

The Polymers Summit ICIS-MRC - 2011 has been held today, on Nov, 30 in the Ritz-Carlton Moscow. The main topics of the reports were devoted to the development of petrochemical market and the strategy in the market of base polymers as well as launching new polymer productions.

MRC

LONDON (ICIS)--The European December propylene contract price has been fully confirmed down by ┬18/tonne ($24/tonne) at ┬995/tonne on Wednesday, following second seller support.
The second settlement was reached between a second net producer and a third non-integrated buyer.
In addition, an integrated buyer said it has also followed the initial settlement with a supplier, although it was not able to disclose the name of the seller in question.
The initial propylene settlement was agreed early on Tuesday afternoon and was between two non-integrated buyers and the same net producer.
The December propylene agreement, which was concluded on a free delivered (FD) northwest Europe (NWE) basis, marks the first time that the European propylene contract price has moved back into three-digit territory since December 2010, according to ICIS price history. This follows 11 successive months of European propylene contract prices in four digits.
Some buyers said the ┬18/tonne fall was close to their original expectations of a reduction of around ┬20/tonne.
Some customers hoped for larger price reductions of ┬40-80/tonne to try to restore competitiveness with other regions, but this was not achievable in view of current feedstock costs and ailing cracker margins, and the decrease of ┬18/tonne was seen as more of a ⌠compromise, according to some buyers.

The Polymers Summit ICIS-MRC - 2011 has been held today, on Nov, 30 in the Ritz-Carlton Moscow. The main topics of the reports were devoted to the development of petrochemical market and the strategy in the market of base polymers as well as launching new polymer productions.

MRC