KBR won a contract from Tecnimont for BED of a new ammonia plant

(Arabian oil and gas) -- KBR has won a contract from Tecnimont for the license and basic engineering design (BED) of a new ammonia plant to be built by Chemical Industries Holding Co. (Kima) in Aswan, Egypt.

Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide Kima with a license for its proprietary Purifier Ammonia Technology and related engineering services for Kima's new plant. The plant is being built on a fast-track basis and will support regional development plans in Aswan as well as Egypt's drive to build modern fertilizer complexes.

⌠KBR's ammonia process is a benchmark in the industry as is evidenced by our global installed base, said John Derbyshire, President, KBR Technology. ⌠We are honored that Kima has selected KBR Technology and look forward to working closely with our EPC partner Tecnimont to deliver a world-class ammonia plant to Kima."

MRC

(BASF) -- BASF announced today that it is concentrating its plant biotechnology activities on the main markets in North and South America. The company will adjust the portfolio and site footprint of its subsidiary BASF Plant Science to reflect this change.

The headquarters of BASF Plant Science will be moved from Limburgerhof, Germany, to Raleigh, North Carolina. Research and development activities will be concentrated mainly in Raleigh, Ghent, Belgium and Berlin, Germany. Development and commercialization of all products targeted solely at cultivation in the European market will be halted. Regulatory approval processes which have already started will be continued.

⌠We are convinced that plant biotechnology is a key technology for the 21st century. However, there is still a lack of acceptance for this technology in many parts of Europe - from the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians. Therefore, it does not make business sense to continue investing in products exclusively for cultivation in this market, said Dr. Stefan Marcinowski, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF, responsible for plant biotechnology.

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(mausergroup) -- A worldwide leading company in industrial packaging, Mauser Group announced to open a new IBC line at its facility in Oosterhout, the Netherlands.

Operation commenced in September 2011 and it is planned to gradually increase the production rate during the next months. Mauser installed a complete IBC line including new blow moulding machinery. Therewith the Mauser location in Oosterhout is able to produce the Mauser SM IBC portfolio.
"We see an increasing demand for IBC solutions in the region. By opening a new IBC line, we are able to faster respond to customers' needs which is crucial to support supply chain processes in an optimal way.
Furthermore, this enables Mauser and our customers to reduce environmental impact due to the transport of empty packaging.

We are happy to provide companies in the Netherlands with high-quality IBCs for hazardous and sensitive filling goods," said Dr Jürgen Scherer, SBU Manager Europe, Mauser Group.Besides the new IBC line, Mauser Benelux BV produces open-top drums, L-Ring drums and small plastic packaging for distribution in the Benelux countries. Furthermore, the subsidiary manufactures hospital waste drums for the European market.

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(adsalecprj) -- PET materials provider Octal said in a recent press release that its DPET sheet meets sustainability and cost reduction needs for personal hygiene packaging. According to its statement, global companies, including US-based P&G, are switching to PET because it is one of the best packaging choices for retain applications such as toothbrush holders because the material is hygienic, strong, lightweight, shatterproof and recyclable.

In addition, its lightweight and strength allows more products to be delivered with reduced weight and less fuel consumption. "The growing preference of DPET sheet for global packaging is due in part to its ability to run on thermoforming equipment already being used for PVC, HIPS, and OPS with only minor modifications of hardware and processing parameters. This is key because costly additional equipment purchases are not necessary," said Joe Barenberg, Octal's COO.DPET is Octal's direct-to-sheet polyester sheet, a technology which is said to be the first in the world and introduced to the market in 2008.

Though proprietary process control software and hardware, Octal delivers a high roll-to-roll uniformity and a typical caliper variation of approximately 1% (lower than other PET sheet options), the company stated. This enables thermoformers to down-gauge, thereby using less overall material in the final tray. Manufacturers like P&G are able to reduce costs by ordering thinner gauge sheet while knowing exactly how much packaging they can manufacture from the material they buy.


While conventional PET sheet manufacturers depend on as many as five reactors to produce the resin and require a separate process for sheet production, Mr Barenberg explained, "When building its process, OCTAL committed to reducing its overall energy use and accomplished that goal by implementing the latest 2R (two reactor) system for producing resin and direct-to-sheet technology for producing DPET sheet."
As stated in the release, third party independent testing done by Interteck Expert Services proves that Octal's DPET sheet uses 67% less electricity compared with traditional PET plants.

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(bbc) -- General Motors and Ford reported record car sales in China for 2011, despite a slowdown in the market in that country.

GM said sales of its vehicles and those of its Chinese partners rose 8.3% during the year to a record high of 2.5 million cars. Ford saw sales rise by 7% to 519,390 vehicles.

Car sales in China skyrocketed in 2010, in part due to government incentives, but have moderated in 2011.

The US carmakers have benefited from releasing a range of new models into the Chinese market. GM also expects growth in China this year to be better than in 2011, and plans to take more market share.

"We picked up considerable share in China in 2011 and we expect we'll do similarly in 2012 because we have a lot of launches," said Tim Lee, president of GM's international operations speaking to reporters at the Detroit motor show.

The company said its market share in China rose to 13.6% last year, up from 12.7% in 2010.

GM received a USD 50bn (?32bn) bailout from the US government in 2009, a time when other US carmakers were struggling as well.

But analysts said GM and others have since seen a resurgence, in part due to revenue from China.

However, it has been a tough year for Japanese car companies after the earthquake and tsunami in March, as well as the floods in Thailand, affected production.

Honda Motors on Monday reported its first ever annual decline in exports to China.

MRC