In Russia PVC-S market in 2011 exceeded 1 mln tons

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In 2011, the Russian market of suspension PVC (PVC-S) exceeded the psychological point of 1 million tons. However, last year was quite difficult for the market, according to MRC analysts.

In 2011, the Russian market of PVC-S grew by 15% year on year and reached 1.014 million tonnes. This is a psychological threshold and a historical moment for the Russian market. Russia's PVC-S market growth exceeded the whole Central Europe index. Such a serious increase in the last year demand was provided by the producers of PVC profiles and soft compounds.


Since 2006, the Russian market of PVC-S had become a pure net importer. From 2002 till 2008 the demand for suspension in the local market grew on average by 31% per year. The growing needs were satisfied by imports of resins from China, the USA and Europe. In 2008, the global financial recession resulted in a serious reduction of construction volumes. As a consequence, the Russian market in the recessional 2009 declined by almost a quarter and made 657 thousand tonnes, while in 2008 this figure was about 859 thousand tonnes.


Deferred demand in 2009 and economic recovery after the recession in 2010 led to a serious increase in demand for PVC in the Russian market. In 2010, the market of suspension grew by 34% and exceeded the level of the recessional 2008 - 879 thousand tonnes. The Russian converters have begun to invest in increasing capacity and build quite optimistic plans for 2011.


Conveters' optimistic forecasts, the dependence on external supplies, as well as dynamic growth of PVC quotations in the external markets, particularly in the U.S., made many participants contract foreign resin more than enough at the beginning of the year. From January till June inclusive, the imports of suspension PVC to the Russian market grew more than twice.

The moderate growth in demand for finished products made of PVC in 2011 vs. 2010 and imports oversupply in August led to a serious surplus in the Russian market. Local producers competing with the imports declined domestic prices considerably. Since September imports volume began decreasing gradually and in December amounted to little more than 24 thousand tons.

Last year the Russian producers increased their output of PVC-S by 5% to 554 thousand tonnes. The main increase in production was provided by Caustic (Sterlitamak), due to the facilities upgrade in 2009.

In 2012, production is not expected to grow significantly as the Russian capacities are 100% loaded, the growing demand will still be met by imports.


The imports of PVC-S in 2011 grew by 30% and made 460 thousand tonnes. Over last year, the North American producers had become one of the key players in the Russian market. The U.S. export prices to a large extent determine the pricing in the Russian market. In general, last year the supply from the U.S. increased by 63% to 241.8 thousand tonnes. The volume of imports of Chinese acetylene PVC actually stayed at the level of 2010.

In June, a new market player appeared in the Russian market - Karpatneftekhim (Lukoil Group). Over less than seven months, the company delivered about 32 thousand tonnes to Russia. This year Karpatneftekhim can seriously put competitive pressure on the producers from the United States and China.

MRC

(Sibur) -- In order to further enhance the effectiveness of the management system, the organisational structure of ⌠SIBUR LLC has been changed.

Structural divisions within the corporate centre have been eliminated. The new management system is based on functional principles, and job titles reflect only the hierarchical status and belonging to the functions being performed. The new system will enable increasing mobility and personal liability among company management for results achieved.

Also, a new Management Board of the management organisation was elected, authority was redistributed, and internal personnel movements were implemented.

Mikhail Karisalov, who earlier served as the company's vice-president and headed the Hydrocarbon Feedstock Division, has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Management Board and the Executive Director of SIBUR. He will be responsible for strategic development, the efficiency of and support for the company's production of hydrocarbon feedstock, energy, innovation, capital investment, investment projects, logistics, environmental protection and industrial safety.

Konstantin Belkin has been named as the new Director of the Hydrocarbon Feedstock Division, holding rank as a Management Board Member and Managing Director of ⌠SIBUR LLC. Previously, he was the Director of Operations at the Hydrocarbon Feedstock Division.


Mikhail Gordin has been appointed as the new Director of the Synthetic Rubbers Division, holding rank as a Management Board Member and Managing Director of ⌠SIBUR LLC. Previously, he served as the Deputy Director of Development in the Synthetic Rubbers Division.

Andrei Zhvakin, who previously headed the Synthetic Rubbers Division, has been appointed as the Director of the company's corporate university. Under the leadership of Andrei Zhvakin, the Synthetic Rubbers Division has demonstrated positive development dynamics, has successfully overcame the 2008-2009 crisis, and has laid the foundation for the further growth of this business segment on foreign markets.

The new appointments were carried out within the framework of the current staff turnover among the company's management team.

MRC

(avantium) -- Rhodia, member of the Solvay Group, and Avantium announced today that they have entered into a partnership to jointly develop a range of new bio-based polyamides targeting a variety of applications.

This partnership expands and completes the previously announced development agreement in the field of bio-based engineering plastics between Solvay and Avantium.

Building on the newly combined forces of Rhodia and Solvay, the extended relationship offers the partners a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of compositions and applications based on Avantium's YXY technology in the larger Polyamide field. In the frame of this joint development, the companies will explore the market potential of polyamide compositions on the basis of YXY building blocks.


Produced from renewable and bio-based feedstock, these compositions are expected to exhibit superior environmental profile and at the same time to deliver applicative performances at a competitive cost.



Rhodia will test these new polyamides for fibers and engineering applications in various areas such as consumer goods, automotive and electronic materials. Rhodia and Avantium have entered into a multi-year, exclusive collaboration towards commercialization of these new polyamides.

MRC

(bloomberg) -- OAO Uralkali (URKA), Russia's biggest fertilizer maker, is ready to cut production to prevent potash prices from falling after Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. announced reductions this year.

⌠Our strategy is that price is much more important than volumes, Chief Financial Officer Victor Belyakov said. ⌠It's a strategy for most of the big players in the market. We usually cut some production to come up with a fair price.

Russian producers and those in Canada, like Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Potash Corp., account for about 65 percent of global output, said Mark Connelly, a New York-based analyst at Credit Agricole Securities USA Inc. Suppliers are seeking to protect a 45 percent recovery in benchmark U.S. Midwest potash prices since July 2010.


⌠If the Canadian and Russian producers are aggressive in matching supply and demand, it shouldn't matter very much what other producers do, Connelly said .

MRC

(Acron) -- In 2011 the Group's total commercial output was up 4.9% year-on-year to 5,821,600 tonnes, record high for the Group's history.

In 2011 the Group's ammonia output increased 2.8% and nitrogen fertiliser output rose 7.3% year-on-year. Demand for all nitrogen fertilisers remained strong in 2011 which allowed Acron and Dorogobuzh to maintain maximum utilisation of their production facilities. The Group's nitrogen fertilisers are in great demand both in Russia and in Asia, North and Latin America.

In H1 2012 Acron intends to commission a new urea facility with the production capacity of 330,000 tonnes per year which will enable the Group to boost urea and UAN production already this year.

In 2011 the environment of the complex fertiliser world market remained favourable. Due to this, all production facilities of the Group operated at high utilisation level and raised output 6.5% in this segment, including 20% increase in the output of bulk blends.

The Group succeeded in promoting its brand product NPK 16-16-16 in emerging markets of Asia and Latin America in the reporting year. In 2011, shipment of complex fertilisers to Thailand increased by the factor of 1.5, and supplies to Brazil more than tripled.

The Group posted higher output of industrial products which went up 8.4% in this segment (1,011,400 tonnes).

Due to recovery of demand for low-density and technical-grade ammonium nitrate on the part of industrial consumers (mining companies), the Group's Russian facilities increased its output 37.2% year-on-year.

Given the recovery of the Russian wood processing industry, urea-formaldehyde resin output was up 12.4% to 176,500 tonnes.

In 2011 the fertiliser world market was favourable for producers. The global demand completely recovered following the 2008/2009 crisis which made producers boost output volumes to meet the increased demand for fertilisers. Prices of all types of fertilisers continued growing all through the year.

However, in late Q4 the market underwent sharp correction caused by seasonal factors and temporary glut of supply on the market. In early 2012 prices partially recovered and stabilised. In 2012 the balance between demand and supply in the world market is expected to remain favourable for fertiliser producers.

MRC