Indonesia to benefit from Chinese textile crisis

(fiber2fashion) -- Indonesia's textile industry is expecting to benefit from the slowdown in the Chinese textile sector, which is going through a crisis after the Government lifted subsidies and incentives provided to the sector.


The Chinese textile sector is also finding it difficult to find skilled workforce amid rising labour costs. This provides good opportunity for the Indonesian textile industry to capitalize on the situation and compete with China made goods, according to the Indonesian Textile Association (API).

The decrease in cotton prices from last year's record high is also a favourable aspect for the Indonesian textile
sector, the API said. The financial crisis in the EU and the US last year had no significant impact on Indonesian textile industry, as it found new markets in Asia. The sales in Indonesian domestic market have also increased last year, API added.
However, API said the high lending rates for the textile industry and the planned increase in electricity tariff from
April this year are impediments for the sector's growth. It said the Government should find solutions to these two aspects for sustainability of the country's textile industry, in view of the fact that the country's textile sector can employ up to 15 percent of the total workforce.


Banks currently retain credit interest rates for the textile industry in double digits, while it is in single digit in other
countries, API said. Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia (BI) said it would encourage commercial banks to extend loans to the textile industry at competitive rates.

MRC

(siigroup) -- SI Group announces that it will invest USD30 million to build an additional phenolic resin manufacturing site in the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park, NCIP. The new site will have an initial capacity of 30,000 mt/year and the potential for expansion to reach 70,000 mt/year.

The facility is set to commence operation in May 2013, and will produce phenolic resins in lump, pastille, liquid, and powder forms to serve the rubber, abrasive, friction, impregnation, and refractory markets. This particular location was selected taking into account SI Group customer needs and business processes.

Nanjing Chemical Industry Park provides world class infrastructure, a skilled workforce, outstanding logistics and access to raw materials. Recently the company announced the opening of a state of the art modern rubber and industrial phenolic resin application laboratory at its Songjiang plant. The overall investments in this modern lab total an approximate USD 1,5 million.
The facility stands as the global standard for research and development of resin products and further enhances SI Group's position as an industry technology and innovation leader. Also at its Songjiang location, SI Group invested USD3 million for a cutting-edge waste water treatment plant.

The construction of the new resin facility in Nanjing and the company's plan to further expand resin production capacity in 2012 are in step with SI Group's accelerating growth strategy for the China market.


SI Group is a family-owned company founded in 1906 and headquartered in Schenectady, New York. A leading global developer and manufacturer of phenolic resins, alkylphenolic resins, alkylated phenols and other chemical intermediates, SI Group operates 20 facilities in 12 countries around the world.

MRC

(styrolution) -- Styrolution on 10th, February announced that effective February 1, 2012, it has increased the sales price in Europe for Styrolux (SBC) by EUR200 /mt. All existing contractual obligations will be honored.


After a time of prolonged price stability, this increase has become necessary due to rapidly increasing raw material costs. Since December 2011, raw materials costs have already risen by EUR250/mt and it is expected that this trend will continue.


Styrolux is the trade name for Styrolution's thermoplastic material, consisting of styrene-butadiene block copolymers (SBC). This price increase affects all Styrolux brands. Styrolux is widely used in rigid and flexible packaging but also in injection molded applications for cosmetics, medical, and other segments.

MRC

(press.bayer) -- AURA infusion technology, developed by Bayer MaterialScience LLC, offers a cost-effective and environmentally responsible way to improve the UV protection of injection molded or extruded polycarbonate parts. The company has licensed the technology exclusively to Radco Infusion Technologies LLC, for worldwide use.

Because ultraviolet (UV) light attacks polycarbonate at the surface, UV protection is most effective when concentrated there. Yet, with traditional compounding of additives it is not possible to concentrate protection at the surface. This limits UV absorber effectiveness in outdoor applications, such as lenses and covers for lighting fixtures, where protection from sunlight is essential to durability and clarity.

⌠The new dimension of AURA infusion technology, made possible by Radco, can be used with any of Bayer's Makrolon transparent polycarbonate lighting grades, said Kevin Dunay, market segment leader, Electrical/Electronics (EE) Polycarbonates, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. He continued, ⌠It's a breakthrough for lighting manufacturers, since it helps overcome the issue of yellowing after extended UV exposure.

The infusion of UV additives via AURA infusion technology utilizes the same process used to add custom colorants. In this new twist, finished plastic parts are immersed in a mostly aqueous solution containing UV additives. The parts are removed from the solution after a short period of time, rinsed with water to remove excess solution from the surface and then dried to produce a market-ready product.

In addition to being efficient and cost-effective, it is also an eco-friendly process. AURA Infusion Technology works in a water-based medium with a minimum of organic additives. The liquid, constantly recycled and reused, does not add to the waste stream. Processing solvents are reclaimed and reused within the system, and the process produces no hazardous waste.

MRC

(sibur) -- Construction and installation of the second phase for the production of AlphaporTM expandable polystyrene has been completed, and startup operations have commenced.

Trial manufacture of expandable polystyrene is planned to begin in spring 2012. The second phase is expected to be able to produce 50,000 tonnes a year by the summer of 2012.
The official startup of the first stage of production of 50,000 tonnes per year of expandable polystyrene took place at the end of 2010. During 2011 production was based on projected capacity and sales volume. Total projected production capacity of expandable polystyrene at SIBUR's Perm site after completion of the second stage of the complex will reach 100,000 tonnes per year.


AlphaporTM expandable polystyrene is produced using the technology of the Austro-Norwegian Company Sunpor. The product is employed in a wide variety of uses, including energy-efficient building insulation, permanent shuttering, and packaging for household appliances and food products. The major world markets for construction-grade polystyrene foam are the USA and Europe (France, Italy, Germany and Poland).

All grades of AlphaporTM expandable polystyrene comply with strict European standards for fire safety, grain-size distribution, density and stress-strain properties. The grades of expandable polystyrene used in the production of building insulation are required to contain fire-retardant antipyrenes.



MRC