Global plastic film and sheets market forecast to reach 56.6 mln tons by 2017

(plastemart) -- The global Plastic Film and Sheets market is forecast to reach 56.6 mln tons by 2017, mainly driven by burgeoning demand from end-use markets, competitive advantages over traditional paper and foil, and technological advancements.

Changing consumer dynamics particularly in the food and non-food packaging industries, economic recovery, and growing prominence of developing Asian, Middle East and Latin American markets will further accelerate the pace of development. Plastic film, used for packaging of both food and non-food products apart from various other plastic products, is the largest sub-sector of the plastics processing industry.

Primary applications of plastic films include food packaging, shrink-wrap, stretch-wrap, carrier bags, bin bags, and heavy-duty sacks, and agriculture and building applications. Globalization and consolidation have impacted the plastic film industry to a considerable extent. Changing consumer dynamics and patterns are revolutionizing the food-packaging market, which is witnessing an increased preference for plastic film and sheets, compared to other flexible packaging materials such as kraft paper, aluminum foil and cellophane film.

Cast film continues to make inroads into those application areas that are historically led by BOPP film. Significant advancements in process capabilities coupled with enhanced resins and improved equipment have filled most of the wide existing gap between BOPP film and Cast PP film. The second-generation LLDPE products are likely to substitute plastics in film and other non-plastics because it offers improved properties such as greater degree of film toughness, processability, clarity and lower cost.

The plastic films industry is characterized by product diversity and competition in the market remains fragmented with the presence of both large-scale manufacturers and small producers. Major players profiled in the report include Achilles Corporation, AEP Industries Inc., Applied Extrusion Technologies (AET), Bemis Company, Inc., Berry Plastics Corporation, British Polythene Industries, DuPont Teijin Films, ExxonMobil Chemicals, Futamura Chemical Co., Ltd., Inteplast Group Ltd., Nylex (Malaysia) Berhad, Okura Industrial Co., Ltd., Polyplex Corporation Ltd., Reynolds Flexible Packaging, Quinn Plastics, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Sealed Air Corporation, SINOPEC Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Bakelite Company Limited, Toray Plastics, Toyobo Company Ltd., Trioplast Industrier AB, Unitika Ltd., and Vibac Group, among several others.

MRC

(plastemart) -- A new amine-free antistat solution for BOPP (bi-axially oriented polypropylene) and PP (polypropylene) film delivers a unique combination that helps ensure safer chemistry for food packaging. The new product - GRINDSTED AR100 - will be featured in by DuPont at NPE along with other bio-based additives .

"DuPont has strength and depth in antistat solutions for polyolefins, and our new product is something that the market has been seeking for some time," said Bjarne Nielsen, senior applications manager, DuPont Polymer Additives. "Antistats are an important additive in many different packaging applications serving a well-defined purpose: preventing the attraction of dust and other fine particles to the polymer surface that would otherwise render a packaged product unattractive. There is a widespread desire today to avoid traditional ethoxylated amine chemistry wherever possible as demands for unquestioned safe chemistry in food packaging grow steadily."

The new product is aimed at the food packaging industry. "Brand owners are striving to improve all aspects of product safety, and the fact that GRINDSTED AR100 can be used at any loading level to obtain the optimal, desired performance and that it is a 1:1 alternative makes it an obvious choice in PP packaging applications," said Mick Potenza, DuPont Polymer Additives account manager, USA. "We expect the product to be a leader in its field on both sides of the Atlantic."
MRC

(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- Valero Energy said Monday that due to unfavorable refinery economics and the outlook for continued unfavorable refinery economics, refining operations will be suspended by the end of the month at its 235,000 bpd refinery in Aruba.

The refinery has been operating at reduced rates because of inadequate margins resulting in financial losses.

Over the past two years, Valero has thoroughly evaluated all of its alternatives for the refinery and is now considering the possibility of operating a terminal and storage operation at the site.

For the immediate future, Valero will maintain the refinery in a state that would allow a restart.

"We appreciate the diligent and incredible efforts of Prime Minister Eman and his government in helping Valero find an economic alternative that would allow continued operation of the refinery," said Valero CEO Bill Klesse.

"If it had not been for the efforts of the Prime Minister, the refinery would not have restarted in late 2010 and operated over the past 15 months. Our discussions with interested parties, including those facilitated by the Government of Aruba, will continue."
MRC

(plasticker) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company and a global leader in emulsion polymers, recently announced it will raise the price of all vinyl acetate based emulsions (vinyl acetate ethylene, vinyl acetate homopolymer and vinyl acetate copolymer emulsions) sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Price increases will range from EUR 60/MT to EUR 95/MT, effective April 1, 2012, or as contracts allow.

This price increase affects applications including, but not limited to, adhesives, paint and coatings, building and construction, nonwovens, glass fiber, carpet, paper and textiles.
MRC

(news.szenergy) -- Shares of petrochemical companies in Asia were lower on Wednesday, in line with regional bourses, on concerns over demand amid a slowdown in China, the region's biggest importer of petrochemical products.

⌠The NDRC [National Development and Reform Commission] raised fuel oil prices twice in two months. Market players are worried that increasing energy cost will weigh on China's economy further, said Wei Tao, an analyst at brokerage Xingye Securities.

China's demand for iron ores has also been softening, as indicated by major Australian miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, and this is deemed as a strong indication that the country's industrial growth is cooling down.

In the middle of last week, Asia's monoethylene glycol (MEG) market was shaken by China's economic concerns, prompting traders with high inventory to offload heavy volumes into the market.

China Premier Wen Jiabao had said that the country's property prices are still far from reasonable levels, indicating that current policies curbing demand will not be relaxed so soon.
Early this month, China's GDP growth target this year was cut to 7.5%, down from the 8% target that was kept for seven years.
Weakness in China's construction sector affects demand for various petrochemicals, including styrene monomer (SM), epoxy resins and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

MRC