(Reuters) - Japan's naphtha imports for the petrochemical sector fell 23 percent in February from the same month a year ago, government figures showed on Tuesday.
Imports of naphtha for ethylene production totalled 1.11 million tonnes last month, down from 1.43 million tonnes in the same month a year earlier, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.
(finance) -- Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., the global leader in thermoset resins, today announced the start-up of its Transportation Research and Application Center in Duisburg, Germany.
TRAC researchers will develop and test custom lightweight structural composite solutions for clients in the automotive, aerospace and mass transportation markets. The laboratory will complement existing research and development (R&D) facilities worldwide where Momentive business units have been working with these industries for many years, creating new resins, products and solutions, and providing technical support.
The Transportation Research and Application Center (TRAC) will be sited at Momentive Specialty Chemicals' Duisburg plant, already an important epoxy production and R&D facility which develops new formulations for a range of end uses. The availability of fast-reacting formulations now allows slow Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) processes to be replaced with fast-molding methods.
Driving down cycle times for composite components can help minimize cycle times for automotive applications. The new lab will house a state-of-the art dosing/injection unit and press from Cannon, specifically engineered for the rapid production of small-batch epoxy composite test components conforming to a wide array of process and customer conditions.
MRC
(plastemart) -- Asia saw oil prices fall below USD107 on news of an agreement to meet on April 13 between Iran and six world powers- United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.
News of this meeting has spread optimism of a negotiated resolution to the current dispute over Iran's nuclear program. Brent crude for May delivery dipped to USD125.5 per barrel in London. Rising crude inventories in developed countries and quickening inflation and weaker consumer demand caused by soaring fuel costs could also bring oil prices lower.
Saudi Arabia has pledged to increase production to replace Iran's lost output, but that would leave little global spare capacity.