Petkim posts Q1 loss on high oil prices

(Reuters) - Turkish petrochemicals maker Petkim posted a first-quarter loss of USD4.6 million, with rising oil prices more than offsetting higher sales.

"High prices for raw materials put pressure on product prices ... in the first quarter, and margins were negative, especially in January and February," chief executive Hayati Ozturk said.

Sales at Petkim, owned by Azerbaijani state oil company Socar, rose 28 percent to 1.21 billion lira in the first three months of the year. It made a 77 million lira profit in the 2011 period.

Crude oil prices have risen amid worries the West's dispute with Iran over its nuclear programme would disrupt global supplies. Petkim said it spent USD15 million in the first quarter to expand capacity, improve efficiency and for planned maintenance.

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(canplastics) -- Bolton, Ont.-based Husky Injection Molding Systems announced that it has completed the sale of Injectoplast, the former closure injection molding operation of KTW, to Austria's Alpla.

The sale agreement was announced 24 January; the terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Injectoplast was a division of KTW, a closure mold maker Husky acquired in early 2011.

At the time of the KTW acquisition Husky announced it would be divesting of Injectoplast due to potential conflicts with its existing injection molding customers.
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(process-worldwide) -- Officials at BASF's Freeport, Texas, site announced that the site will soon begin construction of a new, 160,000 ton per year ammonium sulfate crystallizer system at its caprolactam plant. This is a joint project with American Plant Food Corporation, Galena, Texas, a customer of BASF.

Once completed, the crystallizer will refine high-quality ammonium sulfate, a by-product of the caprolactam manufacturing process and a key component in plant fertilizer sold by American Plant Food. Construction of the crystallizer system is expected to take six months to complete and will cost about USD 8 million. The project will employ 20 construction personnel and will create 30 jobs off-site for local companies.

"This provides BASF and American Plant Food with a unique opportunity to gain significant benefits for both parties," said Chris Witte, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BASF's Freeport site. "It is an excellent example of finding innovative uses for by-products and reducing waste in our manufacturing processes - as well as helping our customers succeed."

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(packagingnews) -- Arla Foods has appointed plastic packaging company Alpla to manufacture bottles on site at its new one billion-litre dairy in Aylesbury

Arla said that Alpa will also support its aim for the dairy to be the most environmentally advanced in the world. Alpla, which is targeting an industry first recycled HDPE material content of 50% in all bottles for Arla, will support the dairy company's aim of delivering a zero carbon facility with zero waste to landfill in Aylesbury.

Alpla has already designed a new range of lightweight HDPE bottles, which will deliver a weight saving in excess of 20% compared to Arla's current milk bottles.
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