(plastemart) -- LyondellBasell plans to cease all business with Syria and Sudan. Much of the company's business in the two countries involves licensing technology for polymer production. This decision means it will stop all licensing of its proprietary technology and services to local petrochemical companies, which have depended heavily on technology from European concerns to produce plastics and other high-value products derived from natural gas.
MOSCOW (MRC) --The resume of film-grade polyethylene production in Kalush is scheduled for September 3 after two years of inactivity.
According to the company's data, Kalush cracker is to start operations on September 5. Before the shutdown about 40% of Kalush HDPE was sold in Ukraine, about 30% - in Russia and the other volumes were delivered into the international markets.
In two years the structure changed in the markets, and the attractiveness of the Russian market for Kalush HDPE became much higher. To late August the difference in price of Kalush HDPE in the Russian and Ukrainian market exceeded USD 100/mt. Suspension in Kazan is expected soon, that's why film-grade polyethylene from Kalush is going to have good perspective soon.
European producers decreased September HDPE prices for the Ukrainian market by EUR 10-15/mt. Russian producers, vice versa, elevated the prices by USD 30-50/mt.
MIDLAND (Styron) -- Styron has announced three new members to the company's executive leadership. The announcement was made by Chris Pappas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Styron.
Richard J. Diemer Jr. has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Styron. Diemer was previously the Senior Vice President and CFO of Albemarle Corporation, a $2.5 bln specialty chemical company. Celso Goncalves, who is currently CFO of Styron, will remain with the company through year-end to ensure a smooth transition.
(prw) -- Miko the Belgium-based plastics packaging and coffee service firm, says both operating and net profit fell 8% over the first half of the year because of rising raw material prices.
For the period ending 30 June, overall turnover rose 3.3% compared to the same period a year earlier to ┬60.75m. Turnover in the plastic packaging business rose only 1.2% as growth was dampened by a termination of contracts at the Grispa subsidiary in Belgium, and poor ice cream tub sales in Germany.
Overall operating profit fell 7.8% to ┬5.4m, while net profit was down 8.1% to ┬3.9m.
(prw) -- Kautex Maschinenbau, the Bonn-based maker of blow moulding equipment, is taking over international sales and service for the German company that builds giant blow moulders, Rikutec-Richter Kunststofftechnik.
In return, Rikutec will supply Kautex with multilayer accumulator heads, allowing Kautex to expand its portfolio of machines to blow mould large industrial packaging.
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