EPS import duty not to change until 2014

The Russian expanded polystyrene market is totally dependent on imports. The current capacities of Russian producers can produce up to 3 kt of polystyrene.

The share of imported polystyrene is fluctuating within 70% - 85%. In July, overall EPS imports exceeded 12,6 kt. In November, the launch of the new SIBUR-Himprom 50.000 tpa site in Perm is going to let decrease imports share in the Russian market, but it will not fully meet the demand. The market will still be dependent on imports from Asia.

Traditionally, expansion of capacities is followed by the imposition of import duty to defend local producers. In terms of the Common Customs Union, from January 1, 2010 the common 0% import duty on expanded polystyrene in Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan has been in effect. According to the desision of the Customs Union Committee ╧130 as of November 27, 2009, the zero import duty on EPS will be in effect until 2014.

Together with the Common Customs Union the procedure of changing import duty has become a lot more complicated. The EPS markets of these three countries are fully dependent on imports; and bringing in the defensive duty will only increase the polymer's price by the value proportional to the duty. As per MRC analysts, Russian producers will unlikely apply for import duty increase under current conditions.

MRC

For more information about the Russian polystyrene market, please, refer to MRC Monthly reports.

LONDON (Reuters) -- Royal Dutch Shell is in exclusive talks with Finnish fuel distributor St1 to sell the oil major's Swedish refinery, both companies said on Monday.

If the companies reach an agreement, it would be the second European refinery deal for Shell in a short period, following the sale of its German refinery in late August.

Shell has been looking for buyers for other refineries in Europe as a part of a plan to divest about 15 percent of its refining assets as margins are expected to remain weak for a long time in many developed countries, where industry experts say demand has peaked.

MRC

(prw) -- Work has begun on building the GBP 16m National Composites Centre (NCC), which the UK government announced last December.

The NCC is a collaboration between the University of Bristol (as lead partner) and the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), with additional funding from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the European Regional Development Fund. It will be the first building completed at the Science Park in Emerson's Green between Bristol and Bath.

AgustaWestland has joined ⌠First-Tier partners Airbus UK, GKN, Rolls Royce and Vestas who have committed to participate in the NCC, which will also forge links with other centres of advanced manufacturing expertise across the UK.

MRC

(prw) -- Haitian International, China's largest injection moulding machine maker, reported record-setting sales and profit for the first half of 2010 fuelled by strong demand in China and growth in emerging markets such as Brazil, the Middle East and Asia.

The company reported that first half sales hit 3.23bn yuan (┬369m) with a net profit of 542m yuan (┬61m), and said it plans to build another machinery factory, this time in the North China city of Dalian, that it aims to open in 2012.

The figures suggest Haitian was able to maintain its strong performance from the second half of 2009, its previous record six-month period, as the Chinese economy continued to expand. Haitian said both sales and profits were up 30% so far in 2010 over the previous high.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Making corn-derived plastics more heat-tolerant is one of several top-priority targets of collaborative research at the Agricultural Research Service's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California. This will help broaden the range of applications for which corn-based plastics would find application. Orts and Lapol co-investigators are doing the work at ARS where Orts leads the Bioproduct Chemistry and Engineering Research Unit. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

The Albany team is developing a product known as a heat-deflection temperature modifier that would be blended with PLA to make it more heat-tolerant. The modifier is more than 90% corn-based and is fully biodegradable. There currently are no commercially available heat-deflection temperature modifiers for PLA. Preliminary tests at the Albany lab indicate that, when blended with PLA, the modifier can raise PLA's heat-deflection temperature by at least 50╟F.

MRC