KEG raises prices for its polyvinyl products

(kuraray) -- Effective July 01st. 2012, or as contract terms allow, KEG will target an increase of its sales prices for Polyvinylalcohol products in Europe, Africa and Middle East in a range of EUR 100 - 130 per metric ton.

Polyvinyl alcohol products and its specialities are market by Kuraray under the brand names Mowiol, Mowiflex, Kuraray Poval and Exceval.

The price adjustments are as well related to the recent level of raw materials, based on increased, and on a high level remaining, feed stocks, as significant rise in utility costs, logistic costs, and several general costs.

This increase affects the Polyvinyl alcohol business of KEG into all industries and applications, that are -among others - adhesives, paper coatings, emulsion polymerization, plastic production / -processing, textiles and ceramics, nonwovens, glass fibers, building products and paints and coatings.

MRC

(westlakechemical) -- Westlake Chemical Corporation announced that its vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) unit at its complex in Geismar, Louisiana, damaged by a fire in late March, has been safely repaired and restarted. With the restart of this unit the overall site is now fully operational.

Westlake continues to cooperate with governmental authorities, including OSHA, EPA, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and law enforcement, regarding the investigation into the factors contributing to the fire.

The company is working with its customers and suppliers to mitigate the impact of the outage and to meet their needs as production resumes.

MRC

(textileworld) -- France-based industrial company Reyes Groupe has acquired all the assets of SwissTex France , a manufacturer of twisting, assembling, cabling, covering and winding machinery for technical and textile yarn markets, and formerly part of the SwissTex group also including SwissTex Winterthur AG, Switzerland. Going forward, Reyes will operate the company under the name Verdol. SwissTex France has been operating under a Chapter 11-type regulation of the French courts.

Reyes has worked with SwissTex for more than 25 years and is familiar with its products and expertise -- including brands such as Verdol, ICBT, Rieter ICBT and RITM. The new owner believes this knowledge will help it enhance Verdol's technological, commercial and financial strength.

"Verdol and its teams, which we renewed our confidence for the quality of work in recent years, will be able, given the new resources that we put now at their disposal, to bring you again a better service and remove the failures of the past," said Reyes Groupe CEO Christophe Reyes and Verdol General Manager Jean-Claude Gnonlonfoun, in announcing the acquisition.

MRC