LG Chem named the ICIS Company of the Year

NEW YORK and LONDON (PRNewswire) -- ICIS Chemical Business magazine is pleased to announce that South Korea-based LG Chem has been named the ICIS Company of the Year.

"Congratulations to LG Chem for an outstanding financial performance in
2009 - a difficult year in which most companies struggled with the impact of
the global economic crisis, " said Joseph Chang, Global Editor of ICIS
Chemical Business. "We commend CEO Peter Bahnsuk Kim and his team for their superb efforts."

In 2009, LG Chem registered an 8% increase in group sales in local
currency, a 45% increase in operating profits and a 51% jump in net income
for the year at a time when so many other firms experienced the worst of the
slump, noted ICIS Insight Editor Nigel Davis.

LG Chem's Executive in Russia James Han is going to participate in Russian Polymers Summit on October 14, 2010, organized by ICIS and MRC. For more information please refer to http://www.icisconference.com/russianpolymers/ Summit official web page.

MRC

KINGSPORT (Eastman) -- Combining clarity and strength, the most recent innovation in multiserve beverage packaging from Eastman Chemical Company ≈ Eastman Aspira copolyester EN177 ≈ launched today at InterBev 2010 in Orlando, Fla. Aspira EN177 allows increased design and processing opportunities for large-volume refrigerated beverage, spirit and dairy handleware applications manufactured on high-output platforms.

Providing a quality aesthetic, Eastman Aspira copolyester EN177 offers gloss and glasslike clarity to increase package shelf appeal. Additionally, the design freedom and strength of Aspira EN177 enhance the product appearance and user experience by permitting ergonomic, curvy and intricately designed containers. The material allows designers to create containers with functional handles and volumes of 60 ounces and larger in ways previously unachievable.

MRC

VIENNA (Borealis) -- Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions and market leader for the wire and cable industry, has launched the newly developed LE0520. This new strippable semiconductive insulation shield compound demonstrates a consistent low strip force over a very wide temperature range which is unique to the wire and cable industry. Thorough testing under all extreme weather conditions shows that the product always easily strips while leaving a very clean insulation surface without pick-off.

LE0520 sets more new standards in the wire and cable industry. Not only does the product exceed all different industry standards like thermal aging, its new, revolutionary product design also allows a very smooth surface of the semiconductive shield, giving further advantages to the cable's electrical performance. Cable producers additionally report ease of processing and a reduction of by-product residues in the Continuous Vulcanization (CV) tube as clear advantages of LE0520.

Borealis' Executive in CIS Roman Romanov is going to participate in Russian Polymers Summit on October 14, 2010, organized by ICIS and MRC. For more information please refer to http://www.icisconference.com/russianpolymers/ Summit official web page.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Saudi Arabia's Yanbu National Petrochemical Company (Yansab) has boosted operating rates at the ethane-fed steam cracker in Yanbu after restarting the plant late last week. The 1,300,000 tpa cracker at Yansab was brought down on September 10 to rectify a technical fault. Supplies to customers were not impacted by the shutdown.

MRC

(Azom) -- Arkema has announced the construction of a latex plant in China to produce a range of emulsion polymers for use primarily in the coatings and adhesives markets. Arkema will invest $30 million in the new plant located on its Changshu platform. Start-up is expected in late 2012.

Expanding manufacturing into China for emulsion products enhances Arkema's position as an integrated global raw materials source for its customers in many industries, and reinforces Arkema's strategy to grow its position in Asia and increase its acrylics downstream integration. Adding capability for emulsion products will further enhance Arkema's offering in the region to coatings manufacturers, especially after the completion of the Coatex acrylic polymer plant which is expected to start up mid 2011 as announced in July 2009.

MRC