PolyOne expands India operations with new plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PolyOne, a premier global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, has begun building a new facility in Pune, India, that will manufacture specialty materials, including solid masterbatch, liquid colorant and additives, reported the company on its site.

"With advanced design capabilities and enhanced manufacturing flexibility, we will offer customers in India an even broader array of solutions and improved delivery times," said Vikas Vij, managing director for PolyOne's operations in India.

"Demand for advanced specialty solutions in India is increasing - particularly in automotive, packaging, wire and cable and healthcare - and our expanded presence will position PolyOne exceptionally well to collaborate with and serve our customers."

The facility will operate development labs and the sales and customer service center for the region. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2014.

"Consistent with PolyOne's globalization strategy, our investment in India augments other recent announcements, including a new joint venture specialty colorant facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and plans to begin thermoplastic elastomer production in Sao Paulo, Brazil," said Robert M. Patterson, executive vice president and chief operating officer for PolyOne, which describes itself as a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions.

As MRC wrote previously, PolyOne Corporation announced it will realign its North American manufacturing assets. This company will relocate is assets in order to better serve customers, improve efficiency, and deliver previously announced synergy-related cost savings in connection with its March 2013 acquisition of Spartech Corporation. Over the next several months, the company will close six manufacturing plants and relocate production to other PolyOne facilities. These actions are expected to be completed by the end of 2014 and generate annualized pre-tax savings of approximately USD25 million in 2015. Cash costs are expected to approximate USD45 million over the next 12-18 months, primarily related to severance, asset relocation and additional capital investment.

PolyOne Corporation, with 2012 revenues of USD2.9 billion, is a premier provider of specialized polymer materials, tailored services and end-to-end solutions.
MRC

Clariant announces major investments

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, underlined its commitment to the Plastics and Coatings industry at its K 2013 press conference and demonstrated how the megatrends that drive the plastics industry are at the root of the company’s market strategy, said Plastemart.

Christian Kohlpaintner, Member of Clariant’s Executive Committee, outlined a number of major investments to support increasing demand from plastics processors and end-markets for sustainable, high-performance additives, colorants and masterbatches, with a particular focus on the growth markets and regions.

Clariant’s significant recent investments for its Business Unit Masterbatches in the Middle East cover a 10 million Euro investment in Riyadh and the addition of 3 production lines for additives, fibers and color masterbatches. The Masterbatches Joint Venture, still subject to merger control clearance, in Saudi Arabia between Clariant and Tasnee, a strong and established player in the Middle East, will add a significant investment and capacity increase in white masterbatches. Clariant will enhance its regional and global supply capabilities for the important high performance Pigment Violet 23, with a new world scale Pigment PV23 plant in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China.

This will supplement its recent acquisition of the Organic Pigment business of Jiangsu Multicolor, a leading organic pigment producer. PV23 is used in a very wide range of formulations and applications in Coatings, Plastics and Printing inks.

Looking ahead, Clariant is exploring options for expanding production capacity of its high-performance Licocene® low molecular polyolefins to meet increasing demand from the plastics sector, as well as from the technical textile segment. Its first Licocene production plant, which started operation in 2006, will near full utilization over the next years.

Innovation highlights unveiled at K 2013 include: new AddWorks polymer additives solutions for key sectors such as automotive, electrical & electronics (E&E), agriculture, packaging, and for specific effects e.g. process or light stabilization; Exolit flame retardants for thermoplastics; a new range of low halogen controlled colorants (LHC) for the E&E, toys, consumer goods and food packaging markets; and the launch of The Project House – a two million Euro facility in Italy to pursue breakthrough concepts and solutions in Masterbatches products and processes. A second Project House is to be built in Asia. HiFormer - high performance integrated liquid masterbatches – is a new, innovative Liquid Masterbatches system for all polymers and all production processes. It sets a new industry standard by offering the right mix of consultancy, engineering and chemistry for world class performance, flexibility and excellence. The new Clariant Innovation Center, opening at the end of October, will provide a focal point for coordinating Clariant’s global R&D activities. Located in Frankfurt, the facility represents an investment of 100 million Euro.

As MRC wrote before, Clariant announced that it has signed a long-term supply contract with OMV. From 2015, the Austrian oil and gas company will supply Clariant’s site in Gendorf (Germany) with ethylene. This agreement will enable Clariant to source most of its requirements for this important basic chemical in southern Bavaria.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.

MRC

LyondellBasell and Oiltanking Stolthaven finalize new chemical storage pact

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, one of the major petrochemical global producers and the world's largest maker of polypropylene, and Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp has announced that Lyondell Chemie Nederland BV and Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp NV have signed a 10-year agreement for the storage and handling of Glacial Acetic Acid (GAA) and Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) in Antwerp, reported LyondellBasell on its site.

As part of the agreement, Oiltanking Stolthaven will invest in new stainless steel storage capacity and rail loading infrastructure at Antwerp.

"GAA and VAM are industrial chemicals that are in high demand. Europe has an increased need for these imports. This agreement allows us to solidify our commitment to the European acetyls market and continue to serve our customers' needs far into the future," said Justin Hommes, Marketing Manager, Acetyls and BDO-Derivatives of LyondellBasell in Europe.

GAA is one of the world's most essential intermediate chemicals. It is used to manufacture VAM, purified terephthalic acid (PTA), acetic anhydride, monochloroacetic acid and acetate esters.

VAM is a chemical building block used to manufacture a wide variety of industrial and consumer products such as polyvinyl acetate for paints, adhesives and coatings. Polyvinyl alcohol is also used to make adhesives, coatings and water soluble packaging films. Polyvinyl acetals are used to produce insulation for magnetic wire, interlayers for safety glass, wash primers and coatings. Other related applications of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers include flexible films, coatings, adhesives, moldings and insulation and packaging.

As MRC informed previously, LyondellBasell has just announced the opening of the 70,000-square-foot Houston Technology Center to develop process technologies and chemical catalysts for its Intermediates and Derivatives business. Research and development activities at the facility will focus on improving catalyst and process technologies to reduce manufacturing costs, improve yields, and lower capital costs of new construction for LyondellBasell's global chemicals business. Proprietary technologies supported at the site include propylene oxide, butanediol and derivatives, glycols and glycol ethers, acetyls, olefins and solvents.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. LyondellBasell manufactures products at 58 sites in 18 countries. The company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell is also a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor. LyondellBasell is also a global supplier of GAA and VAM. Its customers are served by a global storage and distribution network that spans North America, Europe and Asia.
MRC

Borealis holds 75.05% of the shares in Rosier and announces a reopening of the bid

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis, the company in fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers, has announced that 46,368 Rosier shares were tendered in the framework of the mandatory public takeover bid launched by Borealis on 2 September 2013 on all Rosier shares which are not already held by Borealis, according to the company's press release.

This represents 42.15% of the total number of Rosier shares to which the public takeover bid relates. The publication of the results in the financial press, in accordance with article 32 juncto article 57 of the Royal Decree of 27 April 2007 on public takeover bids, took place on 9 October 2013.

The payment of the shares which were offered during the initial acceptance period was scheduled to take place on 11 October 2013.

After the initial acceptance period, Borealis will hold 191,368 shares or 75.05% of the shares issued by Rosier.

Borealis voluntarily reopened the bid from 14 October 2013 to 28 October 2013 (inclusive). The payment of the shares which will be tendered during the voluntary reopening is scheduled on 5 November 2013.

As MRC reported earlier, this summer Borealis closed an agreement with TOTAL to acquire its majority interest of 56.86% in Rosier SA.

Besides, Borealis is investing EUR65 million in upgrading its Borstar PE2 plant in Porvoo, Finland. The major project will upgrade the Borstar PE2 plant technology to the third generation and extend its platform. The Austrian company announced earlier this year that it was investing EUR25 million in Porvoo plant to install new hot oil heater unit at the phenol complex.

Rosier - is a mineral fertilizer manufacturer with two production facilities (Moustier in Belgium and Sas van Gent in the Netherlands) and markets its products in more than 80 countries worldwide. Rosier generated sales of EUR278 million in 2012.

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. Borealis is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and operates in over 120 countries with around 5,300 employees worldwide, generating EUR7.5 billion in sales revenue in 2012.
MRC

Technip awarded contract for FEED design for Sasol Lake Charles site in Louisiana

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Technip was awarded by Sasol a contract to supply its proprietary ethylene technology and front-end engineering design (FEED) for a world-class grassroots ethane cracker, said Plastemart.

This cracker, to be located at Sasol's Lake Charles site in Louisiana, USA, will produce an estimated 1.5 mln tpa of ethylene. Technip's operating center in Houston, Texas, will execute the FEED project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.

Stan Knez, Technip's Senior Vice President, Process Technology, commented: "We are pleased that Sasol selected our technology for this world-scale cracker, which will benefit from the current low US natural gas prices and abundance of ethane. As the largest ethylene licensor and contractor, Technip is proud to support Sasol's objectives to expand its downstream business in the US."

As MRC wrote earlier, ZapSibNeftekhim LLC, an affiliate of JSC Sibur Holding, awarded two front-end engineering and design (FEED) contracts to Technip for polyethylene plants located in Tobolsk, in the Tyumen region of Russia.
The first contract concerns a linear-low/high-density gas phase polyethylene plant.

Technip is a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry.
Present in 48 countries, Technip has state-of-the-art industrial assets on all continents and operates a fleet of specialized vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction.
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