INEOS strikes deal to save Grangemouth refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) -- INEOS will reopen its Grangemouth refining and petrochemical complex in Scotland after local trade union Unite agreed to the company's survival plan, reported the company on its site.

Unite agreed to terms including no strikes for three years, a move to a modern pension scheme, a pay freeze for three years, and several changes to on-site union agreements, including no full-time union convenors.

INEOS said it will reopen its petrochemicals business with immediate effect while also restarting the oil refinery.

As MRC wrote previously, the site had been taken offline in anticipation of a 48-hour walkout beginning October 20.
However, INEOS decided to keep the complex shut down after an insufficient number of Grangemouth workers voted in favor of the survival plan.

The survival plan calls for 300m pounds of investment towards the site upgrades, including the building of a gas terminal to bring in shale gas-derived ethane from the US.

The updated pensions agreement means that pensions will be built up over the course of an employee’s career, instead of being determined by salary at retirement.

The petrochemicals complex is wholly-owned by INEOS, while the oil refinery is joint-owned by INEOS and PetroChina. The Grangemouth site employs 1,400 people, including 700 at the petchem operations.

INEOS Group Limited is a privately owned multinational chemicals company consisting of 15 standalone business units, headquartered in Rolle, Switzerland and with its registered office in Lyndhurst, United Kingdom. It is the fourth largest chemicals company in the world measured by revenues (after BASF, Dow Chemical and LyondellBasell) and the largest privately owned company in the United Kingdom.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sahara Petrochemicals Co. and Saudi International Petrochemical Co. (Sipchem) said today they are proceeding with the detail studies and negotiations over their potential merger, said Mubasher.

The two companies had earlier reached initial understanding to jointly consider the economic and technical feasibility study on the merger.

In case of reaching an agreement, it is expected to be subject to various conditions, including obtaining the approvals of shareholders and regulatory authorities. The two parties will duly unveil any relevant developments.

As MRC wrote before, Sahara Petrochemicals Company has signed a contract with DAELIM for the Butanol plant that's capacity is 330,000 metric tonnes annually of n-butanol and 11,000 metric tons of iso-butanol in Jubail Industrial city.

Sahara Petrochemicals Company is an affiliate of Tasnee and Sahara Olefins Company and the Saudi Acrylic Acid Company.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC has unveiled a SABIC Polypropylene app for iOS (phone and tablet) and Android (phone), titled SABIC Polypropylene Product Finder, said the producer.

The app combines powerful analysis tools and product information, helping users match the right SABIC PP solutions to their needs. In this digital age, SABIC wants to offer their existing and potential customers a more flexible tool to have an overview of the PP portfolio in Europe. This app marks the company’s pioneering step into mobile technology, an increasingly important platform which provides added value to its existing and potential customers.

The free of charge downloadable app, is available in all regions, conveniently packages SABIC PP expertise in Europe into one application, allowing convertors, OEMs, designers and engineers, to access comprehensive PP information quickly and easily. At first hand it contains the European offered polypropylene product portfolio.

Paul Wanrooij, Technical Marketing Engineer for SABIC, commented "SABIC Polypropylene Product Finder is our first application in the polypropylene marketplace and we are delighted with the feel and functionality of the app, which we will continue to expand out with more features to improve the overall user experience. We hope it is something that existing and potential customers will use when seeking out a solution for their technical problems."

The app has built-in technology that will allow users to search for in-depth information about PP grades within the building and construction, consumer products, flexible and rigid packaging, healthcare, mobility and transport industries and film and fibers. The app also allows users to forward information to their e-mail account and gives them easy access to the key features of the SABIC website on their mobile or tablet device.

As MRC wrote before, SABIC started producing its new polypropylene (PP) impact copolymer (ICP) grade PP77MK40T in China for the local market.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.

MRC

MOSOCW (MRC) -- SIBUR Holding shareholders approved dividends for the first half of 2013 at the general shareholders meeting held on 25 October 2013, said the producer in its press release.

Dividends will be paid in the amount of RR 2.93 per share. Total dividend payment will be RR 6,382,943,763, equivalent to 25% of the company’s net profit under International Financial Reporting standards (IFRS).
The company paid dividends of RR 3.4 per share for the first half of 2012.

SIBUR’s dividend policy targets dividend pay-out ratio of approximately 25% of consolidated net profit under IFRS.

As MRC wrote before, SIBUR and the German chemicals giant BASF signed a Long-Term Cooperation Memorandum to supply additives used for polymer production and processing at SIBUR’s production facilities.

SIBUR is a uniquely positioned vertically integrated gas processing and petrochemicals company. SIBUR owns and operates Russia’s largest gas processing business in terms of associated petroleum gas processing volumes and is a leader in the Russian petrochemicals industry.

As of 30 June 2013, SIBUR operated 27 production sites across Russia and employed more than 28,000 personnel. The Group serves over 1,500 large customers operating in the energy, automotive, construction, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), chemical and other industries in approximately 60 countries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Life sciences and material sciences company Royal DSM (Heerlen / The Netherlands) has signed a partnership agreement with long fibre thermoplastic (LFT) specialist Plasticomp (Winona, Minnesota / USA) to develop bio-based LFT composite materials based on DSM’s "EcoPaXX" polyamide 4.10, said Plasteurope.

The lightweight materials, which include compounds reinforced with glass fiber as well as carbon fiber, will be targeted at automotive and other performance-driven markets.

The companies said that, following initial compounding, moulding and testing of carbon-fiber reinforced EcoPaXX, they have established benchmark composites for high-temperature (up to 200°C) and structural applications. EcoPaXX polyamide 4.10 is 70% derived from renewable resources.

In addition to automotive applications, the composites are suitable for metal-replacement applications such as electro-magnetic interference (EMI) shielding for electronics and radiolucency in X-ray applications.

DSM and Plasticomp said they will collaborate with potential customers to design injection-molded composite parts using computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools.

As MRC wrote before, DSM developed a new thermoplastic elastomer - Arnitel VT - for production of waterproof and highly breathable ultrathin membranes to be used in outdoor clothing. Arnitel VT is a very flexible thermoplastic elastomer that, when made into membranes just a few microns thick, is 100% waterproof but also highly breathable and comfortable. The material contains no PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) and is 100% recyclable.

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials.
MRC