Styrolution accelerating the pace of customer-centric innovation in styrenics

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has announced it has entered into a partnership with Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (NMB) and the University of Bayreuth, according to the company's press release.

Styrolution will complement its existing R&D efforts by tapping into the broad intellectual and infrastructural polymer research resources of its new partners. This goes beyond traditional models of corporate cooperation with academia in that NMB and the university are making their infrastructure easily accessible to Styrolution.

The partnership enables the company to focus its R&D activities on downstream customer innovations across five core industries: automotive, electrical & electronics, household appliances, building & construction, healthcare & diagnostics. Initial projects will focus on the fields of lightweight structures and 3D printing. Addressing the latest trends in material innovation, Styrolution will focus its R&D resources in Bayreuth on the next generation of material development to ensure it continues to remain at the forefront of innovation.

R&D partnership aligns with Styrolution's ‘triple shift' growth strategy: the partnership is in harmony with the company's growth strategy, which calls for three ‘shifts' intended to put greater focus on measures that will expand its footprint in higher-growth industries, styrenic specialties, and emerging markets. It will also make it possible to further develop its portfolio of styrenic specialty copolymers.

As MRC reported earlier, Styrolution and Braskem, the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in America and a global leader in biopolymers, announced in October the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to investigate the formation of a joint venture in Brazil. The proposed 100,000 tonne plant would supply specialty styrenics, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymers, to customers in Brazil and throughout South America.

The Styrolution Group GmbH is a global provider of styrenics , headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The company is a joint venture between BASF (50%) and INEOS (50%), were merged into the main styrene operations of the two partners. Its main focus is on the production of monomer, polystyrene, styrenic specialties, and ABS. The company offers styrene plastics for a variety of everyday products from different industries , such as automotive, electronics, construction, household, leisure, packaging, medicine and health.
MRC

Sipchem expects share-swap merger with Sahara Petrochemicals in 2014

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi International Petrochemical Co. (SIPCHEM) expects to sign a share-swap merger agreement with Sahara (SPC) Petrochemicals Co. in the first half of next year, seeking to create a company with about USD5 billion in market value, as per Bloomberg.

Saudi International Petrochemical, also known as Sipchem, will issue 0.685 new shares for every one of Sahara under the terms of the proposed merger, the companies said in a statement to the Saudi stock market. They signed a memorandum of understanding to start due diligence and continue the non-binding talks. Sipchem will issue 300.6 million new shares to Sahara shareholders.

The companies’ proposed merger comes as SABIC, the world’s biggest petrochemicals maker by market value, seeks investment opportunities in the U.S. State-run General Retirement Organization and Al Zamil Holding Group are shareholders in both Sipchem and Sahara, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

"The combined business is expected to result in significant synergies related to operational efficiencies and the combined company would become a stronger platform for further growth in the long-term," according to the statement.

As MRC reported previously, in early June 2013, Saudi Arabia's Sahara Petrochemicals and Sipchem announced the beginning of initial talks on a potential merger. The Zamil Holding Company Group, one of the Kingdom's most prominent family businesses, is a major shareholder in both companies.

Established in 1999, Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) manufactures and markets methanol, butanediol, tetrahydrofuran, acetic acid, acetic anhydride, vinyl acetate monomer. Besides, it has launched several down-stream projects to manufacture ethylene vinyl acetate, low density polyethylene, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, cross linkable polyethylene, and semi conductive compound that are scheduled to start in 2013.
MRC

Unipetrol produced over 5 million tonnes of polypropylene

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Czech downstream oil group Unipetrol (PKN Orlen's affiliate) has achieved an important milestone in the last days of November when the company reached over the border 5,000,000 tonnes of produced polypropylene (PP), reported the company on its site.

"We are the only producer of polypropylene in the Czech Republic and produce about 50 types of PP for a wide range of products. It can be found for example in nonwoven textile, which is used in production of baby diapers, in building industry or agriculture," explains Artur Pazdzior, Chief Executive of Unipetrol RPA. Polypropylene is also used in automotive industry, in production of toys, swimming pools, as well as for food packaging - different types of pots.

Polypropylene has been producing in Chempark Zaluzi for 38 years. The first 250 tons of the Czech PP with the trade name Mosten were produced on 27th October 1975. The original polypropylene unit was shut down in October 2002, one month before opening of new polypropylene unit, and was dismantled for scrap in 2004. New polypropylene unit has a higher performance, it produces up to 900 tonnes of PP every day.

Another type of polymer produced by Unipetrol RPA is polyethylene. The limit of 5 millions tonnes of produced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) Unipetrol RPA was achieved during November 2011, even though the company has been starting the production of polyethylene a year later than the production of polypropylene, in 1976.

As MRC wrote previously, Unipetrol expects petrochemicals to become the largest source of revenue for the company in 2013-2017. Unipetrol wants to use the favourable market conditions to reinforce its position on the petrochemical market and optimise its operations.

Unipetrol , a.s. is a group of companies operating in the petrochemical industry in the Czech Republic. In 2005 Unipetrol became a part of the PKN ORLEN Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe. The UNIPETROL Group is oriented mostly towards oil processing, fuel distribution and petrochemical production. In all of these business areas the Unipetrol Group is among the key players both in the Czech Republic and on the Central European market. The Group ranks among the leading firms in the Czech Republic in terms of its revenues, and employs almost 3,700 people.
MRC

Imports of PC-granulate to Russia decreased by 19% in January-November 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Total imports of polycarbonate to Russia was 42,200 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, down 19% year on year, according MRC DataScope report.

Imports of polycarbonate to the Russian market continued to show a steady downtrend. Imports of PC-granulate to Russia was 2,800 tonnes in November, down by 10% from the October's level.

Russia's export of polycarbonate in November reached record levels, having increased by 52% compared with the October's level to 3,600 tonnes.

Russia's November net exports (the difference between exports and imports) of PC-granulate was positive in the first time for the year , having reached 800 tonnes.

MRC

LLDPE imports to Russia increased by 24% in January - November 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Total imports of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) to Russia increased by 24% in the first eleven months of the year and exceeded 190,000 tonnes, according to MRC DataScope report.

Russia's LLDPE imports grew to 190,200 tonnes in January - November 2013 compared with 153,300 tonnes in the same period in 2012. Demand for LLDPE has increased in such consumption sectors as: film extrusion and injection moulding, whereas in the sector of rotor forming it has weakened.
The structure of LLDPE imports during the reported period was as follows. External supplies of film LLDPE in November was about 17,400 tonnes, slightly exceeding the October figure of 17,200 tonnes. Russia's imports of film LLDPE increased to 167,300 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, compared with 130,600 tonnes year on year.

More than 60% of the total imports occurred for the producers of stretch film. Russia's imports of LLDPE for rotomoulding products fell by almost twice in November, compared with the October's level to 425 tonnes. Russia's imports of LLDPE for rotomoulding products in the eleven months of the year decreased to 8,300 tonnes, compared with 9,800 tonnes year on year.

Imports of injection moulding LLDPE dropped to 360 tonnes in November, compared with 551 tonnes in October. Total imports of injection moulding LLDPE to Russia increased to 4,100 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, compared with 2,600 tonnes year on year.

MRC