Eastman Cyphrex microfibers wins innovation raw material award

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, received the EDANA INDEX14 Innovation in Raw Material Award for its Eastman Cyphrex microfibers, as per the company's press release.

Launched in 2013, the new and groundbreaking Eastman Cyphrex microfibers platform, enables nonwovens solutions unlike anything else on the market. It has become a novel resource for media and downstream component manufacturers.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from a leading international association such as EDANA," said Tim N. Dell, vice president, innovation, marketing, sales and pricing, Eastman Chemical Company. "We are continuously investing in growing our application development expertise to address customer needs with market-changing products that offer an entirely new level of performance."

Eastman Cyphrex microfibers offer a unique combination of capability in variation of size, shape and material, a high level of uniformity and consistency, and ease of wetlaid processing. This combination opens new possibilities to nonwovens formulators and their customers in achieving an expanded reach of desired properties with a high degree of precision and consistency.

Earlier this year, Eastman enhanced its platform capability with a new 4.5-micron PET fiber, demonstrating the company’s capability of changing size. Manufacturers can use this unique fiber to pinpoint permeability and pore size and to improve media uniformity.

Customers have the potential to use Eastman Cyphrex microfibers in such markets as air and liquid filtration; specialty papers; and battery separators.

As MRC wrote previously, earlier this year, Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, enhanced its medical packaging portfolio with Eastalite copolyester, the company’s first opaque offering, which is styrene-free and can be a sustainable alternative to high-impact polystyrene (HIPS).

Eastman (headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA) is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables.
MRC

LyondellBasell to discuss first-quarter results Tuesday, April 29

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell will announce first-quarter financial results before the U.S. market opens Tuesday, April 29, to be followed by a conference call to discuss results at 11 a.m., said The Wall Street Journal.

As MRC wrote before, LyondellBasell said it had pulled out of talks to sell its Berre refinery in southeastern France to Monaco-based Sotragem, adding that the bid offered no guarantee that the mothballed site would restart.

LyondellBasell Industries NV is a manufacturing company. The Company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell Industries operates globally and is headquartered in the Netherlands. 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.
MRC

SIBUR increased EPS contract prices for May

MOSCOW (MRC) - SIBUR, the largest producer of expandable polystyrene (EPS) in Russia, announced an increase in contract EPS prices for May delivery, according ICIS-MRC Price Report.

Domestic price for EPS of Alphapor brand will be increased by Rb2,000/tonne. Following price rise in the domestic prices, the producer also increased its export EPS prices by USD30/tonne, compared with the April level, effective from 1 May.

The producer said the reason for the price rise was the growth of styrene and polystyrene prices in the foreign markets as well as strong sales in the domestic market.

Buying activity in the domestic EPS market is seasonally strong in Russia this month. Demand for both the Russian and the Asian EPS has improved. Spot prices for Asian EPS were heard in the range of Rb90,000-93,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT.
MRC

PE imports to Belarus fell by 16% in January and February 2014

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of polyethylene (PE) into Belarus decreased by 16% over the first two months of 2014. High density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the greatest fall in supplies, according to MRC analysts.

PE imports to Belarus dropped in January and February of 2014 to 14,200 tonnes from 16,900 tonnes over the first two months of 2013. HDPE accounted for the greatest decrease in demand. The main reasons for reduced imports were weak demand for finished products and the devaluation of the national currency amid shrinking credit financing.

The structure of PE imports over the stated period lookds the following way.

Imports of high density polyethylene (HDPE) totalled 7,800 tonnes over the first two months of the year, down by 19.2% year on year. As expected, European HDPE producers reduced their presence in the local market (higher prices), while Russian producers increased their shipments to 6,000 tonnes (about 4,000 tonnes - a year earlier).

The overall imports of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) fell to 6,400 tonnes in January and February 2014 from 7,200 tonnes a year earlier. Producers from Saudi Arabia are leaders in this market (they supplied about 3,500 tonnes of PE over the stated period). The share of Russian LDPE is insignificant in the local market and was about 728 tonnes over the first two months of the year.
MRC

Reliance signs loan to finance expansion of its petrochemical plants

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) signs loan co-financed by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Japanese banks backed by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) for up to USD 550 million to part finance the proposed expansion of its petrochemical plants and setting up new gasification plant and refinery off-gas cracker over the next two to three years, said Noodls.

This is RIL's eighth ECA facility for the largest capital expenditure program it has undertaken. This is the first time that JBIC is extending credit to RIL. JBIC will provide direct financing of up to USD 330 million and Japanese banks, supported by a 95% NEXI insurance cover, will finance up to USD 220 million.

The participating banks include The Bank of Tokyo- Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and three regional Japanese banks namely The Gunma Bank Ltd., The Hachijuni Bank, Ltd. and The Chiba Bank, Ltd.

This facility will have a door-to-door tenor of twelve years and will be used to finance contracts for imports of goods & services signed with more than 20 Japanese suppliers, including some SMEs and MMEs.

With this facility, NEXI has established a new insurance program that extends support to Japanese regional banks' for financing such overseas projects. In addition to the aforesaid six Japanese banks, some more banks (Japanese regional banks) are expected to participate through a partial assignment of the contractual rights and obligations of NEXI

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is India's largest private sector company on all major financial parameters with a turnover of INR 401,302 crore (USD67.0 billion), cash profit of INR 30,795 crore (USD 5.1 billion) and net profit of INR 21,984 crore (USD3.7 billion) as of March 31, 2014. As MRC informed before, Reliance Industries Ltd. has reported a 7.9% year-on-year decline in its gross refining margin for the January-March quarter, to USD9.30/barrel.

MRC