PA 6 exports from Russia rose by 23% from January to July 2014

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia exported 61,200 tonnes of polyamide 6 (PA 6) to foreign markets over the first seven months of 2014, up by 23% year on year, according to MRC DataScope report.
KuibyshevAzot, Russia's key PA 6 producer, mainly focused on export shipments of material on the back of stronger demand in foreign markets than in the domestic market. KuibyshevAzot's material is mainly used in the textile industry. Various compounds and PA copolymers are also produced from Russian PA 6??.
Russian textile industry is underdeveloped because of lack of favorable economic conditions and high competition from imported material. A reduction of 3.3% was registered in this industry in the first half of 2014. Traditionally, the main PA 6 consumers in foreign markets are such countries, as China, India, Turkey, i.e. those countries, which receive significant amounts of textile products from the Russian market.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thailand's PTT Global Chemical Pcl is seeking a partner to expand the crude processing capacity of its planned joint petrochemical project with Indonesian state oil and gas firm Pertamina, as per Plastemart.

PTT Global is planning to triple the crude processing capacity of the project to 360,000 bpd, which would boost the estimated investment in the complex to as much as USD8 bln. PTT Global's initial plans with Pertamina had called for an investment of USD5 bln in the petrochemical complex at Balongan on Java island. The investment is part of PTT Group's plan to boost its presence in Southeast Asia as domestic demand slows after several months of political unrest that weakened the economy.

"The estimated investment is expected to rise to USD7-8 bln. PTTGC will focus on petrochemicals and we need to seek a partner to strengthen the refining part," as per CEO Bowon, adding the refinery will help supply feedstock to the petrochemical plant.

The company is studying details on how to finance the project and potential partners, a process it expects to conclude in early 2015. It aims to begin operations at the Indonesia complex in 2020, delayed from a previous completion target in 2018, Bowon said.

The proposed complex, which is scheduled to come on stream by 2019 in Balongan, West Java, is expected to include the production of about 1.2-million t/y of polyethylene and polypropylene and nearly 1-million t/y of other petrochemical derivatives such as monoethylene glycol and butadiene.

As MRC reported earlier, this week, PT Indo Thai Trading (ITT) launched operations as a joint venture of Indonesia's Pertamina and Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC). ITT will be responsible for the marketing and sales of all production from this complex.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Daqing Refining & Chemical is in plans to restart a polypropylene (PP) plant following maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is likely to be restarted in mid-September 2014. It was shut on August 4, 2014.

Located in Heilongjiang province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, in February 2014, Daqing Refining & Chemical already conducted a turnaround at this PP plant.

Earlier, Daqing Refining & Chemical shut its PP plant for maintenance turnaround on August 9, 2013, for around 45 days.

Daqing Petrochemical, which is a main buyer of feedstock LPG from Daqing Refining & Chemical, shut its 600,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker for turnaround at the same time. Daqing Refining & Chemical has an 8m tonne/year refinery in northeast China’s Heilongjiang, with its secondary conversion capacity reaching 6m tonnes/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers has announced that Versaflex CE TPE materials for consumer electronics are now available in combination with Percept Authentication Technologies, as per the company's press release.

This material innovation has been developed to help brand owners combat counterfeiting and reduce the risks associated with fraudulent goods such as phone cases, smart watches, headphones, earbuds and other wearable electronics.

"When designing innovative consumer products, it is extremely important to protect brand equity, differentiated offering and overall revenues," said Charles Page, director of global marketing, PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers. "Our new solution combines Percept’s anti-counterfeiting ability with the haptics and durability of Versaflex CE TPEs. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security logged USD145 million worth of counterfeit consumer electronics entering the country, and this material was developed to help counteract the trend."

Percept technologies can be tailored to a wide variety of processing conditions, end-use applications, and authentication techniques based on overt, covert, or forensic-based approaches. These solutions enable brand owners to readily identify counterfeit products with easy-to-use methods based on additives and unique identifiers called taggants.

As MRC informed earlier, in February 2014, PolyOne Corporation announced the addition of new capabilities to its OnColor HC Plus portfolio. These expanded offerings add medical-grade LDPE, nylon, PEBA, PS and PVC to the globally available palette of specialty healthcare colorants, and are pre-certified to meet or exceed biocompatibility requirements for ISO 10993 and/or USP Class VI protocols.

PolyOne Corporation, with 2013 revenues of USD3.8 billion, is a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services, and solutions. PolyOne is a provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions with operations in specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, polymer distribution and specialty vinyl resins.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mexichem, Mexican PVC and specialty chemicals maker, has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Dura-Line Corp. from CHS Capital for a total of USD630 million in cash and assumed liabilities, advancing Mexichem’s strategy of global growth in high-end specialty products, reported Mexichem on its site.

Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, Dura-Line is a global leader in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduit, duct and pressure-pipe solutions for telecom and data communications, energy and infrastructure industries.

Dura-Line has manufacturing facilities in North America, India, Oman, Europe, and South Africa.

"The acquisition of Dura-Line will be a further step in our strategy of becoming a global, vertically integrated chemical company with a focus on high-end specialized products and solutions," said Antonio Carrillo, CEO of Mexichem.

"Dura-Line’s technological expertise and leading market position in telecom, data communications and energy piping, including its portfolio of blue-chip customers, will allow us to expand in these fast-growing segments across our global operations," he added. "Dura-Line’s international footprint will allow our Integral Solutions business to increase penetration in key markets, and will also provide a platform for growth in new geographies for all of Mexichem’s products."

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2014. Once the transaction has closed, Mexichem will consolidate Dura-Line under the company’s integral solutions chain for accounting purposes.

Dura-Line will continue to operate under its current management and with its existing brand portfolio.

As MRC informed previously, in early August 2014, Mexichem SAB de CV has agreed to buy German PVC paste producer Vestolit GmbH from investment company Strategic Value Partners LLC (SVP Global) for 219 million euros (USD293 million). Based in Marl, Germany, Vestolit makes the PVC paste for flooring, wallpaper and underbody protection for cars, according to a news release from SVP. Greenwich, Conn.-based SVP started looking for a buyer for Vestolit in mid July

Mexichem, of Tlalnepantla, an industrial municipality close to Mexico City, is Latin America’s largest manufacturer of PVC pipe, vinyl resins and compounds. Neither it nor SVP mentioned when they expected the deal to be completed.
New York investment banking firm Jefferies LLC advised SVP. JP Morgan Chase & Co was Mexichem’s adviser.
MRC