PVC imports in Belarus decreased by 16.8% in January - August 2014

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in Belarus decreased to 25,400 tonnes in the first eight months of this year, down 16.8% year on year, according to MRC DataScope.

PVC imports in the country has seasonally increased since June, in August it reached 4,100 tonnes. Total PVC imports decreased to 25,400 tonnes in January - August 2014, compared with 30,500 tonnes year on year.

Such a serious decline in demand for PVC from the local converters resulted from a lower demand for finished PVC products in the domestic market (down more than 30% compared to 2013 figures), whereas export sales, including in Russia , declined by about 20%.

Key suppliers of PVC to the local market were producers from Germany, with their share increased to 54% from the total imports in the country over the reported period.

At the same time, some Belarusian companies do not rule out the growth of PVC supply from Russia, including a new production site - RusVinil.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) in Russia decreased by 18% in In the first nine months of this year on the emergency shutdown of Stavrolen, according to MRC ScanPlast.

September production of HDPE in Russia declined to 44,300 tonnes, compared to 68,800 tonnes in August because of the scheduled maintenance works at Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim. Total HDPE production in the country was 623,500 tonnes in January - September of this year, compared with 763,900 tonnes year on year. The increase in production at Kazanorgsintez and Gazprom neftekhim Salavat could not compensate for the shutdown of the second largest HDPE producer in Russia - Stavrolen.

Structure of HDPE production in Russia over the reported period looked as follows. Gazprom neftekhim Salavat (Gazprom) has increased its production rates on the back of solving the problem with a feedstock (ethylene). September HDPE production by the company was 7,900 tonnes; HDPE production in the first nine months of this year grew to 67,600 tonnes, up 31% compared to the same period of 2013.

Kazanorgsintez shut its capacities for maintenances in September, in less than a month the company produced 24,500 tonnes of HDPE. The producer's total HDPE production was 378,200 tonnes in the first nine months of the year, up 9% year on year.

The third largest HDPE producer in Russia, Nizhnekamskneftekhim (Taif) also due to the technical problems and maintenance works decreased its HDPE production in September to 12,000 tonnes. Total HDPE production by the producer was 130,000 tonnes in January - September this year, down 6% year on year.

As noted earlier, the second largest HDPE producer in Russia - Stavrolen (Lukoil) had to shut its 300,000 tonnes/year HDPE production on 26, February because of the accident at the ethylene production. According to recent statements made by officials, the company plans to resume HDPE production in March-April 2015.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Pplymers, a division of Wacker Chemie AG, is to raise its prices for dispersible polymer powders of the VINNAPAS brand in Europe, reported the company on its site.

Effective January 1, 2015, prices will be increased by up to EUR0.10 per kilogram, or as customer contracts allow.

This measure has been necessitated by the current increase in raw-material and distribution cost.

The price adjustments will enable Wacker Polymers to continue providing reliable supply and constantly high product quality, and to boost the development of innovative product and process technologies for the benefit of customers.

VINNAPAS dispersible polymer powders are used mainly in diverse construction chemical applications such as external thermal insulation composite systems, construction and tile adhesives, screeds, self-leveling flooring compounds, plasters, repair mortars, grouts and cementitious sealing slurries.

As MRC informed previously, Wacker Polymers is to raise its prices for VINNAPAS vinyl acetate-ethylene (EVA) and VINNOL ethylene-vinyl chloride-based (EVCL) copolymer dispersions and dispersible powders in the Americas. Effective 1 November, 2014, Wacker will implement a price increase of USD0.03/pound, or as customer contracts allow.

This measure has been necessitated by constantly rising raw material costs, in particular for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). Additionally, a logistics surcharge of USD0.02/pound will be implemented for all shipments effective 1 November, 2014.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow Chemical Co. ’s transformation into a slimmed-down and more profitable company is working, Chief Executive Andrew Liveris said Wednesday, citing USD1.3 billion in asset sales so far this year and a 43% boost to third-quarter profit, said The Wall Street Journal.

Dow hopes to sell lower-margin business lines to raise another USD3.2 billion to USD4.7 billion by the end of 2015. This month, Dow began shopping around Angus Chemical Co., AgroFresh and its Sodium Borohydride business—units that could bring in USD2 billion of that total, the company said.

Profit rose to USD852 million, or 71 cents a share, for the third quarter, up from USD594 million, or 49 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, earnings were 72 cents a share, up from 50 cents in the prior-year period. Revenue rose by 4.9% to USD14.41 billion.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had projected 68 cents a share in earnings and USD14.31 billion in revenue, but expanding sales across all regions helped Dow beat market expectations. The company predicted it could maintain strong results, but acknowledged the global economic picture looks challenging.

Falling oil prices have sparked investor concerns about Dow and other petrochemical manufacturers in the U.S. Profit margins are bolstered in North America by cheap natural gas and other fuels that Dow and its peers use to make plastics and consumer goods, while foreign competitors tend to run plants on higher-priced oil-based feedstocks. Now that oil prices are drifting lower, some analysts have questioned whether Dow’s competitive edge may be fading.

The company’s shares are up more than 17% on the year, but have fallen nearly 8% in the last month. Mr. Liveris said competitive advantage isn’t evaporating. Dow’s margins may be squeezed in the near term, but the effect will be temporary, he said.

As MRC wrote before, Dow Elastomers, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, will soon break ground on its planned world-scale NORDEL EPDM (ethylene propylene-diene terpolymer) facility in Plaquemine, La., which will utilize the company’s newest proprietary catalyst technology to enable products with high Mooney viscosity.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber. In 2012, Dow had annual sales of approximately USD57 billion. The сompany's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 countries across the globe.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- inge GmbH, a subsidiary of BASF SE and technology leader in ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, has secured the biggest project in company’s history and will supply high-capacity ultrafiltration technology for a desalination plant in Jamnagar (India), reported BASF on its site.

More than 4,000 modules from the T-Rack 3.0 series will provide 450,000 cubic meters of pretreated water per day to one of the country's largest oil refineries.

The desalination plant is built by IDE Technologies, one of the world’s leading water treatment specialists, and will use inge UF to protect the sensitive reverse osmosis membranes and to minimize the energy footprint of the plant. After multiple sea water pretreatment steps, the desalination plant will deliver up to 170,000 cubic meters of process water per day.

"Onsite pilot testing confirmed that our T-Rack 3.0 ultrafiltration modules meet the very demanding performance requirements in terms of process stability, filtrate quality and yield, especially during the monsoon period," explains inge CEO Bruno Steis. "Our unique technology delivers a continuous supply of pre-filtered water at a consistently high quality level independent of seasonal fluctuations with high turbidity, thereby helping to reduce the plant's energy and operating cost significantly."

The German-made modules are scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. The entire desalination plant is scheduled for commissioning in 2015 and represents one of the biggest ultrafiltration plants currently being built anywhere in the world. "The Jamnagar project is a landmark in our company’s history. It demonstrates that inge ultrafiltration membrane technology delivers exceptional performance at large-scale for multiple industries in need of innovative, sustainable and cost-effective solutions for water filtration," emphasizes Bruno Steis. Professional water treatment and environmentally beneficial water recycling are taking on increasing importance, particularly in water-stressed regions. inge ultrafiltration technology helps in promoting the sustainable use of the valuable resource water.

As MRC wrote previously, in early 2014, BASF announced it was inaugurating a new plant in Yeosu, Korea to strengthen the supply of Ultrason polyarylsulfone, one of the company’s high performance thermoplastics. The new plant, with an annual production capacity of 6,000 metric tons, will better serve the growing market in Asia Pacific. The new plant is the first of its kind to be built outside of Germany and brings the company’s global capacity of Ultrason polyarylsulfone to 18,000 metric tons per year.

Ultrason is widely applied in the electronics, automotive and aerospace industries for the production of heat-resistant, lightweight components. Other popular Ultrason applications include membranes for water treatment, fittings for drinking water pipelines or food contact parts as in espresso machines, or microwave-proof dishes. Ultrason is also used in the production of carbon fiber composite materials.

inge GmbH, based in Greifenberg, Germany, is a world's leading provider of ultrafiltration technology, a membrane process used to treat drinking water, process water, waste water and sea water. With a global reach enhanced by its network of partners, the company has completed numerous reference projects around the globe featuring its cutting-edge technology. In August 2011, inge became part of BASF, the world’s leading chemical company. Its range of products include highly-efficient ultrafiltration modules and cost-effective, space-saving rack designs as the core components of water treatment plants, rounded off by the superb technical support it provides to its customers. All the company's products are based on the in-house development of its patented Multibore membrane technology, providing the top-quality standards for which German-made goods are known.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC