Teva and Styrolution help breathe new life into the global inhaler market

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Building upon a long-term partnership, Teva, a leading global pharmaceutical company, worked closely with Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, to identify new styrenic material solutions for its dry powder inhaler, Spiromax, reported Sytrolution in its site.

Teva selects Styrolution for its dry powder inhaler - Spiromax: to differentiate itself from other market players, Teva developed an inhaler design for the Spiromax that is both uniquely simple and intuitive. A significant contributing factor towards Teva's success was sourcing the right materials to create the new inhaler. Also important for Teva was to collaborate with a material provider who understands the requirements of the healthcare industry's often complex regulatory environment and offers long-term recipes for its products. For these reasons, Teva turned to Styrolution for its medical-grade styrenic specialties, Novodur HD and Terlux HD, as well as its HD Service Packages.

Meeting Teva's high performance standards: Teva selected Novodur HD for the inhaler's shaft because it offered a unique combination of high surface quality, dimensional stability, heat resistance and robustness. The inhaler's unique shade of white results from Styrolution's customized color development on behalf of Teva. For the mouth piece, the company selected Styrolution's transparent Terlux HD. The material's inherent impact strength and chemical resistance contribute to the Spiromax's accurate and consistent dosing, leading ultimately to a better patient experience. Furthermore, Terlux lends itself well to self-coloring making it possible for customers like Teva to offer consumers an array of color options suited to their individual tastes.

Novodur and Terlux HD - safe and reliable styrenics for medical applications: Novodur HD grades are specialty acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymers which provide good stiffness, impact resistance, chemical resistance and dimensional stability. These well-balanced properties, in combination with excellent surface appearance, often make Novodur HD grades the materials of choice for medical device housings. Furthermore, the high-gloss surface and feel lends products an additional perception of intrinsic value. Styrolution's Novodur HD grades boast a long performance record in the medical device market.Terlux HD belongs to Styrolution's family of methyl methacrylate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (MABS) polymers, which offer excellent transparency, customizable toughness and good chemical resistance. Terlux can also be solvent bonded very easily to other common materials found in medical applications.

As MRC informed previously, last October, Styrolution and Braskem, the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in America and a global leader in biopolymers, announced 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.

Teva is a leading global pharmaceutical company, committed to increasing access to high-quality healthcare through affordable generic drugs, specialty pharmaceuticals and active ingredients.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japan has urged domestic petrochemical makers to voluntarily close or cut additional ethylene-making capacity to deal with falling local demand for plastics and synthetic fibres, and an influx of cheaper foreign supplies, as per Plastemart.

The push by the government amid existing plans to shut down ethylene plant, will lead to a further reduction in demand for naphtha.

Mitsubishi Chemical has shut one of its ethylene plants in eastern Japan earlier this year, and Sumitomo Chemical and Asahi Kasei are to shut two more of the 14 remaining in 2015 and 2016. Even with the three shutdowns, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) expects excess ethylene output capacity of 1.7 mln tpa by 2020.

METI has twice ordered capacity cuts in Japan's refinery industry, which is beset with similarly bleak conditions. But the ministry doesn't intend to push for mandatory cuts at petrochemicals plants. Japan's ageing crackers, which split naphtha into ethylene and other plastics feedstocks, have also been struggling to compete with newer rivals in South Korea and Singapore with larger and more efficient plants.

New capacity is also expected to come up in the United States and China, threatening to overwhelm petrochemical margins in Asia. In the United States, 11 mln tons of new ethane crackers are planned by 2020 to take advantage of cheap, abundant supplies derived from shale gas.

As MRC reported before, in early November 2014, Japan's Idemitsu Kosan Co began restarting the 687,000-tonne-per-year naphtha cracker at its Tokuyama plant in western Japan, following an unplanned shutdown a week earlier. The shutdown came during a start-up after scheduled maintenance. We remind that Idemitsu Kosan had restarted the plant on 24 October after completing a scheduled maintenance of about 45 days.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is one of the most commonly produced plastics and mainly used for packaging. According to a new study published by Ceresana, LDPE worth almost USD33 bln was sold worldwide in 2013. Ceresana expects global sales to rise by 1.5% p.a. until 2021, reported Plastemart.

Asia-Pacific single-handedly processed about 7.1 mln tons of LDPE in 2013. About 58% of this amount were consumed in China. Asian countries, China and India in particular, and the Middle East will remain the largest growth markets for LDPE. Due to strong competition by other types of polyethylene, future growth rates for LDPE demand are likely to fall short of overall economic development.

The LDPE markets in Western Europe and North America are largely saturated already and will grow only slightly. Several world regions are rapidly increasing their production capacities for LDPE. LDPE output in the Middle East is projected to rise at a high growth rate of 5% per year. New large-scale petrochemical complexes will commence production in upcoming years. These are often joint ventures of large international companies and regional enterprises. Various larger productions sites are to be constructed in North America and Asia-Pacific as well. Western Europe, on the other hand, will see the closure of LDPE plants.

LDPE is most commonly used for the production of films. About 63% of total demand stem from film production, especially packaging films as well as bags and sacks. Other important applications are rigid packaging and construction products, which can profit from new investments in infrastructure around the globe.

In Asia, on the other hand, it is especially films, LDPE packaging films in particular, that offer the largest growth potential, since Asian countries are increasingly adapting to Western standards for packaged food. In a global comparison, film extrusion is the most common technology for processing LDPE. Other technologies, namely extrusion coating, injection molding, and other processes like blow molding and rotomolding, account for a market share of only 37%.

The various world regions show only minor differences in regard to processing technologies. For example, extrusion coating is disproportionally often used in North America, while Eastern European countries use large amounts of LDPE not only in film extrusion, but also injection molding.

As MRC informed previously, Russian LDPE producers increased their exports by 23% over the first six months of 2014. As expected, the first months of the year accounted for the peak export sales, according to MRC ScanPlast.
Overall, Russian producers increased their LDPE sales in foreign markets (including the countries of the Customs Union) to 102,800 tonnes in the first half of 2014 versus 83,700 tonnes a year earlier.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- MasterFlow 9500 from Master Builders Solutions by BASF is the first product of its kind to receive a DNV GL (Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd) certificate for Offshore Concrete Structures, said BASF in its press release.

The Type Approval Certificate issued by the internationally acknowledged test and certification body, which specializes in oil, gas and maritime services as well as in energy and sustainability, officially confirms the quality of the offshore performance grout. "Being the first to receive this certificate feels like having received an award", says Luc Westhof, global key account manager wind turbine grouts at BASF. "The certificate assures that MasterFlow 9500 has been developed, tested and produced to the highest standards applicable in the industry, and it also guarantees maximum reliability across the entire lifetime of the offshore wind farm."

MasterFlow 9500 is an ultra-high strength high-performance offshore grout, a so-called exa-grout, with documented fatigue performance for time saving and durably secure grouting of offshore wind turbines foundations. The fast curing feature of the grout and its tolerance to very low temperatures speeds up the installation process and prolongs the timeframe for installation.

During the certification process, experts from BASF and DNV GL were working on testing and documenting material properties, assessing quality control of relevant aspects during the manufacturing process, product application and related installation guidelines as well as quality assurance documentation.

The evaluation of MasterFlow 9500 was conducted in accordance with DNV-OS-C502 (Section 9E). DNV GL implemented the certification scheme for structural grouts in this standard for Offshore Concrete Structures in September 2012 to provide a uniform approach for documenting material properties and performance for relevant applications.

In addition, MasterFlow 9500 also reduces the overall costs of offshore installations. The material develops a high strength very early on and can be applied at lower temperatures compared to conventional products. Considering the total cost of implementation, the time MasterFlow 9500 can save is a big factor in lowering the costs.
Also, provided the product is applied correctly, MasterFlow 9500 ensures a maintenance free connection between the tubular steel members for offshore wind turbine foundations.

As MRC informed before, in October 2014, BASF, the German chemicals giant, and Archroma agreed on the sale of BASF’s global textile chemicals business to Archroma, a supplier of specialty chemicals to the textile, paper and emulsions industries.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Dow Chemical Company has announced that it is realigning its external reporting segments to better reflect Dow’s strategy to be low-cost and fully integrated across key value chains, while adding value through shared technology and end-market orientation, as per the company's statement.

The company also announced it is changing the allocation with certain expenses previously reported in its Corporate segment, to drive further visibility into operating performance at the segment level.

"Our new reporting segments are designed to align businesses within their key, integrated chemical envelopes, more effectively allocate resources by targeted end-markets, and provide increased visibility regarding their value drivers," said Howard Ungerleider, Dow’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. "As a result, we expect this new structure will improve modeling and peer comparison capabilities."

The new operating segment structure maximizes Dow’s integration benefits - either through molecular and value chain alignment, such as the company’s acrylic, chlorine, ethylene and propylene envelopes, or through the benefits derived from an enhanced, innovation-driven market focus.

The operating segments will include the following:

Agricultural Sciences – Will continue to operate under the same structure comprised of Crop Protection and Seeds;
Consumer Solutions – Previously part of Electronic and Functional materials, and includes Consumer Care, Dow Automotive Systems, and Dow Electronic Materials;
Infrastructure Solutions – Formerly named Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions, and is comprised of Dow Building & Construction, Dow Coating Materials, Energy & Water Solutions and Performance Monomers;
Performance Materials & Chemicals – Includes Chlor-Alkali and Vinyl, Chlorinated Organics, Epoxy, and Industrial Solutions and Polyurethanes;
Performance Plastics – Comprised of the Company’s previous Performance Plastics business groups, however now also includes key raw material inputs via the energy and hydrocarbons business groups that were formerly included in the Feedstocks and Energy segment.

In addition to segment and business changes, Dow is also changing the allocation of certain expenses previously reported within its Corporate segment, which will better reflect operating performance and profitability at the segment level. All leveraged functional costs, such as information systems, finance, human resources, legal and supply chain, will now be fully allocated to the segments. In addition, long term performance based compensation expense will now be allocated to the segments based primarily on employee alignment.

"These changes to Dow’s Corporate segment will improve clarity and accountability at the business level, and reinforces our overall focus on increasing transparency of our operations," Ungerleider added.

As MRC reported earlier, Dow Chemical has recently announced an increased divestiture target aligned to further enhance the value of its portfolio and support the company’s market-driven, integrated strategy. On track to complete its goal of realizing USD4.5 billion to USD6 billion in proceeds by year-end 2015, and with additional portfolio management actions underway, Dow is now increasing its divestiture target to USD7 billion to USD8.5 billion to be complete by mid-2016. Since 2013, the company has generated USD2.5 billion in proceeds, reallocating this capital to remunerate shareholders, fund growth and reduce debt.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. As of 2007, it is the second-largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue (after BASF) and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization (after BASF and DuPont). Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
MRC