Henkel honors Wacker for its Innovative silicone emulsion for hair-care products

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Henkel, a brand and technology leader, has awarded the Munich-based chemical company Wacker for its best beauty care innovation contribution in 2014, reported Wacker on its site.

Carsten Knobel, Henkel’s chief financial officer and member of the Executive Board, and Dr. Thomas Forster, corporate vice president R&D Beauty Care, presented the award at the 2015 American Cleaning Institute Annual Meeting, which was held in late January in Orlando, Florida (USA). Further supplier awards went to BASF, Stepan and Solvay.

Wacker received Henkel’s Best Innovation Contributor Beauty Care 2014 award for the development of a new silicone microemulsion for shampoos and hair-care products. Tests show that the emulsion makes both wet and dry hair significantly easier to comb.

In addition to Wacker, nominees for the Best Innovation Contributor Beauty Care Award were US silicone manufacturer Dow Corning and Croda, a UK based producer of oleochemicals and specialty products. Its novel silicone microemulsion for hair-care products made the Munich chemical company stand out above its competitors. "In 2014, WACKER clearly made the largest contribution to beauty care innovation"” said Forster at the award ceremony. The new silicone emulsion forms a protective film on the surface of the hair, which considerably improves the combing properties of damaged hair, continued the R&D head. "This allows us to develop new, innovative hair-care products. That is why we are presenting this year’s innovation award to the Munich-based WACKER Group."

The silicone microemulsion belongs to a new generation of film-forming, aminofunctional silicone emulsions developed especially for use in hair-care products. Silicone lends hair a soft, silky feel and makes both wet and dry hair easier to comb. In addition, silicone protects hair from fading and from heat damage caused by hair dryers. The microemulsion is suitable for use in formulations for shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, pump sprays, styling applications and products that prevent fading and heat damage.

As MRC informed earlier, Wacker aims to strengthen its commitment to sustainable business practices in the supply chain. To this end, the company now joined the "Together for Sustainability" (TfS) initiative. Established in 2011, the project is targeted on implementing a standardized global program for responsible procurement of goods and services in the chemical industry and improving the ecological and social standards of suppliers. After AkzoNobel, Arkema, BASF, Bayer, Clariant, DSM, Evonik Industries, Henkel, Lanxess, Merck and Solvay, Wacker is the twelfth company to become a TfS member.

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) -- Shanghai Secco will shut its polypropylene (PP) plant for maintenance turnaround, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant will be shut on March 10, 2015. It is likely to remain off-stream for around two months.

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

As MRC informed previously, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, laid the foundation of USD509.58 million (Rs.3150 Crore) polypropylene plant at IndianOil’s Paradip Refinery project complex, Paradip on 16 November 2015.

IndianOil, Director, Refineries, Mr. Sanjiv Singh, welcomed the dignitaries and spoke about IndianOil’s foray in Petrochemicals. The laying of the foundation stone of the 700,000 tpa PP Unit marks the first step in the direction of integration and progress. The PP consumption in India has seen a steady rise in the last decade and the trend is likely to continue with the increased use of plastics in automotive, processing and packaging industries.

Referring to the future plans in this direction, IndianOil is also evaluating the feasibility of setting up of ethylene derivative plant at an estimated cost of nearly USD647.09 million (Rs.4000 crore). This will indeed act as a catalyst in the socio-economic development of the country and the state in particular. This plant will provide products that will facilitate manufacturing of Polyester Chips, Fibers, PET bottles, PET Chips, Polyester yarn etc.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s (MPC) president and CEO, Gary R. Heminger, delivered a positive outlook to investors and industry analysts at the Credit Suisse 2015 Energy Summit in Vail, Colorado this week, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

MPC had previously announced a USD2.53-B capital expenditures plan for 2015. The investment plan is budgeted at USD1.28 B, which includes approximately USD235 MM for midstream investments, approximately USD370 MM for refining margin enhancement projects and approximately USD675 MM for refinery-sustaining capital.

At the Credit Suisse investor meeting, Heminger stressed the main focuses of the investment program are to improve the connectivity between the Galveston Bay and Texas City, Texas refineries, and to allow additional synergies through the integration of these two proximate refineries. "Our focus for refining in 2015 is to invest in projects that enhance our overall return," Heminger said.

The Galveston Bay refinery is the former BP-Amoco Texas City refinery, which has throughput capacity of 475 Mbpd and is near Marathon’s smaller Texas City refinery, which has a capacity of 84 Mbpd.

MPC is increasing light sweet crude and condensate processing capacity. The company recently finished building a 25 Mbpd condensate splitter at its Canton, Ohio refinery. A 35 Mbpd splitter is slated for completion by the second quarter of 2015 at Marathon's Cattesburg, Kentucky refinery. Both refineries are located near the Utica shale play.

MPC plans to revamp crude and vacuum units to further optimize for future crude availability and improve distillate recovery. More hydrotreating capacity, especially at the Galveston Bay refinery, is under development, with the goal to shift to 100% ULSD production. MPC has plans to idle the smaller, older fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at the Galveston Bay–Texas City refining complex.

Heminger also announced company goals to increase refined product export capabilities to 400 Mbpd in 2015 and increase bottom-upgrading capacity.

As MRC wrote earlier, Marathon Petroleum has closed its transaction with BP to purchase several assets, including the 451,000 bpd refinery located in Texas City, Texas.

Marathon Oil Corporation is a United States-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Principal exploration activities are in the United States, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, Poland, Angola and Iraqi Kurdistan.

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay Specialty Polymers has chosen to build a new high-performance polymer plant next to its existing facility in Augusta, said Plastemart.

The Belgium-based company chose the south Augusta plastics plant over its sister facility in India, said Alain De Greef, Solvay’s site manager in Augusta, adding “Besides the reputation of this site, the good safety records and the quality, a big factor in the decision was the utilities cost. Basically, in the U.S. and particularly here in Augusta, we have some advantages."

"The total capacity of Solvay is going to be around 2,500 metric tons (about 5.5 million pounds) and that will include the unit in Panoli (India) and the unit in Augusta," De Greef said. Land across from the plant on Clanton Road will be cleared to accommodate parking for the 250 to 300 construction workers who will build the facility, De Greef said.

De Greef said the company is also upgrading and increasing the capacity of four existing units, which service a variety of business sectors, including electronics, health care, aircraft and automotive. In 2001, Solvay acquired the Clanton Road facility from BP Amoco. The site originally was developed by Dartco Manu­facturing in 1984. Solvay makes more than 1,500 products through 35 different high-performance polymer brands.

As MRC wrote before, Solvay completed the acquisition of the Ryton PPS (polyphenylene sulphide) business from US-based Chevron Phillips Chemical Company for USD220 million, enlarging its high-performance polymers offering and entering a solid growth market.

Solvay S.A. is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium. The company has diversified into two major sectors of activity: chemicals and plastics. Solvay supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers - fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF SE reported a 25% rise in net profit for the fourth quarter, boosted by strong growth in its chemicals businesses, said the company in its press release.

The world’s largest chemicals company said net profit for the three-month period ended Dec. 31 was EUR1.42 bn (USD1.59 bn), compared with EUR1.13 bn a year earlier. Analysts had predicted a net profit of EUR922 mln, according to a recent poll by The Wall Street Journal.

Sales declined 0.6% to EUR18.05 bn, damped by falling sales prices due to low oil prices. The company’s closely watched earnings before interest and taxes before special items rose 2.8% to EUR1.46 bn, a result of higher profit margins in the petrochemical and agrochemical units.

But the company was held back by a sharp earnings decline in its oil and gas business, a result of the plunge in global oil prices. Fourth quarter EBIT before special items at the unit fell 40% to EUR347 mln.

BASF’s wholly owned oil and gas division, Wintershall AG, generates roughly 30% of the group’s cash flow. A shift up or down in the annual price of Brent crude oil by USD1 a barrel impacts EBIT at Wintershall by EUR15 mln, according to BASF.

BASF said it expects a slight increase in sales for 2015 and for EBIT before special items to match the level it achieved in 2014, at EUR7.36 bln.

As MRC wrote before, BASF started up of its first production plant for polymer dispersions in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. This production plant is built at the existing BASF production site, located in the Pasir Gudang Industrial Park of the Johor Free Trade Zone. The plant is BASF’s third polymer dispersions plant in ASEAN, complementing the existing dispersions plants in Jakarta and Merak, Indonesia.

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.
MRC