PVC imports to Belarus fell by 24.5% from January to August 2015

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The overall imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into Belarus decreased by 24.5% over the first eight months of 2015 and totalled 19,200 tonnes, according to the Statistics Committee of Belarus.

The August PVC shipments to Belarus virtually remained at the level of July and totalled 3,500 tonnes. Scheduled outages for maintenance at Russian plants, the main suppliers of resin, did not affect supplies. In general, according to the National Statistics Committee of Belarus, demand for PVC from local converters subsided to 19,200 tonnes from January to August 2015 versus 25,400 tonnes a year earlier.

Weaker demand for unmixed PVC from local converters was caused by the fall in sales of finished products both in the domestic market - more than 20%, and in foreign markets - 31% (only sales of shaped and linear articles decreased to 9,900 tonnes from 14,300 tonnes a year earlier).

Russian producers were the key PVC suppliers to the local market over the stated period. Their share grew to 73% this year, and the total volume of shipments totalled about 14,000 tonnes. Anwil, the Polish producer, was the second largest supplier with a total of 3,000 tonnes of resin.


MRC

Technip to supply hydrogen reformers at RAPID project in Malaysia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Technip has been awarded by Tecnicas Reunidas a significant contract to supply three hydrogen reformers as part of the hydrogen production facility at Petronas’ refinery and petrochemical integrated development (RAPID) project located in the state of Johor, Malaysia, said the company on its site.

As the heart of the hydrogen plant, the reformers will produce 344,500 Nm3/h of hydrogen and syngas products. It will supply high-quality export steam to the refinery steam network. The supply of the reformers is based on Technip’s proprietary top-fired steam methane reforming technology. The reformers are expected to come on-stream in 2018.

RAPID is Petronas’ largest green-field downstream undertaking in Malaysia, and along with its six major associated facilities, forms the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC). The associated facilities are the Pengerang co-generation Plant, LNG re-gasification terminal, air separation unit, raw water supply project, the liquid bulk terminal and the central and shared utilities and facilities.

Early involvement represents a strategic focus for Technip. Prior to the supply of the hydrogen reformers, Technip was involved in the front-end engineering design for the RAPID project.

The reformer project will be executed by Technip’s office in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands. With more than 260 hydrogen production units licensed worldwide, Technip has been consistently recognized as the market leader in this technological field.

"We are delighted that our proprietary steam methane reforming technology has been selected for this Petronas RAPID site, which will be one of the largest hydrogen and syngas production facilities in the Asia Pacific region," said Stan Knez, president of Technip Stone & Webster Process Technology.

As MRC informed earlier, Technip has been awarded a contract by Westlake Chemical to provide detailed engineering and procurement services to expand the recovery section of Westlake’s Petro 1 ethylene plant at its complex in Sulphur, Louisiana.

Technip is a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry.
From the deepest Subsea oil & gas developments to the largest and most complex Offshore and Onshore infrastructures, our 37,500 people are constantly offering the best solutions and most innovative technologies to meet the world’s energy challenges. Present in 48 countries, Technip has state-of-the-art industrial assets on all continents and operates a fleet of specialized vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction.
MRC

BASF to invest at least EUR6bn between 2016-2020 at Ludwigshafen

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major has committed itself to spend a total of at least EUR6 billion on investments, upgrading and maintenance measures between 2016 and 2020 at the Ludwigshafen site, as part of a new agreement, as per the company's press release.

Last week, the company and employee representatives at BASF SE in Ludwigshafen signed a new site agreement. The agreement, titled "Meeting the challenges of constant change together," applies to the approximately 36,000 employees of BASF SE at the site. It will run for five years (from January 1, 2016 until December 31, 2020) and follows on from the existing site agreement, which expires at the end of 2015.

The company will continue to forgo forced redundancies for the duration of the agreement.

Furthermore, BASF SE "Economic and social changes are occurring ever faster and are becoming less and less predictable. With the new site agreement, we are creating a framework that offers both flexibility and reliability and will enable the Ludwigshafen site to remain competitive - now and in the future. We rely on our team of dedicated and skilled employees and we will continue to substantially invest in the largest, integrated Verbund site of BASF Group in the coming years," said Margret Suckale, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE.

As MRC wrote before, BASF is significantly expanding its production capacity for about 20 specialty amines at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen. BASF says it will invest a double-digit million euro amount in expanding current production facilities, which are planned to go on stream gradually by early 2017. The specialty amines are especially used for the manufacturing of coatings, lubricants, crop protection products and pharmaceuticals.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF 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 over EUR74 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC

BASF expands its range of specialty amines

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has strengthened its comprehensive range of amines with a new product: the cycloaliphatic diamine Methylcyclohexyldiamine (MCDA), which the company markets under the brand name Baxxodur EC210, as per the company's press release.

Used as an aminic hardener in epoxy resin-based systems (epoxy systems), Baxxodur EC210 improves, for example, the manufacturing of rotor blades for wind power plants and coatings for industrial floors and bridges. BASF is currently researching additional application areas of Baxxodur EC210.

Baxxodur EC210 is higher yielding, lower viscous, and can be processed longer than comparable products. Furthermore BASF’s customers from the composite and construction industry also like the delivery reliability that the company offers due to its backward integration. BASF produces Baxxodur EC210 at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany. The product is available in commercial quantities.

With about 200 different amines, BASF has the world’s most diverse portfolio of this type of chemical intermediates. Along with alkyl-, alkanol- and alkoxyalkylamines, the company offers heterocyclic and aromatic as well as specialty amines. The range is completed by an expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity. The versatile products are used mainly to manufacture process chemicals, pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, as well as cosmetic products and detergents. They also serve to produce coatings, special plastics, composites and special fibers.

As MRC wrote before, BASF will expand its emollients and waxes production capacity with a new plant at its site in Jinshan, Shanghai. The investment, complementing the current production of wax esters, emulsifiers and primary surfactants in Jinshan, will further enhance BASF’s local production and better serve the growing personal care market in Asia Pacific.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF 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 over EUR74 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC

Nippon Shokubai awards Jacobs contract for proposed SAP and AA project

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nippon Shokubai Europe has awarded a detailed engineering, procurement and construction management contract to Jacobs Engineering for the planned expansion of a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) plant and the construction of a new acrylic acid (AA) facility at Nippon's site in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, as per GV.

The EUR350-million project involves increasing SAP production capacity by 100,000 t/y and building a new 100,000-t/y AA unit. Expansion of the SAP plant will raise Nippon's total SAP capacity in Belgium to 160,000 t/y.

Mechanical completion is expected in October 2017 and commercial operations are planned for May 2018.

Upon completion of the project, the Nippon Shokubai group's global SAP capacity will be increased to 710,000 t/y and global AA capacity will be raised to 880,000 t/y. Value of Jacob's contract was not disclosed.

As MRC wrote previously, in summer 2013, Nippon Shokubai received a new "lift of restrictions," allowing the company to resume production at a second acrylic acid unit at its Himeji complex in Japan. Two separate explosions at its Himeji site in September 2012 forced the company to stop production of acrylic acid and superabsorbent polymers and resulted in the suspension of most operations at Himeji.

Nippon Shokubai produces one fifth of the global volume of superabsorbent polymers and it is one of the world's biggest makers of acrylic acid, the main ingredient of a resin called SAP, which is used in diapers
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