PE imports into Belarus decreased by 11% in January - September 2015

MOSCOW (MRC) - Total imports of polyethylene (PE) in Belarus decreased to 70,800 tonnes in the first nine months of 2015, down 11% year on year. The demand decreased only for high density polyethylene (HDPE), according to MRC analysts.

According to the National Statistical Office of the Republic of Belarus, September PE imports to Belarus reduced to 7,000 tonnes from 7,900 tonnes a month earlier because of lower HDPE shipments from Russia. Overall PE imports totalled 70,800 tonnes from January to September 2015 versus 79,600 tonnes in the same period a year earlier.

Structure of PE imports in Belarus was as follows.

September imports of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) increased to 3,400 tonnes, compared with 3,100 tonnes in August. The main increase occurred for LLDPE supplies from Saudi Arabia. Total imports of LDPE and LLDPE over the reported period into the country were about 40,300 tonnes, up 5.9% compared with the same time a year earlier.

September imports of HDPE reduced to 3,600 tonnes against 4,800 tonnes a month earlier, the main reduction in the supply of polyethylene occurred for Russian producers (scheduled maintenance works). Total imports of HDPE into the country were about 30,500 tonnes in the reported period, compared with 41,500 tonnes year on year.
MRC

National Plastics & Seals buys Innovative Acrylic Design

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Plastics shapes distributor and fabricator National Plastics & Seals Inc. has boosted its stake in the point-of-purchase display market by acquiring Innovative Acrylic Design Inc., another Chicago-area distributor and fabricator, said Plasticsnews.

National Plastics announced the deal on Oct. 21 and moved IAD’s assets, including computer numerically controlled cutting machines and a laser machine to its Schaumburg, Ill., headquarters during the week of Nov. 9, according to Jeff Toth, National Plastics’ vice president of sales.

Toth said in a phone interview that IAD was larger in POP products than National Plastics and also brought laser technology into National Plastics. Lasers precision cut and engrave POP displays and awards made of acrylic, polycarbonate or glycol-modified PET sheet. National Plastics also counts aerospace, medical, food packaging and industrial OEMs among its customer base.

Toth said National Plastics is retaining key employees of IAD and will continue using the Innovative Acrylic Design name because of the significant goodwill the name brings to National Plastics.

National Plastics is ISO 9001 certified, and the firm also has upgraded its business computer software and added CNC equipment to keep up with client demands.

National Plastics stock items include sheet, rod, tub, profiles, heat-shrink tubing, insulation sleeving, O-rings and some molded products. The firm also custom fabricates and machines plastic components. The family-owned company is celebrating its 30th year in business.
MRC

Arkema ranked in the Top 100 Global Innovators for the fifth consecutive year

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thomson Reuters has ranked Arkema, a France-based chemical manufacturer, for the fifth year in a row among the top 100 innovating companies and organizations in the world, across all business activities. The Group features among the 3 French companies selected for this award, as per the company's press release.

The fifth edition of this award ranks France in third place among the countries represented, with 10 companies and organizations rewarded.

This Top 100 Global Innovators ranking identifies the most innovation-active companies and research structures.

Selection is based on four criteria: rate of success of patent application, global reach of patent portfolio, influence of a patent calculated from the number of citations in trade publications, and volume of patents.

As MRC informed previously, last year, Arkema developed two new grades of functional polyolefins resins - Luperox organic peroxides and Kynar Flex PVDF resins - specifically designed for electric and electronic wires and cables applications.

Arkema with annual revenue of EUR6.7 billion is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc. Arkema operates 11 organic peroxide plants on the three continents.
MRC

Saudi Aramco, Sumitomo to work on Petro Rabigh II

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SPIE Oil & Gas Services, the consortium of Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical, has been awarded a contract for the Petro Rabigh II project, said Arabianoilandgas.

This contract, awarded to SPIE Oil & Gas Services Saudi LLC, a subsidiary of SPIE Oil & Gas Services, is a comprehensive offer for the commissioning and start-up of Units Naphtha, Aromatics and Cumene Phenol and utilities for of the Petro Rabigh refining and petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia.

"This project is planned for a minimum period of one year with hundreds of specialists in various disciplines inherent in the mentioned units", a press release from SPIE says.

Petro Rabigh II is the expansion of the original phase I of the Petro Rabigh refining and petrochemical complex located about 150km north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The project consists of the expansion of the existing ethane cracker, the construction of an aromatic complex and an ethylene plant.

It will produce an additional 30mn cubic feet a day of ethane, 3mn tonnes of naphtha and 300,000 tonnes of ethylene per year, which will be used as raw materials to produce a variety of petrochemical products.

It began after Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the feasibility study in April 2009. The total investment of the project is estimated about USD8bn, and is expected to generate about 1,200 direct jobs.

"This project is the fourth major project awarded directly to SPIE Oil & Gas services Saudi LLC for the past five years, and comes after SATORP, YASREF and SADARA", Yves Company, managing director of SPIE Oil & Gas Services, said.

"This significant contract is a recognition of SPIE Oil & Gas Services ability, skills and expertise in the management of commissioning and start-up complex projects in Saudi Arabia but also in the rest of the Middle East," he added.

As MRC informes earlier, Saudi Arabia's PetroRabigh will launch the bidding process on Monday to build new units, including one to produce clean fuel, at its petrochemical and refining complex in Rabigh. It will launch engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tenders for a polyether polyols plant with a capacity of 220,000 tonnes per year, a 17,000 barrels per day naphtha treating unit to produce clean fuel and a 106,000 tonnes per year sulphur recovery unit (SRU). If the bids are approved work would start in the second half of 2016, the company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical, said.

PetroRabigh, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical, has an annual output capacity of 18 million tonnes of refined products and 2.4 million tonnes of petrochemicals. Thus, the complex currently has a cracker to produce 1.3-million t/y of ethylene and 900,000 t/y of propylene, as well as downstream production of polyethylene, polypropylene, propylene oxide, ethylene glycol and butene-1.
MRC

BASF launched new effect pigments for elegant interiors

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major, has completed a product range of Firemist Velvet brand
by launching two new effect pigments worldwide - Firemist Velvet Gold and Firemist Velvet Russet, said the producer on its site.

Both colour shades complete the Firemist Velvet series, which also includes pearl (white), bronze and copper pigments. The Firemist Velvet product family offers manufacturers of decorative interior paints unique and warm design options with an aged effect and an attractive textured surface. Further fields of application are printing inks for high-quality wallpaper and classy designer packaging.

"Warm colours with a metallic shine are full on trend especially when it comes to interiors. This means that the Firemist Velvet products are the ideal solution for high-quality applications, and when combined with other effect pigments they offer a wide range of elegant, antique looks. Special design accents lighten up prestigious rooms as well as our own four walls," explains Arno Tuchbreiter, Head of Pigment Marketing for Industrial and Decorative Coatings at BASF.

Painters who use interior paint that is based on these effect pigments, can, as usual, apply it directly onto concrete, wallpaper, and wooden surfaces.

As MRC reported earlier, BASF will form a global business unit (GBU) combining all of its pigments activities effective January 2016. In the second half of 2016, BASF intends to carve out its pigments business and establish separate legal entities.

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