EPS imports to Russia to grow in November

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Temporary suspension of EPS production in Perm affected total imports. EPS supplies from external markets increased up to 12 KT in November, according to MRC DataScope. In October before a start-up of a new EPS production in Perm (Sibur-Khimprom) Russian companies considerably reduced total imports. It was expected that a new production would allow to reduce the dependence of the Russian market on imports.

The capacities in Perm were launched but the production was suspended almost at once because of technical problems.
Absence of enough offer of EPS from Russian producers was compensated immediately by supplies from China and South Korea. At the end of November EPS total imports to Russia grew up to 12 KT while in October it was about 10 KT.
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On the whole at the end of eleven months total imports of EPS reached the level of 94 KT which was 24% more compared to the same data in 2009. Domestic production now provides about 20% of market needs. As informed before, during January-November Russian producers delivered about 23 KT.

For more detailed information about polystyrene market, see DataScope.

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(ICIS) -- BASF has successfully completed its ┬3.1bn ($4.1bn) acquisition of specialty chemicals producer Cognis, the German chemicals major said on Friday. The equity purchase price was ┬700m, including net financial debt and pension obligations.

BASF said it intended to fully integrate most of Cognis into its performance products segment. Detailed integration plans would be developed by the end of the first quarter of 2011, it added. Completion of the structural integration was targeted for the end of 2011, BASF said.

BASF said that the acquisition of Cognis would allow the group to achieve a leading position in personal care ingredients and strengthen its position in value-added products for home care.

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For more detailed information about PVC market, see MRC DataScope reports.

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(LANXESS) -- Specialty chemicals group LANXESS opened Asia's most state-of-the-art plant for ion exchange resins in India. The new plant was constructed over a period of two years in the chemical park in Jhagadia in the Indian state of Gujarat.

It boasts an annual capacity of 35,000 metric tons. Around 200 employees from the Ion Exchange Resins (ION) business unit manufacture products for industrial water treatment for the semi-conductor and pharmaceutical industries, the food sector and the power industry.

The opening marked the successful completion of the second expansion phase in Jhagadia. The first project phase, which was completed in March of this year, saw a rubber chemicals production plant taken into operation. Overall, LANXESS has invested around EUR 50 million in the site to date.

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(Plastics Today) -- One of the leading suppliers of the materials, Bayer MaterialScience, is shifting the headquarters of its global polycarbonate activities from the company HQ in Germany to Shanghai. The company is investing more than ┬3 billion in its Shanghai facility on a number of projects, with at least a third of that in its plastics, coatings and adhesives business unit.

Bayer's polycarbonate (PC) is marketed under the Makrolon brand name. This new ┬1 billion in announced capital expenditures for Bayer's Shanghai plant will significantly expand the company's polyurethane (PUR) and PC capacities in China, as the supplier aims to increase its group sales in Greater China to around ┬5 billion by 2015.

About half of those sales are to be driven by its MaterialScience group, the name for its plastics, adhesives and coatings business. To put that in perspective, Bayer MaterialScience's total FY 2009 sales were ┬7.5 billion, of which Greater China sales were ┬2.1 billion. The MaterialScience unit accounted for ┬1.2 billion.

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