Erema took orders for ┬38 million just in three months

(Plastics Today) -- Erema, the Austrian manufacturer of plastics recycling machinery, says the weeks leading up to and immediately following the triennial K show proved to be some of the best in the company's history as it took orders for ┬38 million worth of equipment in the span of just three months.

The trend of a rapidly increasing volume of order intake that began before the trade fair has continued since, according to the manufacturer, which is based in Ansfelden, Austria, near Linz. The expansion of the company's infrastructure is also making progress with a new customer test center due to be completed by mid-2011. The volume of orders was the most the company has ever recorded in such a short period of time. Total turnover for the company in its FY 2009/10 was ┬74 million.

Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H. is the world's market leader in the development and production of plastics recycling systems and components. Over 3,500 Erema systems around the globe now produce more than 12 million tonnes of plastic pellets every year.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- The Board of Brazil's state-run energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has approved incorporation of two units at the Comperj refinery. With this, Comperj's basic petrochemicals and PET producing units will become operational units of Petrobras. Shareholders will vote to approve the change at a meeting that will be scheduled for a later date.

Plans for the Comperj refinery have been altered by Petrobas because of high construction costs and global excess petrochemicals production capacity. The initial outlook for the Comperj refinery when it was first approved has seen changes in light of economics, market dynamics and costs, which led to a new configuration transforming Comperj in a new project comprising three steps and a new timeline. Petrobras faced glitches finding partners for the project, which was originally designed as a US$8.5 billion standalone petrochemicals plant

MRC

(Plastemart) -- After rectification of a technical fault, Dow Chemical Co. has restarted its naphtha cracker at Terneuzen, Netherlands. The cracker, which has a capacity to produce 580,000 tpa ethylene, is one of three at the Terneuzen site. There technical problem occurred with the process of cracker 2. The unit had a malfunction in May. The cracker is starting up again.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- Thailand holding company Indorama Ventures has agreed to buy the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) business of Polish SK Eurochem, part of South Korean SK Chemicals.

The acquisitions will consolidate Indorama Ventures (IVL) position in the two important emerging markets of East Europe and Southeast Asia with PET and Polyester Fibres and Yarns businesses.

SK Eurochem is a 140,000 tpa PET manufacturing facility while SK Keris is a 160,000 tpa PET and Polyester Filament Yarn manufacturing facility and SK Fiber Indonesia is a Polyester Filament Yarn manufacturing facility with a capacity of 36,000 tpa.

"These acquisitions will allow the Company to build upon its objective of expanding its global platform by entering emerging markets with high long-term potential for demand," according to Mr. Aloke Lohia, Group CEO of Indorama Ventures Pcl.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- GCC chemical production was forecast to rise to nearly US$80 bln over the coming decade, from the current US$40 bln, as per Khalid Al Falih of Saudi Aramco at the Gulf Petrochemical and Chemicals Association forum in Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates' foreign trade minister Sheika Lubna Al Qasimi said the global ethylene share of the Gulf's petrochemical producers is projected to grow to 20% by 2014 from only 5% at the beginning of the previous decade.

Aramco is pushing ahead it with its own plans to develop petrochemical and related downstream industries in locations such as Rabigh, on the Red Sea, and Jubail, on the Persian Gulf, where the company is developing major industrial complexes with Sumitomo Chemical Co. and Dow Chemical Co. respectively.

MRC