Ineos enters car manufacturing

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ineos sees a gap in the market for an uncompromising off-roader following JLR’s decision to cease production of the Land Rover Defender, said the company on its site.

INEOS is prepared to invest "many hundreds of millions" producing the new vehicle and hopes this could be done in the UK. "This is a fantastically exciting project", says Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS Chairman. "We want to build the world’s purest 4 x 4 and are aiming it at explorers, farmers and off-road enthusiasts across the globe".

Following the completion of a six month feasibility study, INEOS has today confirmed that it is to go ahead and build a brand new "uncompromising" 4 x 4 off-roader. Whilst the company is one of the largest manufacturers in the world, it will be the first time that INEOS has produced such a vehicle.

The company is expecting to spend many hundreds of millions on the project and is determined that the vehicle will not only fill a gap in the market vacated by the Defender but also provide a step change improvement in build quality and reliability. Identification of a suitable manufacturing location will be a part of the next phase of the project and the company will look at UK sites alongside other European options.

The project is to be run by Dirk Heilmann, formerly head of Engineering and Technology at INEOS. Dirk, now CEO of INEOS Automotive has already started recruiting a team of automotive experts and says, "This is an amazing project for everyone involved. Our job is to create the world’s best 4 x 4 and we are already moving forward with our plans".

The project is the brainchild of INEOS Chairman, Jim Ratcliffe, who was a fan of the original Land Rover Defender. When it ceased production, Jim saw a gap in the market for an uncompromising off-roader that stood for adventure and active driving but also had the capability to be a work and utility machine.

The vehicle will not be a replica of the Defender but will reflect its philosophy. The target market is global and includes agriculture and forestry workers, explorers and adventurers as well as traditional Defender fans that simply enjoy an authentic 4 x 4 driving experience.

INEOS is determined that its new vehicle will offer a real and pure alternative to the current crop of standardised ‘jelly-mould’ SUV’s.

"I am a great admirer of the old Land Rover Defender and have enormous respect for its off road capability", says Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS Chairman, "and our new 4 x4 has been inspired by it. But whilst our off-roader might share its spirit, our new car will be a major improvement on previous models".

INEOS Group Limited is a privately owned multinational chemicals company consisting of 15 standalone business units, headquartered in Rolle, Switzerland and with its registered office in Lyndhurst, United Kingdom. It is the fourth largest chemicals company in the world measured by revenues (after BASF, Dow Chemical and LyondellBasell) and the largest privately owned company in the United Kingdom.
MRC

Honeywell technology selected for largest petchem project in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell has announced that Zhejiang Petrochemical Co. Ltd. will use a range of process technology from Honeywell UOP, the world’s leading licensor of refining and petrochemical process technology, for a new integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Honeywell UOP will supply a wide range of technologies in the form of license, design, key equipment, and catalysts and adsorbents, while Honeywell Process Solutions will provide the process controls and automation systems.

The complex will be located in one of seven new large industrial sites that are part of China’s current national economic development plan. When completed, it will be the largest crude-to-chemicals complex in China and one of the largest in the world. The complex will produce petrochemicals, including aromatics that are used to make plastic resins, films and fibers that are the basis for millions of products.

"This is the first phase of a completely new site that will process 20 MMtpy of crude oil and produce 5 MMtpy of aromatics when completed," said Mike Millard, vice president and general manager, Process Technology and Equipment at Honeywell UOP. "It will help China meet its goal of self-sufficiency in paraxylene and serve as a major new source of propylene, jet fuel and other products."

"The refining and petrochemical process units at this site will be controlled by the Experion Distributed Control System, which is designed and configured especially for Honeywell UOP processes," said Chen Yan, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Process Solutions - Greater China. "This integrates all process control and safety systems and automation software under a single architecture, providing ZPC with pre-engineered solutions, faster project execution and an easy-to-use operator interface."

The project includes a two-train LD Parex aromatics complex - including the UOP Sulfolane, Isomar and Tatoray processes - for the production of 4 MMtpy of paraxylene, a primary ingredient in plastics.

The new plant also will include an RFCC complex, using Honeywell UOP’s RCD Unionfining and RFCC processes to upgrade 5 MMtpy of residual oil into fuels.

An Oleflex propane dehydrogenation unit will produce 600,000 tpy of polymer-grade propylene – another basic component in the production of plastics, in addition to synthetic rubber and gasoline additives.

The project also will include a Honeywell UOP Unicracking hydrocracker to convert vacuum gas oil into petrochemical feedstocks, two CCR Platforming units to produce aromatics and blend stocks for making high-octane fuels, and a Unionfining naphtha hydrotreating unit to remove sulfur.

As MRC informed before, in May 2015, Honeywell opened a new manufacturing facility in China to produce catalysts used to make components for plastics production. This new site in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province, began production of catalysts used to covert propane to propylene as traditional sources for this product shrink. The catalysts are used in the Oleflex process developed by Honeywell’s UOP, a global leader in technology for the oil and gas industries.

Honeywell UOP is the world’s leading licensor of process technology for the production of aromatics. As of last year, UOP licensed more than 100 complexes and more than 700 individual process units for the production of aromatics, including more than 300 CCR Platforming process units and 500 Unionfining units, 158 Sulfolane units, 80 Isomar units, 58 Tatoray units, 100 Parex units and 50 Oleflex units worldwide.
MRC

Evonik invests eight-figure sum in production plant for multi-layer PMMA films

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Еvonik has approved construction on a new production plant for high-quality flat films made from multi-layer polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), said the producer on its site.

To finance the project, the company plans to invest a sum in the double-digit millions in its Weiterstadt site. The plant is scheduled to supply the initial commercial film batches by the end of 2018. A number of new jobs will be created.

"With the investment we have now approved, we are strengthening our role as innovation leader for acrylic-based technologies and products," said Martin Kramer, head of the Acrylic Products Business Line. The new plant will enable production of extremely wide films with a previously unachieved number of layers. "This is an example of how we are putting our vision 'Evolution in acrylics is our passion' into daily business," says Kramer.

Multi-layered PMMA films are used in medical technology, window and facade construction, and in the graphics industry. As recently as mid-January, Evonik presented facade elements made from fiberglass plates equipped with a top layer made of PLEXIGLAS film at the BAU 2017 tradeshow. The thermoset resin and glass fibers are protected in such a way that the plates also have an aesthetically pleasing and brilliant appearance. "With the new multi-layer films, we can ensure the longevity of such exterior components for facades," says Michael Enders, head of film activities at Acrylic Products. The demand for extremely long-lasting and sustainable products has become increasingly important, particularly in the construction and architecture segment.

The new plant will also allow completely new film compositions. "We're expanding our offerings of custom-designed specialty films that offer not only our customers but also the consumers genuine added value,” says Enders. “Wider multi-layer PMMA films allow particularly long-lasting and sustainable products and offer our customers new design and processing possibilities."

As MRC informed earlier, High Perfomance Polymers Business Line within the Resource Efficiency Segment of Evonik Industries, Essen (Germany), is increasing the prices of its polyamide 12-based products by around 6%, to the extent permissable under existing agreements.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
MRC

Sadara resumes production at PE units in Jubail

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sadara Chemical has restarted its three polyethylene (PE ) units following a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Saudi Arabia informed that the company has resumed operations at all PE units last weekend. The units were shut for a planned maintenance in the last week of December 2016.

Located at located in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, the PE units comprising two LLDPE units and one LDPE unit have a production capacity of 350,000 mt/year each.

As MRC informed before, in late December 2016, Sadara Chemical Co began a scheduled turnaround at the mixed-feed cracker at its petrochemical complex in Jubail. The shutdown of the facility lasted six weeks.

An evaluation of the financial impact of the shutdowns will be released in the company's first quarter 2017 financial statements.

Sadara Chemical is a USD20 billion petrochemical joint venture between national oil giant Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical.
MRC

PTT prepares to go global with LNG

MOSCOW (MRC) -- National oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc is readying its staff to deal with diversifying its business into the global trade of liquefied natural gas (LNG), says chief operating officer Wirat Uanarumit, said Bangkokpost.

He said PTT is also conducting a feasibility study to invest about US$300 million (10.5 billion baht) to develop a facility where ethane will be extracted from LNG.

PTT plans to invest more in its LNG business because it will have to import up to 20 million tonnes of LNG annually by 2036.

"PTT has already entered the LNG trade," Mr Wirat said. "In the long term it could become a major LNG importer, so integration of this business is crucial in order to cut risks."

"The business may start in a similar fashion to when we initiated our oil trading business, which began with imports and exports before expanding into out-out trading," Mr Wirat said.

PTT is expanding the storage capacity of the receiving terminal in Rayong from 5 million tonnes a year to 10 million. The additional capacity is due to be available by mid-2017. A subsidiary, PTT Exploration and Production Plc, also holds an 8.5% share in Mozambique's Rovuma A1 gas block to develop a liquefaction facility close to the source. The final investment decision by the consortium is due by year-end. PTT is also expanding capacity for its first LNG terminal to 11.5 million tonnes a year, with the additional capacity available by 2019, as scheduled by the Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo). PTT is further increasing its regasification and storage capacity for the second unit of its LNG terminal in Map Ta Phut from 5 million to 6.5 million tonnes a year, as dictated by the energy policymaker.

PTT has already secured long-term purchase contracts with major gas suppliers. It has a 2-million-tonne contract with Qatar Gas, a 1-million-tonne contract with Shell and a 1-million-tonne agreement with Shell and a 1-million-tonne agreement with BP. PTT also plans to import another 1.2 million tonnes from Malaysia's Petronas.

PTT Global Chemical Plc, the petrochemical business arm, also plans to import more LNG and turn its byproduct, naphtha, into feed stock under a retrofit programme.

As MRC informed earlier, PTT Global Chemical Pcl planned to boost sales in Southeast Asia to offset weak demand from China, the company's biggest overseas market.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year.
MRC