BASF to increase prices for construction chemicals across Europe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF’s Construction Chemicals division increased prices across Europe during the first quarter of 2017, resulting in effective prices 2-3% above prior year, as per the company's press release.

The price increase was necessary to continue to provide customers with high quality products and high levels of service in an environment of rising personnel and raw material cost. As of May 15, 2017, BASF will implement a further 4-7% price increase on all project-based price quotations and expiring contracts. All contractual obligations towards customers will be fulfilled.

As MRC reported earlier, in May 2016, BASF announced that its Construction Chemicals division had started production of waterproofing solutions from the MasterSeal solutions range at its plant located in Bolshoe Tolbino, Podolsk District, Russia. BASF thus extends its portfolio of Master Builders Solutions in Russia and enhances the supply network for regional markets and customers.

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.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Cosmo Films, a leading manufacturer of speciality BOPP films, has come up with an improvised anti-fog film with excellent cold & hot anti-fog properties and high hot tack & low coefficient of friction which can deliver high speed overwrapping performance. This means that the film would now be suitable for packaging of even unpolished fruits in trays on high-speed HFFS machines, as per the company's press release.

Anti-fog films are generally transparent films which go in for fresh fruits/vegetables, salad packaging, meat packaging applications. The high moisture content in these food items lead to mist formation on the film surface thus affecting the visibility and therefore perceived freshness of the food packed inside. An anti-fogging film not only prevents this phenomenon leading to a better visibility of the contents inside but also renders the pack a better shelf appeal owing to its enhanced gloss/optics. The film complies with the EC and FDA food contact regulations.

The film is a co-extruded both sides heat sealable, both sides treated BOPP film where printing is done generally on the top side and inner side lends in the anti-fogging characteristics. The film works well in a single layer as well as BOPP/AF BOPP laminate structure.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Shailesh Verma, Head- Packaging Films Exports, Cosmo Films said, "The film has excellent machinability, high heat seal & high hot tack strength and low seal initiation temperature and therefore works very well on high-speed packing machines. The film is available in 15 to 40 microns thickness. The company also makes film compatible for sealing on PE trays. A Keep Fresh grade providing longer shelf life because of anti-bacterial properties is also available."

As MRC informed before, in late March 2017, Cosmo Films commenced a new line of BOPP films. The new line has a capacity of 60,000 tpa, which will enhance the company’s overall capacity by 4%. Cosmo Films’ overall BOPP manufacturing capacity will move up from the current 1.36 lakh tpa to 1.96 lakh tpa. The new line is of the highest capacity in the world and will be the first 10.4 metre wide line in India.

BOPP-films (bi-axially oriented polypropylene films) which offers high strength, elasticity, high barrier properties, resistance to various corrosive environments, and inertness go into making of flexible food packaging, adhesive tapes, labels and lamination applications.

Established in 1981, Cosmo Films Limited today is one of the global leaders and manufacturers of Bi-axially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films used for packaging, labels and lamination applications. The company is the largest exporter of BOPP films from India and is also the largest producer of thermal lamination films in the world with plant cum distribution centres in India, Japan, Korea & the U.S along with global channel partners in more than fifty countries.
MRC

Russian companies reduced their PP imports last month because of quite high prices in foreign markets. April imports were 10,600 tonnes, compared to 13,500 tonnes in March. Overall, 45,800 tonnes of propylene polymers were imported into Russia in January-April 2017, compared to 49,300 tonnes a year earlier. Shipments of homopolymer PP fell significantly, whereas imports of propylene copolymers, on the contrary, increased.

Overall, the structure of PP imports looked the following way over the stated period.

April imports of homopolymer PP decreased to 3,300 tonnes from 4,300 tonnes a month earlier. Local companies reduced their shipments of homopolymer PP raffia from Central Asia. Overall imports of this PP grade reached 14,000 tonnes in the first four months of 2017, compared to 23,000 a year earlier.

Last month's imports of PP block copolymers were 2,800 tonnes versus 4,400 tonnes in March. Local companies reduced their purchasing of PP block copolymers for pipes extrusion and injection moulding. Imports of PP block copolymers into Russia reached 13,600 tonnes in January-April 2017, compared to 9,700 tonnes a year earlier.

April imports of stat-propylene copolymers (PP-random) were slightly over 2,200 tonnes versus 2,000 tonnes a month earlier. Despite a sufficient supply of pipe grade PP, local pressure pipes producers increased their purchasing in foreign markets. Overall imports of this grade of propylene copolymers were 8,700 tonnes in January-April 2017, compared to 8,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Imports of other propylene polymers totalled 9,500 tonnes over the stated period, compared to 8,100 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its presence in Southeast Asia by opening a new technical center for construction and adhesives applications in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, as per the company's press release.

The technical facility serves as a development and testing laboratory for dispersible polymer powders and dispersions, which are used as binders for the regional building, paint, coatings and adhesives industries. By expanding its local expertise in development, applications technology and service, Wacker is able to optimally support customers and business partners in the region. It is thus further opening up Southeast Asia’s rapidly developing markets for high-quality construction polymers and chemical raw materials.

Practical test at Wacker’s new technical center in Jakarta: Technical service engineers test products and formulations for the Southeast Asian market. The new lab focuses mainly on polymeric binders, which are used in construction applications such as tile adhesives, waterproofing membranes or indoor paints.

The reason for this increased commitment to the region is ongoing growth, particularly in the building industry. "Southeast Asia, and Indonesia in particular, offer promising growth opportunities for Wacker. Demand for construction chemical specialties has risen noticeably over recent years, especially for our dispersible polymer powders and dispersions," said Christian Hartel of Wacker’s Executive Board during the opening ceremony. Since 2007, the company already operates a technical center in Singapore to support customers in the region in the development of new products and applications for electronics, textiles, automotive, coatings, construction and health care products. To meet the increasing customer demands in Indonesia, the Group is investing continuously in its local services and has now established a new competence center in Jakarta. "With the new technical center in Indonesia, we are further expanding our strong market position in the region. This will allow us to optimally support our local customers and partners," Hartel added.

Wacker already operates a sales subsidiary in Jakarta. The new technical center in Indonesia’s capital now serves as a local development and testing facility for polymer binders for construction and coatings applications. The focus is on formulations containing VINNAPAS dispersible polymer powders and dispersions. These are used, for instance, in dry-mix mortars for tile adhesives or grouts, in water-proofing membranes for bath rooms, kitchens or basements, or in eco-friendly interior wall paints. The new labs are state-of-the-art and provide equipment for testing products under different climatic and environmental conditions and using different raw materials. Additionally, an outdoor weathering station has been installed to analyze the weathering behavior of polymer-modified exterior coatings. For supplementary analyses, Wacker’s global network of technical centers is also available for consultative support.

"Our aim is to support our customers in the construction industry by realizing their individual requirements directly on the spot. This enables us to develop and test innovative polymeric binder applications tailored to modern construction trends and local raw materials together with them", explains Patrick de Wolf, Managing Director of Wacker Southeast Asia. "With the new lab, we are significantly contributing to the distribution of modern construction materials in Indonesia and Southeast Asia."

As MRC wrote before, in 2013, Wacker Chemie AG officially launched its new production plant for ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA) dispersions at its Ulsan site in South Korea. The additional 40,000 tonnes from the second reactor line increases the site's EVA-dispersion capacity to a total of 90,000 tonnes per year. The production capacity of the site had, thus, almost doubled, making the plant complex one of the biggest of its kind in South Korea.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell reported a 136 percent surge in the profit for the first quarter, boosted by stronger oil and gas prices and improved refining margins, said the company on its website.

Shell’s first-quarter earnings on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis and excluding exceptional items rose to USD3.86 billion compared with USD1.63 billion in the same quarter of 2016.

Cash flow from operating activities for the first quarter was USD9.5 billion, compared with USD0.7 billion in the first quarter last year.

These results are Shell’s fifth following the purchase of BG Group in February last year. The deal between BG and Shell created the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) company.

Following the deal, Shell has been shedding assets worth over USD20 billion as it reshapes its portfolio towards more profitable, lower-cost resources.

“We are rapidly transforming Shell through the consistent and disciplined execution of our strategy. This includes investing around USD25 billion this year and the delivery of new projects, which we expect to generate USD10 billion in cash flow from operating activities by 2018,” Ben van Beurden, chief executive officer of Shell, said.

Shell said its LNG sales volumes of 15.84 million tonnes increased by 29 percent compared with the same quarter a year ago.

LNG sales volumes mainly reflected increased trading of third-party volumes and higher liquefaction volumes compared with the same quarter a year ago, the company noted in its first-quarter report.

Shell’s first-quarter liquefaction volumes of 8.18 million tonnes rose 16 percent year-on-year due to the start-up of Gorgon in Australia and the contribution of BG assets for an additional month, it added.

MRC