Sulzer Achema 2018 preview

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sulzer is delivering service and product excellence through innovation at ACHEMA 2018, to be held in Frankfurt from June 11th to 15th, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The exhibition will bring together experts from across the world and Sulzer is taking the opportunity to demonstrate its expertise in separation technology for chemical manufacturers, pump design and rotating equipment services.

ACHEMA is the leading chemical and process engineering exhibition that creates a forum for the exchange of ideas and new technology. Sulzer will be offering three chances to discover the latest developments in separation and mixing solutions, pumping technology and rotating equipment services.

Sulzer’s experts in separation technology will be on hand in Hall 4.0, Stand D48 to discuss the latest developments in tray technology, random packing applications, skid mounted separation solutions and the use of carbon products in column internals.

Sulzer Chemtech is the market leader for separation and mixing technology and the recent introduction of MellaCarbon™ column internals has delivered considerable advantages for corrosive applications. Decades of experience in the design and construction of tailor-made components ensure optimum column performance for the chemical manufacturing sector.

Further developments have been made in tray performance with increased capacity and improved downcomer technology that enhances performance. In addition, experts on the stand will be able to provide a detailed explanation about improvements to random packing applications and Sulzer’s NeXRing™ solution.

Integration of the latest technology with existing infrastructure is very important and Sulzer offers a turn-key service using skid-mounted solutions that minimize costs and disruption on site. By delivering a fully tested, tailor-made solution, Sulzer ensures maximum benefits with short delivery times.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- McDermott International, Inc. and CB&I announced that the companies have received antitrust clearance in Russia for their proposed combination. With this clearance, McDermott and CB&I have received all the required competition authority approvals for the transaction, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

As previously announced on December 18, 2017, McDermott and CB&I agreed to combine in an all-stock transaction to create a premier vertically-integrated onshore-offshore company with an enterprise value of approximately $6 billion. Under the terms of the proposed combination, upon completion, it is estimated that McDermott stockholders will own approximately 53 percent of the combined company on a fully diluted basis and CB&I shareholders will own approximately 47 percent.

The combination is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018. It remains subject to approval by McDermott’s and CB&I’s shareholders, completion of financing and other closing conditions.

As MRC informed before, in December 2017, CB&I announced it had received full notice to proceed by Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries Inc. (KPI) for the project management services for a propane dehydrogenation unit (PDH) and a polypropylene plant in the western Atyrau region of Kazakhstan.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wood has been selected to develop the world's largest fully integrated crude oil to chemicals (COTC) complex in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on behalf of Saudi Aramco and SABIC as the first PMC contractor, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The company will provide front-end engineering design (pre-FEED and FEED) and project management services during the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase, supporting the development of the complex that is expected to process 400 Mbpd and approximately nine million tons of chemicals and base oils annually.

The contract is expected to continue through to the start of operations, forecast for 2025. It will be executed from Wood's Reading and Al-Khobar offices.

Robin Watson, Wood's chief executive, said: "We are proud to have been selected to be a contractor with Saudi Aramco and SABIC to deliver this significant greenfield onshore facility that will be a first for Saudi Arabia and among the first in the world to integrate the refinery and chemical process in this way.

"Wood has a strong track record of successful delivery for both customers across their broad project portfolios. We will leverage our diverse capabilities, from design to EPC, to support the evolution of the facility at each phase. Our commitment is to combine our ingenuity, global expertise and local knowledge to ensure the safe, successful and timely delivery of this mega-project.

"Our close collaboration with the in-country supply chain and the creation of opportunities to nurture new industry talent in Saudi Arabia, will be central to our execution of this contract."

As MRC reported earlier, in July 2016, Saudi Aramco and SABIC signed a heads of agreement to conduct a feasibility study on the development of a fully integrated crude oil-to-chemicals complex to be located in Saudi Arabia. The heads of agreement contains key principles of cooperation that will form the basis for the companies to establish a joint venture, if the joint study reaches a positive conclusion.

Saudi Aramco is an integrated oil and chemicals company, a global leader in hydrocarbon production, refining processes and distribution, as well as one of the largest global oil exporters. It manages proven reserves of crude oil and condensate estimated at 261.1bn barrels, and produces 9.54 million bbl daily. Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the company employs over 61,000 staff in 77 countries.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the worldпїЅs market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Austria's Engel Holding GmbH is expanding the reach of its Chinese subsidiary Wintec into North America and Brazil, using the upcoming NPE show to begin selling Wintec's standard grade injection molding machines in the United States, as per Plasticsnewseurope.

Wintec, which is based in Changzhou, China, has focused on Asia since launching as a separate unit within Engel in 2014.

But Engel now says it sees opportunities for Wintec's offering of simpler machines in Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States, in areas like single-component molding, where special technologies may not be needed.

"In addition to sophisticated applications that require tailor-made injection molding solutions, we see a strong demand in America for injection molding machines that handle standard applications," said Engel Chief Strategy Officer Christoph Steger. "By expanding the sales area to the American markets, as the Engel Group we can provide tailored solutions at an attractive price/performance ratio."

The company said it will offer its hydraulic Wintec t-win series from 500 tons to 1,900 tons clamping force, and its electric e-win series from 55 to 310 tons clamping force.

The company said it plans to start selling the machines in the American markets in May and has already set up a network of local service technicians, along with a spare parts warehouse.

Longtime Engel executive Peter Auinger will head the new push as Wintec President Americas. Auinger started the Wintec operations in China, and prior to that had been head of Engel's subsidiary in Mexico.

Wintec machines are not customized, but instead are delivered preconfigured, shortening lead times.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LG Chem , South Korea’s largest chemical company, sees the global petrochemical market being stable this year, and is diversifying its products to guard against falling plastic usage, reported Reuters with reference to the company’s chief executive.

Asian petrochemical makers typically use crude-oil derived naphtha as a feedstock to produce ethylene and other basic petrochemicals, which are mostly used to make plastics. "The petrochemical business is largely affected by oil prices, but now oil prices are stable in the range of $60 per barrel after rising for a while," Park Jin-soo, LG Chem CEO and vice president, said at a press conference on Friday which was embargoed until Sunday.

"The market may not be as robust as last year but I think it won’t go bad this year."
The chief executive also raised concerns over protectionism after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, prompting warnings of retaliation from U.S. trading partners.

"We see relatively little impact because our export volume to the U.S. is not that much, however, in the long term we should be prepared for global trade protectionism," Park said.

Asked about the potential impact of plastic usage bans on the petrochemical industry, Park said demand continued to increase steadily.

"However we have been diversifying our businesses to maintain steady demand regardless of supply or demand changes," he said.

LG Chem currently operates two naphtha crackers in the southwestern cities of Yeosu and Daesan with a combined 2.2 million tonnes per year (tpy) of ethylene output. It would increase the Daesan plant’s ethylene output capacity by 230,000 tonnes to 1.27 million tpy by 2019.

The company said in December it would expand its acrylic and superabsorbent polymer production capacity by the first half of 2019 in a bid to focus on more lucrative petrochemical products.

Apart from the petrochemical business, LG Chem is also one of the major South Korean battery makers, along with Samsung SDI and SK Innovation.

As MRC wrote earlier, in January 2016, South Korea's LG Chem said it had decided to drop a plan to jointly build a USD4.2-billion petrochemical complex in Kazakhstan, citing a prolonged slump in oil prices and a sharp increase in facility investments. In 2011, the chemical company said it would construct the complex near the western Kazakh city of Atyrau as part of a 50-50 joint venture with two Kazakh companies. The plan involved building ethylene and polyethylene plants with annual capacities of 840,000 tonnes and 800,000 tonnes, respectively.

LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to ICIS report, it is 15th biggest chemical company in the world in 2011. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
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