Mitsui to launch Milastomer production in North America

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsui Chemicals has announced its decision to set up a new production facility for Milastomer TPE at the Ohio plant of its US subsidiary Advanced Composites, Inc, as per GV.

There will be one production line; capacity is said to be 6,000 t/y. Construction start is scheduled for January 2019, completion for June 2019. Operations are expected to commence in October 2019.

Mitsui Chemicals currently owns production locations in Japan, Europe and China. The company said that the new facility will address growing demand in North America and will serve as the company's fourth production base worldwide. Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc. will sell Milastomer in North America, while Advanced Composites, Inc. will handle production.

As MRC informed before, in 2016, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Hankuk Carbon Co., a company listed on the Korea Exchange, entered into a strategic alliance agreement to engage in collaborative business activities relating to the processing of composite materials. Based on this agreement, Mitsui acquired a 10% equity stake in HC (on a voting rights basis) for an investment of KRW 30.6 billion.

Advanced Composites, Inc. is a joint venture of Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc. (59.8 %); Prime Polymer Co. Ltd. (3 %); Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (27 %); and Marubeni America Corporation (10.2 %). The company has been established in June 1986.

Milastomer is a thermoplastic vulcanizate elastomer (TPV), derived from olefin-based rubber and polyolefin resin. With its low density, light weight and good mouldability, the resin is marketed by Mitsui as a substitute for vinyl chloride and vulcanized rubber. Applications include auto parts, building gaskets, toothbrushes, golf club grips, and more. Global demand is projected to rise, primarily for applications such as automotive interior covers, weather strips, air bag covers and steering bellows. Demand for use in automotive interior covers is expected to expand especially in North America.

Mitsui Chemicals is a leading manufacturer and supplier of value added specialty chemicals, plastics and materials for the automotive, healthcare, packaging, agricultural, building, and semiconductor and electronics markets. Mitsui Chemicals is a Japanese Chemicals company, a part of the Mitsui conglomerate. The company has a turnover of around 15 billion USD and has business interests in Japan, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the USA. The company mainly deals in performance materials, petro and basic chemicals and functional polymeric materials.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The skyline of Freeport, Texas has a new look as Fluor iron workers, riggers and operators recently completed the installation of two major structures at Dow’s new polymers manufacturing unit, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Fluor is currently performing mechanical construction on the unit. Over a two-week period, the Dow and Fluor team safely erected a 280-foot-tall structure and a 300-foot-tall structure that make up portions of the facility. The two structures total almost 5,000 tons of steel – the equivalent of 3,000 average-sized cars.

"The success of the lifts and the project is due to the team mentality of everyone on the project," said Rocky Plemons, vice president of construction and site director for Fluor. "This team is the best at finding solutions to a challenge and being accountable. It truly is our people who make the difference."

The two structures were initially assembled into 12 different components at the site. This pre-assembly phase reduced the schedule from traditional stick-build methods by enabling the components to be assembled simultaneously. In addition, it improved safety by reducing the level of elevated work and minimizing site congestion.

The components were then transported to their final location by self-propelled module transporters, and through 12 lifts, connected together like building blocks.

"I get to work with 500 world-class construction professionals every day,” Plemons said. “Cam Gay, our construction manager, has set the bar high, held people accountable to expectations and together we are continuing to meet or exceed our goals."

The project is on schedule for mechanical completion in 2018. Once completed, the facility will manufacture polyolefin elastomers for applications in packaging, transportation, infrastructure and consumer markets.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, and a global leader in vinyl acetate ethylene (EVA) emulsions, has announced an increase in April prices of vinyl acetate-based emulsions sold in Asia, as per the company's press release.

The price increase was effective March 27, 2018, or as contracts otherwise allowed.

Thus, prices rose by RMB200/mt in Greater China, and by USD50/mt in Asia outside of China.

As MRC informed previously, effective June 21, 2017, Celanese Corporation raised its prices of EVA emulsions sold in Asia (outside of China) by USD80/tonne.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - A coal ship that dropped anchor off the coast of the Indonesian port city of Balikpapan on Borneo island was likely to blame for an oil spill, after dragging a pipeline more than 100 meters and causing it to crack, said Reuters.

The extent of an oil spill seen at Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, Indonesia in this still image taken from an April 4, 2018 drone video obtained from social media.

Indonesia declared a state of emergency this week after the spill and fire killed five fishermen. The environment ministry said the oil covered an area of nearly 13,000 hectares and had polluted 60 km of coastal ecosystems, including mangrove wetlands and marine mammal habitats.

"We suspect the pipe was dragged by the ship that caught fire," Oil and Gas Director General Djoko Siswanto told reporters on Thursday. "At the time it was bad weather, so they had to drop anchor," Siswanto said, noting it was an area where ships were not supposed to anchor.

The extent of an oil spill seen at Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, Indonesia in this still image taken from an April 4, 2018 drone video obtained from social media. Siswanto did not identify the vessel, but said it was a coal ship with a Panama flag.

Balikpapan is a bustling mining and energy hub, sitting on a shipping lane serving one of Indonesia’s biggest thermal coal mining regions. Pertamina had at first said initial tests showed the oil was marine oil used in boats, but on Wednesday said a cracked 20-year-old underwater pipeline linked to its refinery in Balikpapan was the source.

By Tuesday night, around 70 cubic meters of spilled oil had been contained by a team from several oil companies operating in the area and government agencies, the environment ministry said.

Thick clumps of oil were still visible in some areas on Thursday, but “much less than the several days prior," Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya said in a statement.

The ministry, which is responsible for supervising the cleanup and compensation claims, had asked Pertamina to contain the remaining oil and help affected members of the community, Nurbaya said.

The extent of an oil spill seen at Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, Indonesia in this still image taken from an April 4, 2018 drone video obtained from social media. Oil and Gas Director General Siswanto said the spill had been stopped and “the remains of the oil spill are still being cleaned up”. He did not estimate how much oil had spilled.

The spill had reduced the operational capacity of the Balikpapan oil refinery, a Pertamina official said. A second smaller undamaged pipeline running next to the broken pipe was being used to deliver crude to the refinery, with additional oil supplied via tankers, Siswanto said.

Some green groups have criticized Pertamina for not taking responsibility for the spill. Siswanto said Pertamina had been late in announcing the source of the oil, but said the government was investigating the company that owned the vessel suspected of breaking the state company’s pipeline.

The vessel owners would be questioned and could be charged over the deaths resulting from the spill, he said. "It depends on who was to blame. It depends on the investigation," he said.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tetra Pak has launched a suite of new packaging material effects, known as Tetra Pak Artistry, which it says will help food and beverage producers "revitalize" the look and feel of their products, as per Plasticsnewseurope.

According to the packaging firm, the manufacturer will not need to switch to new packaging format or invest in new equipment in order to produce the effects.

The range includes Tetra Pak Reflect, which incorporates holographic effects onto the package; Tetra Pak Metallised which gives metallic effect; and Tetra Pak Craft which gives the package the natural look of bare paperboard with wood fibers.

?The range of effects, said Tetra Pack, will be available for the majority of its package formats. "More offerings are in the pipeline, including Tetra Pak Sculpt, an embossed surface texture for an innovative consumer experience," said the company.

"In a world where almost everything needs to be ‘personalisable’, we want to provide customers with something unique to help their brands rise above the noise," said Charles Brand, executive vp, product management and commercial operations at Tetra Pak.
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