ALPLA and FROMM cooperate in PET recycling

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ALPLA, the Austrian packaging solutions specialist, and FROMM (Switzerland) have agreed on a collaboration in relation to PET recycling, as per ALPLA's press release.

Both companies operate recycling plants for PET bottles, thus ensuring the necessary supply of materials for their own production facilities.

The goal of the collaboration between ALPLA and FROMM is the further optimisation of the already high recycling rates for PET as well as a significant reduction in CO2 emissions through saved transport. There are also further benefits for the partners, such as simplified access to markets in the respective countries.

"The requirements at our production sites complement one another very well. At ALPLA, we mainly need clear, food-grade pellets. Fromm processes coloured flakes for the strapping bands," explains Georg Lasser, Head of Corporate Recycling Services at ALPLA. "The collaboration between our recycling facilities will ensure the necessary quantity and quality of materials for production for both sides."

‘The three recycling plants are integrated in various procurement markets and complement one another ideally in the procurement of raw materials,’ highlights Reinhard Fromm, owner of the family-run FROMM Group.

The PET Recycling Team plants in Wollersdorf (Austria) and Radomsko (Poland) are part of the ALPLA Group. These recycling facilities have an annual capacity of approximately 45,000 tonnes of food-grade rPET produced from post-consumer materials.

The PET recycling company Texplast in Wolfen (Germany) has been a subsidiary of FROMM Plastics GmbH since 2004. Texplast produces PET pellets and PET flakes. FROMM uses these for its own production of strapping bands and also supplies manufacturers of beverage bottles, thermoforming sheets and fibres.

The contract partners have agreed not to disclose the details of the cooperation. Further possibilities to extend the cooperation are to be explored.

As MRC informed before, in July 2017, Alpla acquired a 100% stake in Italian plastic bottle producer Propack. Headquartered in Ostellato, Propack specialises in the production of HDPE and PET bottles for home care. The deal sees Alpla expand its production capacities in north-east Italy with its eighth plant in the country.

ALPLA is one of the leading companies involved in plastic packaging. Around 19,300 employees worldwide produce custom-made packaging systems, bottles, closures and moulded parts at 176 sites across 45 countries. The high-quality packaging is used in a wide range of areas, including for food and drinks, cosmetics and care products, household detergents, washing and cleaning agents, engine oils and lubricants. ALPLA operates its own recycling plants: PET Recycling Team with two sites in Austria and Poland, and in the form of joint ventures in Mexico and Germany. ALPLA celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015.

The FROMM Group is a leading global company producing load securement systems for the transportation of goods and has over 70 years of history. Over 1,200 employees develop, produce and distribute tailored packaging solutions for customers with around 40 companies across six continents. FROMM has production sites in Italy, Germany, USA, Thailand, Chile and Slovakia.

Texplast GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of FROMM Plastics GmbH in Kolleda. The company has almost 100 employees and, with an input capacity of over 50,000 tonnes of bottles per year, is one of the leading recyclers of rPET in Western Europe, in particular for used beverage bottles. Texplast produces flakes for applications in the plastics industry as well as pellets for the production of food packaging. FROMM specialises in strapping bands, air cushion packaging and stretch film, as well as the corresponding machinery and equipment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Rain Carbon Inc., a leading global producer of carbon-based products, has announced that it will begin construction of a new resin polymerization and hydrogenation plant in mid-July at its integrated coal tar and petrochemical site in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The plant hydrogenated water-white resins will serve as a cornerstone of Rain Carbon's new Advanced Materials product segment. Once operational in the third quarter of 2019, the plant will have a resins production capacity of up to 50,000 tons per year.

"In recent years, advances in science and engineering have unleashed the potential of coal and petro tars - two of our core raw materials - and we are rapidly mobilizing to leverage new opportunities to deliver advanced materials designed for lighter, faster and greener 21st-century applications," said Rain Carbon President Gerard Sweeney.

"Hydrogenation is the next step for hydrocarbon resin producers, to satisfy evolving regulatory requirements and growing demand by consumer- and industrial-goods manufacturers for cleaner and safer raw materials," Sweeney explained.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- July contract price of ethylene in Europe was agreed down by EUR50/tonne from June. However, European producers intend to roll over June export polyethylene (PE) prices for July shipments to the CIS markets, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Negotiations over July PE shipments from Europe to the CIS countries began on Monday. But the lower ethylene prices in the region did not lead to a proportional decrease in export PE prices. European producers announced a roll-over of June prices for this month for all grades of ethylene polymers.

Negotiations over July shipments of low density polyethylene (HDPE) were held in the range of EUR1,080-1,155/tonne FCA, which virtually corresponded to June prices. Soma producers had minor restrictions on shipments, but they were not critical for most buyers.

Prices of black PE 100 also remained unchanged and were discussed in the range of EUR1,360-1,415/tonne FCA. Supply of this PE grade increased noticeably in July after two months of serious restrictions on shipments.

Deals for July shipments of European low density polyethylene (LDPE) were negotiated in the range of EUR1,080-1,150/tonne FCA, as a month earlier.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil major BP discharged 130,000 tonnes, or nearly 1 million barrels, of Angolan crude to a Chinese independent refiner last week, after holding the oil on water for more than two months amid slowing Chinese demand and multi-year high oil prices, sources with knowledge of the offloading said Reuters.

Texas, a supertanker charted by BP carrying around 2 million barrels of Angolan crude, discharged part of the cargo in mid-April at Qingdao and was slated to offload the rest at Rizhao, another port in Shandong, shortly after.

Instead, the tanker had been anchored off the coast until last week, when it discharged at the Rizhao terminal 130,000 tonnes of Cabinda crude to Shandong Qingyuan Group.

Qingyuan, which is based at Linzi in the province of Shandong and operates a 5.2 million-tonne-per-year (104,000-barrel-per-day) refiner, is a regular customer of BP which has expanded its crude oil marketing to Chinese independent refiners over the last three years.

Qingyuan has received an annual crude import quota of 4.04 million tonnes and is one of the largest independently-run lubricant producers.

BP did not reply to Reuters’ request for comment. Qingyuan didn’t respond to a Reuters fax seeking comment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals will upgrade its Rotterdam chlor-alkali plant to strengthen development of the local industrial cluster, as per the company's press release.

The company is preparing to invest in a second, independent production line for chlorine and caustic soda and will also implement a series of other upgrades, starting with the implementation of new ‘e-flex’ technology, which automatically adjusts production in line with electricity supplies.

The new production line, which is due for completion by 2021, will ensure a continuous supply of chlorine, including when one line is undergoing maintenance. It also enables the company to expand production capacity in the future to accommodate further demand growth. The Rotterdam plant is at the heart of an important industrial cluster for several essential chlorine derivatives including PVC, epoxy resins and polyurethane.

"Chlorine and caustic soda are essential raw materials for products ranging from pharmaceuticals to lightweight products such as epoxy resins used for wind turbines," said Knut Schwalenberg, Executive Committee Member responsible for Industrial Chemicals. "To safeguard a continuous supply in the future and to further improve safety and sustainability, we plan to turn our site in Rotterdam into the most advanced chlorine plant in the world."

The 'e-flex' technology, implemented this month, uses data analytics to automatically adjust chlorine production levels in line with changes in electricity supplies and thus optimize costs. Using flexibility - both in chemical production and electricity generation - will also help energy providers to balance large swings in supply from renewable sources such as wind power.

Werner Fuhrmann, CEO of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, said: “The upgrades at our Rotterdam site will safeguard our position as a trusted partner for our customers, who rely on us to support the growth of their business. Taking advantage of digital technologies such as ‘e-flex’ also shows that digitalization, business growth and a sustainable future can go hand in hand."

The Rotterdam site has the biggest single-line electrolysis unit in Europe, with a production capacity of over 630,000 tons per year of chlorine, as well as caustic soda and hydrogen. The company is currently preparing the permitting documentation for the new facilities and construction is expected to start in 2019.

As MRC informed before, in December 2016, AkzoNobel finalized the acquisition of BASF’s global Industrial Coatings business, which supplies a range of products for industries including construction, domestic appliances, wind energy and commercial transport, strengthening its position as the global number one supplier in coil coatings.

Akzo Nobel N.V., trading as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational, active in the fields of decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 55,000 people.
MRC