China move to drop crude off tariff list a relief for major refiner

MOSCOW (MRC) - China's decision to remove crude oil from its latest tariff list in an escalating trade war with the United States was a relief to state oil firms prompted by a strong lobbying effort by main importer the Sinopec Group, Beijing-based oil sources said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Dropping crude oil from the final tariff list on USD16 billion in U.S. goods underscores the growing importance of the United States as a key global producer and critical alternative supply source for top importer China, which is seeking to diversify its oil purchases.

Removing crude imports, worth roughly USD8 billion annually based on Sinopec's earlier forecast of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) for 2018, also gives Beijing room to maneuver in future negotiations with Washington, especially as it may soon lose some Iranian oil shipments due to reimposed U.S. sanctions.

"Sinopec did a lot of lobbying work with the government," said one person with direct knowledge of the state refiner's efforts to sway the policy decision of various agencies such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce. Sinopec declined to comment.

The revision came after Sinopec - Asia's largest refiner and the biggest buyer of U.S. oil - suspended new bookings until at least October over worries that a 25 percent tariff would prohibit it from finding buyers in China.

"The U.S. will be the single largest source of new oil supplies outside OPEC. It's in China's interest to diversify supplies," said a second source, a state oil trading manager. The move could encourage Sinopec to bring in cargoes loaded in June and July, and resume new bookings, the sources said, declining to be named due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
MRC

Arlanxeo introduces innovative Therban solution with new termonomer

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arlanxeo, a leading global manufacturer of synthetic elastomers, has present its new terpolymer Therban ST 3107 VP, as per the company's press release.

The fully hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) has a new, innovative termonomer, which has never been used before with HNBR rubbers.

"With the new Therban ST 3107 VP, we can now offer our customers a unique solution for the most complex types of applications, where good low-temperature flexibility combined with excellent oil resistance is required," says Susanna Lieber, Global Head of Technical Marketing in the Arlanxeo business for Therban. "Our new Therban product can reduce the glass transition temperature by up to 10 C in rubber compounds, while maintaining excellent media resistance. With these properties, it is setting new standards," Lieber adds.

A patent application has been filed for the new Therban ST 3107 VP, which was developed at Arlanxeo’s sites in Dormagen, Germany, and La Wantzenau, France.

The hydrogenated nitrile rubber Therban is an innovative high-performance rubber specially developed by Arlanxeo for the most complex applications. The elastomer offers good resistance to high temperatures and in contact with fuels, oil and gas, as well as excellent mechanical properties. The various Therban products are therefore used in fields such as the automotive industry for the production of timing belts and the oil extraction industry in stator/rotor systems for drilling.

As MRC informed before, in July 2018, Arlanxeo introduced its new thermoplastic vulcanisates (TPVs) that combine Keltan Eco ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) with green fillers, plasticizers and thermoplastics, resulting in EPDM products with up to 90% sustainable ingredients.

Arlanxeo was established in April 2016 as a joint venture of Lanxess - a world-leading specialty chemicals company based in Cologne, Germany - and Saudi Aramco - a major global energy and chemicals enterprise headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The two partners each hold a 50-percent interest in the joint venture. The business operations of Arlanxeo are assigned to the High Performance Elastomers and Tire & Specialty Rubbers business units.
MRC

Teijin Frontier to open new showroom

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Teijin Frontier (U.S.A.), Inc., a subsidiary of Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd. Opening a new window, the Teijin Group’s fiber and products converting company, announced that it will open a showroom at its U.S. head office in New York City displaying products designed for the U.S. market, said the company.

Opening on August 17, the showroom will feature various products made from Teijin Frontier’s trademark high quality materials, with a focus on the polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber SOLOTEX Opening a new window, aiming to increase awareness of Teijin Frontier’s products in the U.S. and to share information with customers about new product development.

Teijin Frontier (U.S.A.) leverages the group’s signature converting capabilities to offer a wide range of unique products, and aims to achieve further sales growth in the U.S. apparel market through a strengthening of partnerships with other group companies.

Teijin is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 170 companies and around 19,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY835 billion (USD 7.6 billion) and total assets of JPY 986.2 billion (USD 9 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.
MRC

Swell Changchun uses platable ELIX ABS P2MC for new FAW-Volkswagen projects

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A leading supplier of electroplated automotive parts in China has selected ELIX ABS P2MC from ELIX Polymers for several new projects for FAW-Volkswagen Automotive, as per the company's press release.

Changchun FAW Sihuan Swell Auto Parts is making use of the best-in-class plating performance of this specialty grade to produce parts with very good surfaces and with very low scrap rates after the electroplating process.

ELIX ABS P2MC is used for footboards, VW logos, front grilles and several exterior trim parts of the Magotan, Jetta and Golf models produced by Volkswagen’s joint venture with the FAW Group in China.

Spain-based ELIX Polymers says it works with its Chinese distribution partner, Yixin Resources Co., to provide the best possible technical and logistic service to its customers. Yixin Resources, which has several offices and warehouses in China, has considerable experience in selling specialty materials and in engaging in project work supported by local technical teams.

ELIX ABS P2MC is approved for use at most main Automotive OEMs. Outside of this segment, it is also used for cosmetic packaging and bathroom fittings. In addition to this well-established grade – a benchmark for ABS plating grades in the global market - ELIX Polymers now also offers two additional electroplatable ABS-based materials. High-heat HH P2MC ABS and Ultra HH4115 PG ABS/PC complete the company’s plating portfolio. All three grades have special formulations dedicated to galvanic process requirements. To ensure Class A surfaces, the company has put in place a process of intensive control and selection of intermediate products.

Target automotive applications for these grades include not only radiator grilles and logos, but also profiles, tailgate handles and decorative interior parts. Grade selection depends on the technical requirements of the final part.

"ELIX is growing strongly with new projects for the automotive, healthcare and consumer goods industry, thanks to our focus on specialties, customized service and technical solutions, together with our close cooperation with leading global OEMs and Tiers" says Fabian Herter, Marketing Manager Automotive & ABS Specialties.

As MRC reported earlier, in June 2019, ELIX Polymers announced a new investment amounting to 4 million euros, whose objective is to optimize its ABS powder production facilities. The company expects to begin executing this new project in 2018, which it will continue to develop and consolidate throughout this year and 2019.

ELIX Polymers is one of the most important manufacturers of ABS resins and derivatives in Europe, with 40 years of experience in engineering plastics and an installed capacity of 180,000/year from their plant in Tarragona (Spain) to the world. The operation starts in 1975, when the Tarragona ABS and SAN production plant was inaugurated.
MRC

Mexicos largest oil refinery shut down due to power outage

MOSCOW (MRC) - Pemex's Salina Cruz refinery shut down due to a power outage and was scheduled to restart operations a day later, a spokesman for state-run oil company said, as per Reuters.

"It's now in the process of starting up again in order to resume operations later today," said a Pemex spokesman who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with company policy.

The Salina Cruz refinery, Pemex's largest, has an installed capacity to process 330,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd).

As of June, the facility was processing slightly more than 200,000 bpd of crude, according to Pemex data.
MRC