BP Whiting refinery to shut large crude unit this week

MOSCOW (MRC) - BP Plc plans to shut the large crude distillation unit (CDU) this week at its 413,500 barrel per day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana, refinery to begin an overhaul, sources familiar with plant operations said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

BP plans to keep the 240,000 bpd Pipestill 12 CDU shut through late October for the planned overhaul, the sources said. Plans also call for a coking unit, another CDU and other units to be shut while Pipestill 12 is down.

As MRC reported before, British oil and gas company BP will increase investment in the United States after the lowering of tax rates under President Donald Trump, Chief Executive Bob Dudley said in early February, 2018.

BP has been present in Brazil for over 60 years, supplying fuels and lubricants, exploring for oil and gas, and developing biofuels. BP and Petrobras currently partner in 16 exploration blocks in Brazil and are both members of the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative, a voluntary, CEO-led initiative which aims to lead the oil and gas industry response to climate change.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The German rubber compounder Polymer-Technik Elbe GmbH (PTE) from Lutherstadt Wittenberg at the Elbe river celebrates its 25th anniversary and the inauguration of a new production line in October 2018, according to GV.

Rubber production in the Elbe region has a 120-year tradition and PTE successfully continues this tradition. Just in time for the anniversary, a significant capacity expansion is realised with the installation of an additional large mixer according to the company's own design. According to the company, the line, equipped with a 320 l kneader is one of the most modern currently available on the market. The new line enables more efficient technology with high quality for large volume products. The same concept is to be introduced in other production areas over the next few years and will provide a constant boost of innovation.

Parallel to the steady growth in sales of the PTE, the number of staff has also been increased in recent years. From 2012 to 2017, 125 new jobs were created worldwide in the Polymer-Technik Elbe Group, an increase of over 30 %. The company is also proud of its apprenticeship programme and welcomes four new trainees in the current year 2018/2019.

In addition, the focus will be on topics presented at DKT 2018 in Nuremberg: drinking water, automotive profiles, and fluoroelastomers. The three areas reflect the increased market requirements and are the pace setters for the company’s expansion strategy. The new rubber compounds are important additions to the product portfolio and will be available worldwide immediately.

The Polymer-Technik Elbe Group, headquartered in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany, supplies a complete portfolio of rubber compounds from its plants in Wittenberg in Germany, Wuxi in China, and Lagos de Moreno in Mexico. Since its foundation in 1993, capacity has grown to 140,000 t/y. The tradition of rubber compounding in Wittenberg goes back to Gummiwerke "Elbe" AG in 1898. Today, almost all types of rubber, from natural rubber to fluororubber, are compounded according to the company’s own recipes and customers formulations and are constantly being further developed.

PTE has also recently expanded its activities in China and is now able to supply the growth market China more extensively than before in the newly founded joint venture with the Jihua Group, Beijing.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- One of China’s leading TPE compounders Dongguan Top Polymer Enterprise Ltd. has announced a significant investment outside China. The company said that it is investing USD 15 million in a new production site in Social Circle, GA, USA, as per GV.

The 5,500 m2 new facility located near Atlanta will operate three compounding lines and will create 70 jobs. Initial annual capacity will be approximately 7,200 t. The start of operations at the plant is scheduled for May 2019.

"This is an exceptional time for Top Polymer Enterprise and we are extremely excited to be part of the Social Circle community," said Marcus Tsong, Top Polymer president. "We see our Social Circle facility as being the first key step to becoming an internationally recognised manufacturer and supplier of premier TPE system."

"Georgia’s manufacturing sector continues to drive statewide investment by attracting industry leaders from around the world," said Governor Nathan Deal. "As the No. 1 state for business, Georgia has the highly skilled workforce, logistics infrastructure and low cost of doing business necessary to provide a strong foundation for Top Polymer’s continued growth. These resources will strengthen the company’s competitive edge in the global market as Top Polymer expands both in the USA and abroad. We look forward to this partnership with Top Polymer as the company invests in Social Circle and creates employment opportunities for our citizens."

Established in 2004, Top Polymer currently operates 13 compounding lines at two compounding facilities in China, located in Dongguan in Guangdong Province and in Liyang City in Jiangsu Province. Total capacity is approximately 26,000 t/y. The compounds are marketed under the brand names Topolymer, Topester, and Topthane. The company exports to more than 30 countries and regions.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hexpol has announced the acquisition of Kirkhill Rubber from the founder Edward Reker, his family and co-owners. The acquisition price amounts to approximately USD 49 million on a cash and debt free basis, as per GV.

Kirkhill is a US rubber compounder with experience in aerospace, automotive, medical and other industry segments. The company brings extensive knowledge in highly engineered elastomers and has a wide range of speciality equipment and complete laboratory testing facilities. Most recently, Kirkhill has expanded into the fields of silicone and perfluoroelastomer compounds. The company has an annual sales of about USD 46 million.

Its recently acquired state-of-the-art facility in Long Beach, CA, USA, will be the sole manufacturing plant of Kirkhill. The production in Downey, CA, USA, will be transferred to Long Beach and the production in Athens, GA, will be transferred to other Hexpol sites in the USA. Thereby the facilities in Downey and Athens are not included in the transaction.

"This acquisition is a very good complement to Hexpol Compounding in the US and broadens and strengthens our presence with Rubber Compounds by highly skilled people and advanced processes", said Tracy Garrison, President Hexpol Compounding NAFTA. Edward Reker, Kirkhill’s President, who will continue with Hexpol, remarked: "We will see an immediate benefit by access to Hexpol’s global material reach, expanded development resources and advanced quality systems." Mikael Fryklund, CEO of Hexpol Group, commented: "This is a further step in expanding and strengthening the Hexpol Group with an acquisition within our core business."

As MRC reported earlier, in October 2013, The Hexpol TPE group, a manufacturer of custom-formulated TPE and flexible polymer compounds, appointed MLPlastics as its distribution partner in the North of Germany.

Hexpol is a compounder of thermoplastics and TPEs as well as a processor of wheels made from polyurethane, other plastics and rubber. The company is headquartered in Sweden but has a global footprint.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The assets of polyethylene pipe producer Uponor Infra Ltd., which is headquartered in Mississauga, Ont., have been acquired by U.S.-based investment firm Wynnchurch Capital LLC for USD62.5 million and renamed as Infra Pipe Solutions Ltd. (IPS), as per Canplastics.

The deal includes Uponor’s manufacturing plants in Mississauga; Huntsville, Ont.; and Saskatoon, Sask. IPS will manufacture large diameter HDPE pipe for use in water infrastructure, mining, industrial processes, oil and gas distribution, and other applications.

The IPS deal marks Wynnchurch’s eleventh platform investment in Canada and the second Canadian investment in 2018. Sandeep Dhillon, who served as president of Uponor Infra Ltd., is now IPS’s CEO.

"We are excited to partner with Sandeep Dhillon, the management team, and all of the employees of the company to continue the company’s track record of superior safety, quality, and customer service,” said Chris O’Brien, managing partner at Chicago-based Wynnchurch. “IPS has an exceptionally bright future and we look forward to supporting the company’s plans for growth."

"With the opportunities we have before us, this is a very exciting time for the company,” Dhillon said. “Wynnchurch has the resources and expertise to take our company into a new phase of expansion as we continue to help our customers grow."
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