Total Gonfreville refinery starting shut-down due to strike-CGT union

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Total’s 253,000 barrel-per-day Gonfreville refinery in Normandy has started the process of suspending production due to an ongoing strike in the oil sector, reported Reuters with reference to France’s CGT trade union.

A strike at the oil and gas company’s Grandpuits refinery has been extended until Tuesday, while CGT workers at Total’s Feyzin plant have opted to continue industrial action until Thursday, CGT spokesman Thierry Defresne said.

He added output from for the two refineries would be reduced and deliveries of refined products from them blocked. CGT members at Total’s La Mede and Flanders oil depots also voted to prolong the strike at their units.

The company could not be reached for comment.

The protest, which started last week in a dispute over pay and bonuses, has reduced output at some refineries and disrupted supplies.

Total said earlier on Monday that product dispatching from the Normandy, Grandpuits and Feyzin refineries was still blocked due to the strike.

As MRC informed previously, in December 2017, Total inaugurated the new units at its Antwerp integrated refining & petrochemicals platform, which had progressively started up in the previous few months.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC

Stavrolen resumed PP production

MOSCOW (MRC) - Stavrolen, Russia's major producer of polyolefins, has resumed production of polypropylene (PP) after an unscheduled shutdown, according to ICIS-MRC Price Report with reference to the producer's customers.

The plant's clients said Stavrolen resumed its PP production at the weekend after the forced outage due to technical issues. The shutdown was short and lasted for about one week.

Stavrolen (part of Lukoil) with the annual PP production capacity of 120,000 tonnes. Overall production of propylene polymers exceeded 92,300 tonnes in the first ten months of 2018, up by 9% year on year.
MRC

Leadership change at Polymer Logistics North America

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Fred Heptinstall, the CEO of Polymer Logistics North America, a supplier of reusable packaging and merchandising systems, is stepping down effective December 31 of this year, as per Canplastics.

Heptinstall joined the Tampa, Fla.-based company – which is the North American division of global company Polymer Logistics – in mid-2016. Prior to that, Heptinstall was the president of IFCO Systems NA, starting in 2014. Before that, he was Chiquita Fresh North America for 13 years, with different roles, including executive vice president. He is a past chairman of the United Fresh Produce Association.

"Heptinstall joined Polymer Logistics as CEO North America when the company was launching its new wood-look reusable plastic containers (RPCs),” said Gideon Feiner, CEO of Polymer Logistics. “Under his leadership, Polymer Logistics North America has grown its customer base, put together a high-performance organization, and delivered innovative solutions to the marketplace."

Feiner will head the company until a successor to Heptinstall is hired.
MRC

Total says deliveries from three refineries still blocked due to strikes

MOSCOW (MRC) -- French oil and gas major Total said that deliveries of refined products from three of its French refineries and an oil depot were still blocked due to an ongoing strike in the sector, reported Reuters.

Deliveries from the Normandy, Grandpuits and Feyzin refineries are affected by the strike, a spokeswoman for the company said, adding that the La Mede oil depot was also impacted by the action.

The strike, which started last week in a dispute over pay and bonuses, has reduced output at some refineries and disrupted supplies.

Members of the French hard-left CGT trade union, which called the strike, will meet at midday Paris time to decide on any further course of action regarding the strike.

As MRC informed earlier, in December 2017, Total inaugurated the new units at its Antwerp integrated refining & petrochemicals platform, which have progressively started up in the last few months.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC

Vinmar Polymers expands into Canada

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Houston, Tex.-based polymer reseller and distributor Vinmar Polymers America (VPA) has named a new commercial director for Canada, as per Canplastics.

The firm has appointed industry veteran Daniel Peretz to the role.

"Daniel will provide leadership to all commercial activities and implement our new platform in Canada," said VPA president Kirt Dmytruk. “Daniel brings with him a wealth of experience, including 20 years in the plastics industry as a plant manager, account manager, territory manager, market manager, and regional sales manager."

Peretz’s role is to focus on establishing a Canadian presence for VPA, Dmytruk added, and to roll out a sales support team to handle the Canadian market.

VPA was founded in August 2018 as a unit of Houston-based petrochemical marketing company Vinmar International.
MRC