Trinseo CEO Christopher Pappas to retire In 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo S.A., a manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, said Tuesday that Christopher Pappas, President and Chief Executive Officer, has announced his plans to retire in 2019, as per the company's press release.

Trinseo's Board of Directors is engaged in ongoing succession planning and intends to name a successor soon. Pappas plans to help support a smooth and seamless transition to the company's next CEO.

Pappas said, "I am extremely proud of all that we have accomplished at Trinseo in the last eight years - from the Company's formation in 2010 via spin-off from Dow Chemical, through its ownership by private equity with Bain Capital Partners, to an initial public offering and listing on the NYSE in 2014, followed by further expansion through acquisition and market-driven growth."

Pappas has had a 40-plus year distinguished career in the chemicals and plastics industry. In his role as Trinseo's President and CEO, he led the company's formation and global growth.

Pappas started his career at Dow Chemical Company, and later moved to senior leadership roles at DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC, and NOVA Chemicals Corporation where he held roles including Chief Operating Officer and President and CEO.

He was named to lead Trinseo, formerly known as Styron, in March 2010, and assumed the role in June 2010 upon the sale of Trinseo from Dow to Bain Capital Partners. Pappas also serves on the Board of Directors for FirstEnergy Corp. and Univar Inc.

As MRC wrote before, Trinseo has announced price decrease for all polystyrene (PS) grades in December. Effective December 1, 2018, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below went down as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) - by EUR120 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech and STYRON X- Tech and STYRON C- Tech high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR120 per metric ton.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD4.4 billion in net sales in 2017, with 16 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,200 employees.
MRC

JXTG Nippon Oil starts maintenance at Kawasaki cracker

MOSCOW (MRC) -- JXTG Nippon Oil and Energy has undertaken an unplanned shutdown at its cracker in Kawasaki, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the company has halted operations at the cracker on December 10, 2018 for maintenance work. The cracker is likely to remain off-line for around 8-10 days.

Located at Kawasaki in Japan, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 448,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 273,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy shut its cracker in Kawasaki on June 8, 2018 owing to technical issues. The cracker remained off-line for around 10 days.
MRC

Combination of IACS and MAP technology found to enhance fuel tank processing efficiency

MOSCOW (MRC) -- With the introduction in the 1980s of increasingly stricter fuel-permeation regulations, the automotive industry adapted by switching to the use of multilayer fuel systems, in which a barrier layer is integrated, as per Plasticsnewseurope.

These multilayer tanks are produced in a process called multi-layer extrusion or coextrusion “COEX”. In this process, a tubular preform made of molten polymers – virgin HDPE, HDPE regranulate, an internal and external bonding layer, EVOH and again virgin HDPE – is transferred into a blow-mould where it conforms to the mould contours through the use of internal pressure.

In order to cure the tank, the component is usually cooled by using cold water in the cavity of the tool mould. However, the process step is very cost-intensive and time-consuming: low cold water temperatures lead to the formation of condensation on the mould surface, which in turn results in unsteady product quality and increased scrap.

Moreover, due to the continuing heat exposure, the EVOH-layer in the tank can be damaged, limiting the functional capability of the tank. “Cooling of the plastic product represents both one of the most critical and most lengthy sub-processes in the extrusion blow moulding process,” explained Aaron Farrag, deputy CEO of the FarragTech GmbH.

Particularly, according to Farrag, difficulties can occur due to the temperature drop between the exterior cooled by means of cold water and the still warm interior of the product.

The differences in temperature could lead to material stress as the tanks are complexly shaped, with different wall thicknesses in the range of 1.35 mm and 3.80 mm.

Until recently, this problem was addressed by interval blowing. This, however, resulted in an unsteady product quality, with products failing to pass the tightness tests, load tests and drop tests, as well as resulting more scrap.
MRC

PVC production in Russia up by 6% in Jan-Nov 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's overall production of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rose in the first eleven months of 2018 by 6% year on year to slightly over 871,000 tonnes. All producers increased their output, according to MRC's ScanPlast report.

November total production of unmixed PVC grew to 86,100 tonnes from 85,000 tonnes a month earlier, Bashkir Soda Company increased its capacity utilisation. Overall PVC output reached 871,000 tonnes in January-November 2018, compared to 820,500 tonnes a year earlier. All plants raised their production, with RusVinyl accounting for the greatest increase in the output.

The structure of PVC production by plants looked the following way over the stated period.


RusVinyl (JV of SIBUR and SolVin) produced 29,800 tonnes of PVC in November, with emulsion polyvinyl chloride (EPVC) accounting for 2,700 tonnes, compared to 32,200 tonnes a month earlier. RusVinyl's overall output of resin reached 305,200 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2018, up 8% year on year.

SayanskKhimPlast produced 26,700 tonnes of suspension PVC (SPVC) last month, whereas this figure was only 27,600 tonnes in October. The Sayansk plant managed to produce 251,600 tonnes of resin in the first eleven months of 2018, compared to 238,700 tonnes a year earlier.

The Bashkir Soda Company produced 22,400 tonnes of suspension in November versus 17,300 tonnes a month earlier (the plant had to reduce its capacity utilisation in the second half of September-early October due to technical problems). However, the Bashkir plant's overall production of resin reached 229,700 tonnes in January-November 2018, up by 4% year on year.

Kaustik (Volgograd) slighlty reduced its production last month, the plant's output was 7,200 tonnes, compared to 7,800 tonnes in October. The plant's overall production of resin reached 84,500 tonnes over the stated period versus 79,000 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

PVC imports into Russia fell by 67% in Jan-Mov 2018, exports up by 57%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Russia were about 15,300 tonnes in January-November 2018, down by 67% year on year. Russian producers increased exports by more than one and a half times, according to MRC's DataScope report.

November imports of suspension PVC (SPC) rose to 1,300 tonnes against a minimum of 176 tonnes in the current year in October. A slight increase in the external supplies was a result of a significant decrease in prices on foreign markets. Thus, overall imports of PVC to Russia totalled about 15,300 tonnes in the eleven months of 2018, compared to 46,900 tonnes a year earlier.

Chinese producers were the key foreign suppliers of resin, overall imports of acetylene PVC were 12,100 tonnes in the eleven months of 2018 versus 42,800 tonnes a year earlier.

The second largest foreign supplier was a producer from Germany with a volume of 1,900 tonnes for the period in question.

At the same time, the decline in the demand for PVC from the domestic market over the past few years and the high utilisation rates of existing capacities have become the main cause of record volumes of PVC exports from Russian producers this year.

A record volume of Russian SPVC was shipped for export in November - more than 29,000 tonnes (excluding the countries of the Customs Union) against 14,600 tonnes a month earlier. 131,900 tonnes of SPVC were shipped for export in January-November 2018, compared to 83,800 tonnes a year earlier.
MRC