Neftekhim LTD resumed PP production after unscheduled shutdown

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Neftekhim Ltd, Kazakhstan's only polypropylene (PP) producer, has resumed its PP production after the forced shutdown in late November, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

The plant's customers said the Kazakh producer had resumed PP production by 12 December after the forced outage, which started in late November. The shutdown was caused by technical issues at Pavlodar refinery, leading to suspension of shipments of feedstock for the PP production.

Neftekhim Ltd was commissioned in 2009. The company produces methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and polypropylene (PP). The plant's PP production with the capacity of 30,000 tonnes/year was launched in 2011; the plant did not have PP granulation unit then, polymer was produced in the form of powder, which limited its field of application.
MRC

Indorama Ventures announces acquisition of UTT

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a leading global chemical company, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire UTT Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, as per the company's press release.

UTT is one of the leading suppliers of airbag fabrics and other highly specialized solutions in the field of technical textiles. The company has two sites in Germany and Mexico with approximately 420 employees and produces around 70 million sqm of fabrics.

Subject to regulatory approvals, UTT will be acquired by PHP Fibers, a company owned by Indorama Ventures (80% stake) and Toyobo (20% stake). The acquisition of UTT by PHP Fibers brings together two pioneers in the airbag market who have worked together closely and trustingly for more than five decades. With this acquisition, Indorama Ventures is strengthening its portfolio in the airbag sector and adds the UTT weaving sites in Germany and Mexico to the yarn production sites in Germany, the USA and the JV participation in China as well as to the PHP Fibers weaving mills in Germany and the USA established with the expertise of Toyobo.

The combination of both companies will form a leading integrated manufacturer of airbag yarns and textiles globally to offering wider choices to its customers in a more cost efficient manner.

Aloke Lohia, Group CEO of Indorama Ventures, stressed: "We have known UTT for a long time as a loyal customer of our airbag yarns. The expertise of UTT and the intensified exchange of experience with PHP will advance both companies and further strengthen Indorama Ventures' leading global position in the airbag segment. For the benefit of our customers, we will move even closer to the users in the future in order to be able to respond better and more flexibly to the wishes of our customers, whether for yarns or fabrics.

The acquisition also clearly demonstrates the strategic importance of the Automotive Division for Indorama Ventures. IVL is not only focusing on tire yarns, but also on other trendsetting segments such as airbags."

As MRC reported before, in October 2017, IVL completed its purchase of DuraFiber Technologies Mexico Operations, S. A. DE C. V. (Durafiber). Durafiber is a leading Mexican producer of durable technical textiles for industrial, tyre reinforcement, and specialty applications globally.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, listed in Thailand, is one of the world’s leading petrochemicals producers, with a global manufacturing footprint across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The company’s portfolio comprises Necessities and High Value-Added (HVA) categories of Polymers, Fibers, and Packaging, selectively integrated with self-manufactured Ethylene Oxide/Glycols and PTA where economical. IVL products serve major FMCG and Automotive sectors, i.e. Beverages, Hygiene, Personal Care, Tire and Safety segments. IVL has approx. 15,000 employees worldwide.
MRC

Saudi Aramco, ADNOC's India refinery project delayed by two years

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India has delayed the commissioning of a giant refinery that state-owned firms are building in tie-up with Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) by two year to 2025, a senior official at the consortium told Reuters.

The planned 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) coastal refinery in western Maharashtra state slated to commission in 2023, according to the website of Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPL), the joint-venture company executing the project.

"The project will be completed in 2024 and commissioning will be in 2025," said RPPL chief executive B. Ashok.

He said the new commissioning schedule has been drawn as the company now has "detailed information on the configuration, availability of the people to build and so on".

According to RPPL website, the USD50 billion refinery and associated petrochemical project would be spread over 15,000 acres of land.

Acquisition of land for the project has been put on hold after a strong opposition from farmers, chief minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis said last month.

Land acquisition has always been a contentious issue in rural India, where the majority of the population depends on farming for their livelihood.

The refinery, which was initially expected to cost USD44 billion, was seen as a game changer - offering India steady fuel supplies and meeting Saudi Arabia and ADNOC’s need to secure regular buyers for its oil.

But thousands of farmers are refusing to surrender land, fearing it could damage a region famed for its Alphonso mangoes, vast cashew plantations and fishing hamlets that boast bountiful catches of seafood.

Ashok said the project would have a very high complexity to churn out superior grade fuels and 18 million tonnes/year of petrochemicals.

State run companies - Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum - own 50 percent stake in RPPL while the remainder is held by Saudi Aramco and ADNOC.

As MRC informed earlier, a USD3.1 billion project to introduce crude processing flexibility, at the ADNOC owned Ruwais oil refinery, was announced in February 2018.
MRC

Toray to expand production of ABS at Malaysian subsidiary

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Toray Industries, Inc., announced its decision to enhance production capacity of ABS resin TOYOLAC, manufactured at and distributed by Toray Plastics (Malaysia) Sdn. Berhad (headquarters: Penang, Malaysia), said the company.

The company will add a facility with production capacity of 75,000 tons annually to expand the sales of high performance varieties such as transparent grade, which has the No. 1 global market share, and start its operation in November 2020. The move will increase TPM’s production capacity to 425,000 tons a year and Toray Group’s capacity with the existing facility at Toray’s Chiba Plant to 497,000 tons a year.

Made up of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene, ABS resin is plastic that is light, strong and elegant with excellent processability, and it is used for an extremely wide range of applications from industrial items to household goods. In 2017, global demand for overall ABS resin was 8.5 million tons, which is expected to grow steadily at 3% a year, as demand increases in China, ASEAN and emerging countries. Of the total, global demand for high performance ABS resin with added properties such as heat resistance and chemical resistance and transparent ABS resin considered to be 2 million tons, and expected to grow at 4% annually or more.

Toray decided to increase the production capacity to ensure to capture the growing demand for the transparent grade TOYOLAC® has the largest share in the global market for its cost competitiveness and stable quality achieved using its proprietary continuous polymerization production process.

Toray also lines up general-purpose grade TOYOLAC®, transparent grade TOYOLAC®and high performance grade TOYOLAC® including antistatic and improved chemical resistance and scratch resistant grades. While Chiba Plant, the mother plant, will shift to primarily produce even higher performance ABS category mix such as medical-use transparent ABS, the production enhancement in Malaysia will accelerate entry into the European, U.S. and Indian markets in addition to its existing main markets of China and ASEAN countries and extension of the products’ applications.

Toray is promoting the expansion and upgrading of the global business as one of the basic strategies of the medium-term management program Project AP-G 2019. Going forward, the company will further strengthen organic cooperation between the Chiba Plant, the Japanese ABS resin production base, and TPM, the Malaysian production base, and vigorously expand the global business.
MRC

BIAXPLEN joins independent sustainable development organisation Sedex

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BIAXPLEN has joined the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), an independent organisation, signalling its commitment to responsible labour, health and safety, environmental, and business ethics practices as a reliable supplier, said the company.

The membership status was preceded by four-pillar Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETA) 6.0 performed at the company’s Balakhna and Novokuybyshevsk sites to verify their compliance with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code across four key areas – Russian labour laws, health and safety promotion, environmental and sustainability regulations, and fair and ethical business practices as required by legislation.

As with any other Sedex member, BIAXPLEN’s admission will result in fewer audits by customers, as its ethical and social compliance is now assured by Sedex’s public database, allowing customers to build sustainable supply chains, reduce social responsibility and business resilience risks and, therefore, mitigate potential public image and reputational losses.
MRC