Contest winners idea to ban single-use plastics will become private members bill in Ottawa

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thanks of a unique contest, a Terrace, B.C. man now has the chance to possibly influence the use of single-use plastics in food packaging, as per Canplastics.

Ben Korving is the winner of the Create Your Canada contest, which allows people to submit ideas for new laws – and his idea was to reduce single-use plastics in food packaging.

Started by Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen in 2009, the contest was originally designed for high school students in his riding to participate in the law-making process. This year, constituents of all ages were allowed to participate.

"My biggest frustration is with packaging in general, specifically the [plastic] … that has to get tossed into the garbage after one use because they have no subsequent life,” Korving told the CBC. “And if you look at your day-to-day examples, you’ll probably find dozens within the span of a few minutes: food packaging, Styrofoam, various metals, etc."

Korving’s idea to ban all single-use plastics in consumer products that aren’t either recyclable or compostable beat more than 100 other entries to win this year’s contest, having been picked by a panel of judges made up of community leaders across northwestern B.C.

Korving will be flown to Ottawa in early 2019 to present his idea and have it turned into a private member’s bill and tabled in the House of Commons.

In Canada, a private member’s bill is a bill introduced in the House of Commons by a member of parliament who is not a cabinet minister. A private member’s bill follows the same legislative process as a government bill, but the time allocated for its consideration is restricted. Private Members’ Bills may be considered only during one of the daily Private Members’ Hours. (As a rule, very few private member’s bills become law.)
MRC

Rehau completes acquisition of MB Barter & Trading

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Rehau GmbH, a family-owned supplier of polymer-based solutions to the construction and automotive industries headquartered in Muri, Switzerland, has completed its acquisition of MB Barter & Trading AG, as per Canplastics.

First announced in September, the transaction includes Rehau GmbH in Muri bei Bern, Switzerland, as well as the worldwide subsidiaries of the MB Barter & Trading Group. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

MB Barter was a global distributor of commodity polymers, PET, and rubber globally. The company has 30 offices worldwide.

"The successful completion of this transaction is an important milestone in the implementation of our vision to grow as a leading provider of polymer solutions and to further expand our business relationships,” said Dr. Stefan Girschik, CEO of the new company.

Rehau GmbH and its subsidiaries will gradually merge their businesses with the acquired MBT companies. A joint market launch under a new name is planned for the first half of 2019.
MRC

Magna opens mechatronics center in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In a move to capitalize on the growing mechatronics boom, automotive parts maker Magna International Inc. has opened a new mechatronics engineering center in Suzhou in the Jiangsu Province, China, as per Canplastics.

Also called mechatronic engineering, mechatronics is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the engineering of both electrical and mechanical systems, and also includes a combination of robotics, electronics, computer, telecommunications, systems, control, and product engineering. Mechatronics products, such as power doors and liftgates, work through a combination of mechanical systems, electronic control units and embedded software.

The Magna Mechatronics Engineering Center will focus on designing and developing the company’s mechatronic product offerings for the China market as well as globally, including its SmartAccess power door. The center will hire more than 100 new engineers, including specialists in the development of software and hardware. These new hires will join the current staff of 110 engineers, who are moving from Magna’s previous engineering center located in Kunshan.

"Our mechatronic products fuse the capabilities of mechanical systems with the intelligence of electronics controls to enable new ways of interacting with your vehicle," said John O’Hara, president of Magna Mechatronics, Mirrors and Lighting.

Magna is headquartered in Aurora, Ont.
MRC

Russian oil refinery gets Sberbank credit line, resumes loadings

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil loadings have resumed at Russia’s Afipsky refinery, pipeline monopoly Transneft said on Friday, after top lender Sberbank provided a credit line to the Afipsky and Antipinsky refineries, reported Reuters.

Transneft also said it expected to resume loadings to the Antipinsky refinery soon, Interfax news agency reported.

Sberbank said on Friday that it had provided additional credit lines to the refineries to support production, allowing them to fully resume activity. It did not reveal the terms of the credit lines.

As MRC informed before, Russia’s Afipsky, a mid-sized private oil refiner, suspended oil refining to carry out maintenance of its two crude units from Oct. 6-17, 2018.

Afipsky Oil Refinery Ltd. produces gas, diesel fuel, and fuel oil. Afipsky Oil Refinery Ltd. was formerly known as Afipsky Oil Refinery and changed its name to Afipsky Oil Refinery Ltd. in January 2002. The company was founded in 1975 and is based in Seversk, Russia. As of June 29, 2010, Afipsky Oil Refinery Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of OOO NefteGazIndustria.
MRC

Croatian INA to stop processing at biggest refinery for Q1 maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Croatian energy group INA’s biggest refinery, located in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka, will undergo a planned maintenance from January to mid-April next year, reported Reuters with reference to the company.

"It is a planned maintenance of the refinery’s processing units which will be halted from Dec, 25, 2018," its spokesperson said.

The plant has a capacity of 100,000 barrels per day (bpd).

INA also owns a smaller refinery with a capacity of 60,000 bpd located in the central town of Sisak.

While a modernization of the Rijeka refinery is tentatively planned, the future of the Sisak refinery is uncertain and it may eventually be converted into a logistics center or some other facility.

In a recent interview with the local Jutarnji List daily, INA’s Chief Executive Sandor Fasimon said the combined capacity of the refineries was 6.7 million tons a year, while currently, the market demand is around 4.0 million tons.

INA is owned by MOL, which has a stake of 49.1 percent, and the Croatian government with 44.8 percent. The remaining stock is controlled by private and institutional investors.

The two big shareholders have been at odds for years over management rights and investment policy. Zagreb has said it wants to buy back INA shares from MOL, but a price has yet to be negotiated.

As MRC informed before, MOL took an ethylene steam cracker off-stream for a turnaround in mid-September, 2018. The cracker remained shut for about one month. Located in Tiszaujvaros, Hungary, the cracker has an ethylene capacity of 290,000 mt/year, propylene capacity of 155,000 mt/year and butadiene capacity of 130,000 mt/year.
MRC