BASF pioneers fashion revolution with Seven Crash and San Fang at New York Fashion Week

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Fashion label Seven Crash unveiled its innovative ‘Quantus’ collection of unlimited possibilities with its futuristic urban streetwear outfits at the Autumn/Winter New York Fashion Week 2019, said Basf.

The collection, designed in collaboration with chemical company BASF and downstream fabric maker - San Fang, pushes the boundaries in fabric innovation to enable fashion-forward designs and functionality. BASF’s advanced material solutions presented in the ‘Quantus’ collection provide a significant breakthrough in fashion with its eco-conscious manufacturing techniques that also permit intricately crafted and stitched designs, while ensuring premium quality:

Freeflex™ fibre spun from Elastollan® TPU looks and feels like a favorite cotton tee. The material is soft and moisture-wicking which makes it easy to care for, and delivers ample stretch and recovery for an impeccable fit. Freeflex can change the colors and appearance even for the most complex textile designs and gives a futuristic look and feel to Seven Crash’s collection while ensuring that individuals are able to stay cool and dry. In addition, this dynamic fabric can be incorporated into traditional clothing to make outfits more exciting with its luminous feature. This is displayed in a series within the collection where the fabrics glow in the dark through its reflective surfaces.
Haptex®, a sustainable and innovative polyurethane (PU) solution for synthetic leather, offers good haptics, strong stitching, and high peel strength. It complies with stringent volatile organic compounds (VOC) standards, as no organic solvents are used in the manufacturing process.

For the development of Freeflex, San Fang supported the entire manufacturing process, from material to moldings, as well as the final product in a variety of colors and intricate patterns. The product’s low heat setting temperature enables fabrics to dry quickly and saves energy in its production and daily use.

For the ‘Quantus’ collection, with the brand concept “crash the rules”, Brand CEO Jason Yao, together with Creative Director Enchi Shen, redefined Seven Crash as an innovative brand pushing the boundaries on futuristic workwear and fashion streetwear by experimenting with different fashion styles and cultures through the use of advanced materials. These materials are woven with technological and textural elements – enhancing not only the use of the fabric but the wearer as well. The result is a unique blend of east coast urban street fashion and trendy runway fashion that showcase the latest material which traditional fabrics cannot match.

The outfits from the futuristic urban streetwear collection can be easily combined with different looks, taking people from work to play, thanks to the versatility of colors, textures, and effectsdetails made possible with Freeflex and Haptex – demonstrating the true essence. The use of design freedom for different textures and effects are made possible by Freeflex which is able to change the colours and appearance even for the most complex textile designs, and bringing smart textiles to the next level. This gives a more futuristicfuturistic look and feel to the collection, while ensuring that individuals can stay cool and dry thanks to Freeflex’s moisture-wicking properties.

Additionally, owing to its luminous feature, this dynamic fabric can be incorporated into traditional clothing to make outfits more stunning and exciting. This clothing can be displayed in another series within the collection where the fabrics glow in the dark through its reflective surfaces, resulting in a mysterious yet bold look.

Seven Crash and BASF previously collaborated to design outfits for a fashion show held during CHINAPLAS 2018. They also collaborated with Chinese brand Three Gun to design a casual outfit using Freeflex. BASF and Seven Crash will continue the partnership to pave the way for a future of eco-conscious and innovative fabric for clothing.
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PPC Flexible Packaging buys HFM Packaging Ltd

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Custom flexible packaging supplier PPC Flexible Packaging LLC has acquired HFM Packaging Ltd., a manufacturer of packaging for cosmetics, personal care, pharma, food, and industrial applications headquartered in Pewaukee, Wis, said Canplastics.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

HFM produces packaging solutions for cosmetics, personal care, pharma, food, and industrial applications, and is said to be a market leader in the use of labels as peel and reseal closures for personal care markets as well as a converter of pouches.

PPC, headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Ill., supplies flexographic printing and converting of flexible films, bags, and pouches. The firm operates four manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and one in Colombia.

"It’s our goal to leverage HFM’s state-of-the-art reclosable and pouch technologies in both consumer and healthcare markets to an even higher level of growth through new and existing customers across all of PPC’s businesses," Kevin Keneally, CEO of PPC Flexible, said in a statement.
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IndianOil awards contracts to LTHE to set up new EG project in Paradip

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indian Oil Corp. (IndianOil) has awarded two engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contracts to L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Ltd. (LTHE) to set up an ethylene glycol (EG) plant, ethylene recovery unit (ERU) and associated facilities at IndianOil's refinery in Paradip, Odisha, India, as per Apic-online.

The lump-sum turnkey contracts involve building a new 357,000-t/y EG unit, based on technology from Scientific Design, and a new 180,000-t/y ERU, based on McDermott's Lummus Technology. A schedule for the project was not available.

In a stock exchange filing last April, IndianOil said the EG unit was estimated to cost Rs 4,221 crore and would help meet the growing domestic demand for EG.

As MRC wrote before, Indian Oil Corporation's Rs 34,555-crore 15 million tonnes per annum Paradip Refinery was commissioned in phases from March 2015 onwards. Indian Oil Corporation was conducting feasibility studies to set up a petrochemical complex at Paradip in Odisha for Rs 20,000 crore. The petrochemical complex will be built in the vicinity of the company’s to-be-commissioned 15-mln tpa greenfield refinery at Paradip. The petrochemical complex will be in addition to the already announced Rs 3,150-crore polypropylene project at the same location, the foundation stone for which was laid by MOS for petroleum and natural gas.

LTHE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited, or IndianOil, is an Indian state-owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters in New Delhi, India.
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SOCAR completes integration of STAR refinery and Petkim

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Turkish subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR has completed the integration of STAR refinery and Petkim petrochemical complex, Trend reports citing SOCAR Turkey Energy, as per Azernews.

"By selling 1.303 tons of naphtha produced at STAR refinery to Petkim, SOCAR Turkey Energy completed the integration of the refinery and the petrochemical complex. This sale has been an important step towards the integration," said the company.

The opening ceremony of the STAR oil refinery took place on October 19, 2018 in Izmir, Turkey.

The total refining capacity of the refinery will be 10 million tons, and Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR is the main supplier of crude for the refinery. The refinery will significantly reduce the dependence of Turkey on imports of petrochemical products.

The refinery worth USD6.3 billion, built by SOCAR in the Aliaga District of Izmir, will produce 1.6 million tons of naphtha, 1.6 million tons of aviation fuel, 4.8 million tons of low-sulfur diesel, 700,000 tons of petroleum coke, 420,000 tons of mixed xylene and 160,000 tons of sulfur.

SOCAR is represented in Turkey by its subsidiary SOCAR Turkey Energy. So far, SOCAR Turkey Energy has invested over USD14 billion in the Turkish economy. Meanwhile, 5,000 people work in the company, while the annual export potential reaches USD3 billion. Among SOCAR’s current assets in Turkey are the Petkim petrochemical complex, the STAR refinery and the Petlim port.
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Celanese Corporation declares quarterly dividend of USD0.54 per share

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials company, declared a quarterly dividend of $0.54 per share on its common stock, payable on March 1, 2019, as per the company's press release.

The dividend is payable to stockholders of record as of February 19, 2019.

As MRC reported earlier, Celanese Corporation has raised its February list and off-list selling prices for Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) sold in Asia Outside China (AOC). The price increase below was effective as of 31 January, or as contracts otherwise allow, and was incremental to any previously announced increases. Thus, Celanese raised VAM list and off-list selling prices by USD50/mt for AOC.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
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