Kazakhstan plans to cut oil exports by 2%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kazakhstan plans to cut its oil exports by around 2% this year to 71 million tons, its energy ministry told Reuters, mainly at the expense of China, amid a production decline, reported Reuters.

This is down from 72.5 million tonnes Kazakhstan exported overseas in 2018.

Kazakhstan plans to reduce its own output to 89.5 million tonnes in 2019 from 90.3 million tonnes last year, due in part to planned maintenance shutdowns at its three largest oil fields.

Its key exporting route is the Caspian Pipeline from western Kazakhstan to the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk. Supplies via that route are set to remain broadly unchanged this year.

Kazakhstan will slash its exports to China via the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline to 0.5 million tonnes from 1.38 million tonnes in 2018, the energy ministry said.

It will also completely halt supplying Russia’s Orenburg refinery. Last year oil supplies there from Kazakhstan stood at almost 0.5 million tons.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hexion Inc. has announced it has named Brenntag North America, Inc., part of the Brenntag Group as its national distribution partner for its Epoxy Specialty and Base Epoxy Resins and Intermediates businesses in the United States and Canada, according to BusinessWire.

"We are pleased to expand our relationship with Brenntag as a distribution partner because of their commitment to strong customer service throughout the sales process," said Ann Frederix, Senior Vice President, Epoxy Specialties. "As a global market leader in chemical distribution, Brenntag has extensive experience as a distributor for a variety of resins and epoxy products, as well as a strong technical sales team."

"We are excited to be aligned with Hexion, an industry leading supplier of epoxy resins," said Ted Davlantes, Vice President, Coatings and Construction, Brenntag North America. "These products will provide us with a robust spectrum of epoxy solutions for our customers."

Hexion is a leading producer of epoxy specialty resins, modifiers and curing agents in Europe and the United States with a global reach to its end markets. Epoxy resins are the fundamental component of many types of materials and are often used in the automotive, construction, wind energy, aerospace and electronics industries due to their superior adhesion, strength and chemical resistance. Epoxy specialty resins are also used for a variety of high-end coating applications. Epoxy-based surface coatings are among the most widely used industrial coatings due to their long service life and broad application functionality combined with overall economic efficiency. Hexion also leverages its resin and additives position to supply custom resins to specialty coatings formulators. Hexion is also one of the world’s largest suppliers of basic epoxy resins, such as solid epoxy resin (SER) and liquid epoxy resin (LER), used in a wide variety of industrial coatings applications.

As MRC wrote previously, Brenntag, the global market leader in chemical distribution, announced that from February 1, 2014 the company would distribute the cellulosic additive and latex powder portfolio of Dow Construction Chemicals in Germany and Austria.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Hexion Inc. (formerly known as Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc.) is a global leader in thermoset resins. Hexion Inc. serves the global wood and industrial markets through a broad range of thermoset technologies, specialty products and technical support for customers in a diverse range of applications and industries. Hexion Inc. is controlled by investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC.

Brenntag, the global market leader in chemical distribution, covers all major markets with its extensive product and service portfolio. Headquartered in Essen, Germany, the company operates a global network with more than 530 locations in 73 countries and a workforce of more than 16,000 employees. In 2017, the company generated sales of EUR 11.7 billion (USD 13.3 billion). Brenntag connects chemical manufacturers and chemical users. The company supports its customers and suppliers with tailor-made distribution solutions for industrial and specialty chemicals. With over 10,000 products and a world-class supplier base, Brenntag offers one-stop-shop solutions to around 185,000 customers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- After nine years at the helm, Nordson Corp. president and CEO Michael F. Hilton has announced his plan to retire by the end of 2019, said Canplastics.

In a statement, the Westlake, Ohio-based maker of precision dispensing equipment for consumer and industrial adhesives, sealants and coatings announced that it has "initiated a search of internal and external candidates for [a] successor," and that Hilton will remain in his current roles throughout that process "to ensure a smooth transition."

During Hilton’s tenure, Nordson grew from USD819 million to USD2.3 billion in sales, the statement said, and he led over 30 transactions at Nordson, including acquisitions that established new product platforms in medical, test and inspection, and flexible packaging.

"Michael has done a tremendous job of diversifying and growing the company through both innovation and acquisition, which has driven the company to record sales and profitability," Michael Merriman, chairman of the Nordson board, said in the statement. “As we look forward, the board intends to identify a leader who will build upon Nordson’s great foundation and further enhance value and opportunities for our employees, customers and shareholders."

Founded in 1954, Nordson has operations and support offices in more than 35 countries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Praxair, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde plc, has authorized the construction of a world scale hydrogen plant in Louisiana to supply product under a long-term contract with a major refinery in the area, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The new plant will be integrated with Praxair’s already extensive Louisiana production network via its Mississippi River Corridor hydrogen pipeline system.

Praxair will build, own and operate the steam methane reformer (SMR), which will have a capacity in excess of 170 million standard cubic feet per day of high-purity hydrogen. The new plant, which is planned to start up in 2021, will be one of the largest hydrogen production units in the US, along with the SMR recently announced by Praxair in Texas.

Linde Engineering has been selected to provide a state-of-the-art process design and to fabricate the core components and modules of the plant. Once complete, this project will increase Praxair’s U.S. Gulf Coast hydrogen capacity to more than 1.7 billion standard cubic feet per day.

"Praxair is committed to be the preferred hydrogen supplier in the U.S. Gulf Coast and this investment further reinforces our strategy to support industrial growth in this vibrant region," said Dan Yankowski, president, Global Hydrogen. "We understand that hydrogen is a critical requirement for our customers and are committed to providing long-term reliability."

Hydrogen is used by petroleum refiners to produce ultra-low-sulfur diesel and other transportation fuels and by chemical companies to manufacture some critical intermediates and specialty chemicals. Demand for clean fuels continues to grow in order to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

As MRC informed before, in July 2017, Praxair, Inc. announced the start-up of a new air separation plant to supply 700 tons per day of nitrogen to Samsung’s display manufacturing complex in Tangjeong, South Korea.

Praxair, Inc., a Fortune 300 company with 2016 sales of USD11 billion, is a leading industrial gas company in North and South America and one of the largest worldwide. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, primary metals and many others.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Holding firm Westfall Technik Inc. has acquired Precision Injection Molding Co., a Corona, Calif.-based molder of parts for various markets including medical, telecommunication, consumer durables, and light industrials, as per Canplastics.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

"Precision Injection Molding] excels at molding complex parts that its customers cannot produce in-house," Westfall said in a statement. "This adds to [our] technical injection molding capabilities for OEMs looking to outsource challenging applications for quality assurance and cost-effectiveness."

The acquisition of Precision Injection Molding is Westfall’s twelfth in sixteen months, and continues what the company calls its "aggressive growth strategy, focused on building the plastic industry’s most comprehensive and vertically integrated solution provider."

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Westfall was founded in 2017 by veteran plastics industry executive Brian Jones.
MRC