BYK opens new site in Shanghai

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BYK is expanеding its operat ions in the Shanghai region to meet the anticipated growth in demand in the key Chinese markеt, said the company.

The Asia region accounts for one third of sales, and has made a substantial contribution to BYK in past decades. The new, integrated site is fully aligned to the needs of BYK’s development partners and customers, offering the exceptional technical service they expect.

“The new site will significantly enhance our presence in the Chinese market, and will enable us to focus on individual customer solutions in the growing Asian market,” declared Martin Babilas, CEO of ALTANA AG, during the opening ceremony. “The new and ultra-modern facility is embedded in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) where we enjoy, ideal framework conditions for our innovative, differentiated additive solutions.”

The new five-hectare site in Shanghai (around 54,000 sq.m.) is home to laboratories, a distribution center, and administration and was constructed in just two years. BYK invested around 38 million euros. Some 100 employees will work here it is in full operation.

Each year, BYK invests 7 to 8% of its revenue in research and development. The new site stands for expertise and innovation, success factors of BYK in specialty chemicals throughout the world.

The facility will allow BYK to offer customers in China more direct services, as well as differentiated products, said Stephan Glander, BYK division president.

The coating, printing-inks and plastics industries are some of BYK's main customers. Yet BYK additives also improve product characteristics and manufacturing processes in the oil and gas industry, the production of care products, the production of adhesives and sealing compounds, as well as in building chemistry. BYK testing and measuring instruments effectively assess the quality of paint, gloss and appearance, as well as the physical characteristics of coating, plastic and paper products, and are an essential part of quality assurance.

As a globally-operating specialty-chemicals company, BYK has production sites in Wesel, Kempen, Moosburg, Schkopau and Geretsried (Germany), Deventer, Denekamp, Nijverdal (Netherlands), Widnes (Great Britain), Wallingford, Chester, Gonzales, Louisville, Earth City (USA), as well as Shanghai and Tongling (China). The company today employs more than 2,300 people worldwide and is a member of the ALTANA Group.
MRC

Toyo Engineering gets Maruzen contract for propylene splitter project in Japan

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TEC Project Services Corp., a subsidiary of Toyo Engineering, said it was awarded a propylene splitter project from Maruzen Petrochemical to produce a "high-grade product" at Maruzen's plant in Ichihara-shi, Chiba, Japan, as per Apic-online.

TEC will be responsible for detailed engineering, procurement of equipment and materials, and construction.

Completion is scheduled in 2021. Value of the contract was not disclosed.

"Toyo's technology on propylene splitter and rich experience of petrochemical projects are appreciated and led to this award," Toyo noted.

As MRC informed before, in February 2019, Toyo Engineering Corporation was awarded a contract to build a 650,000 t/y ethylene and polyethylene (PE) plant located in Ust-Kut, Irkutsk region, Russian Federation by Irkutsk Polymer Plant, a subsidiary of Irkutsk Oil Company (INK).

TOYO has completed more than 40 projects in the former Soviet Union and Russian Federation since 1960’s. TOYO also focuses on the expansion of the business opportunities for ethylene and polyethylene projects as its core business, and this award marks TOYO’s outstanding track record as the 47th ethylene plant project worldwide as well as the 26th polyethylene plant. TOYO’s long experience in Russia, established performance and reliability in worldwide ethylene projects led to this award. TOYO will continue contributing to the development of the petrochemical industry in Russia as well as to further development of Japan-Russia relation and cooperation.
MRC

Russian packaging manufacturer Danaflex opens plant in Czech Republic

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Danaflex (Kazan / Russia), a manufacturer of flexible packaging, has opened a plant in the Czech Republic, said the company.

The company has invested around EUR 40m in the new site in Prostejov, with around 180 jobs expected to be created. The Czech plant is Danaflex's fourth production facility and its first outside of Russia.

The Russian minister of industry and trade, Denis Manturov, said at the opening ceremony on 5 March that polyethylene for packaging production is to be supplied by Russian producers from Tatarstan – this could be from Kazanorgsintez (Kazan). The Russian politician spoke of PE imports valued at USD 30-40m (EUR 27-36m). Based on Russian LDPE prices, this would be an annual consumption of around 30,000-35,000 t, possibly at a later expansion stage. In a previous announcement, Danaflex had quoted output at 15,000 t/y.
MRC

Index of chemical production in Russia grew by 1.6% in Q1 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's output of chemical products rose in March 2019 by 2.9% year on year.
However, production of basic chemicals increased only by 1.6% in the first three months of 2019, according to Rosstat's data.

According to the Federal Service of State Statistics, last month's output of basic chemicals grew by 2.9% year on year. The largest increase in production in monthly terms accounted for ethylene. 276,000 tonnes of ethylene were produced in March, compared to 242,000 tonnes a month earlier. Overall, 793,000 tonnes of this olefin were produced in January-March 2019, up 1.3% year on year.

Last month's output of benzene were 129,000 tonnes versus 119,000 tonnes in February. Overall production of this product reached 370,000 tonnes in the first three months of 2019, down by 4.6% year on year.

March output of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) was 114,000 tonnes (100% of the basic substance) versus 101,000 tonnes in February. Overall production of caustic soda dropped to 325,000 tonnes over the stated period from 329,000 tonnes a year earlier.

Last month's production of mineral fertilizers was 2,092,000 tonnes (in terms of 100% nutrients) versus 1,887,000 tonnes in February. Overall, Russian plants produced 6,057,000 tonnes of fertilizers in January-March 2019, up by 2.6% year on year.

March production of polymers in primary form rose to 744,000 tonnes, up 13.6% from a month earlier. Total volume of polymer production in primary form in Q1 amounted to 2,079,000 tonnes, up 0.6% more than a year ago.

MRC

LyondellBasell Bayport complex propylene oxide plant turns 50

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell’s Bayport Complex in Pasadena, Texas, commemorated 50 years of operation at its propylene oxide plant and provided an update on their role in the company’s most significant capital project to date, the construction of the largest propylene oxide (PO), tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant in the world, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"Today we are proud to celebrate a half century of operations, and our talented and dedicated colleagues who laid the foundation for our success," said Stephen Goff, LyondellBasell Bayport Complex site manager. "We continue to be propelled by the support of our neighbors, our values, and the generations of employees who came before us."

In addition to the 50th anniversary ceremony, the complex marked the milestone by furthering the company’s support of advancing education with a donation of books to La Porte ISD’s Bayshore Elementary School through The Astros Foundation Literacy Bus Program and a donation of books and backpacks to Dickinson ISD’s Kenneth E. Little Elementary School through the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s My Home Library Program. Bayport also announced plans for employees to partner with Trees for Houston to plant 50 trees in the local community in honor of 50 years of operations.

The LyondellBasell PO plant was a first of its kind when it was constructed in 1969 near the Houston Ship Channel, using new tertiary butyl hydro peroxide process technology to produce PO. It was designed to meet increased demand for PO in the 1970s. Bayport was selected as the site for the plant due to its close proximity to feedstock and existing pipelines, which are the same reasons the Bayport Complex will be making history yet again.

LyondellBasell is constructing the largest propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant in the world and Bayport is playing a key role in this project.

"The Bayport Complex has a rich history and is pivotal to our company’s strategic growth along the Gulf Coast," said LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel. "In Texas, bigger is often better. For us, this facility marks a new chapter for LyondellBasell and demonstrates our commitment to continued growth and delivering on our commitments."

The PO/TBA plant will have a split facility design to optimize product balances and realize synergies between two LyondellBasell sites. The 140-acre PO/TBA plant is being built at the LyondellBasell Channelview Complex located in Channelview, Texas, while an associated 34-acre ethers unit, which will convert TBA to oxyfuels, is being constructed at the Bayport Complex in Pasadena. The PO/TBA plant is scheduled for startup in 2021 and is estimated to cost USD2.4 billion, the company’s most significant capital investment to date.

As MRC wrote previously, in August 2016, LyondellBasell made the final investment decision to build a high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant on the US Gulf Coast. The plant will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 metric tons) and will be the first commercial plant to employ LyondellBasell's new proprietary Hyperzone PE technology. The start-up of the new plant is scheduled for 2019.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its 13,000 employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, and improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road. LyondellBasell sells products into approximately 100 countries and is the world's largest licensor of polyolefin technologies.
MRC