ATS Automation addresses COVID-19 medical equipment shortages

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Automation supplier ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. has highlighted some of the ways in which its technologies are helping to expedite the production of medical equipment to address the COVID-19 healthcare crisis, said Canplastics.

"Around the world, organizations needing to overcome capacity constraints and supply chain shortages are turning to ATS to scale up production of critical medical devices and quickly pivot manufacturing output,” said Andrew Hider, CEO. “We’re enabling customers to manufacture important products such as ventilators and respirators, that are desperately needed to treat patients, protect healthcare workers and contain the coronavirus pandemic. We are proud to play our part and ready to do more."

Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFR). ATS is working with a large automaker in the United States to reconfigure its manufacturing facility, and has delivered equipment to enable the wide scale production of FFR masks. Launch of the project to delivery of equipment was completed in 17 days.

Ventilator Components. The ATS Life Sciences team is working with O-Two Medical Technologies in Canada to assemble critical ventilator components at ATS’ facilities. In the U.S., the ATS team is supplying ventilator production test equipment to two key ventilator manufacturers. The equipment enables the calibration and testing of ventilators before shipment to hospitals and medical facilities.

Automated Bio-Decontamination System. In Italy, Comecer (an ATS company that designs and manufactures high-technology systems in the fields of aseptic processing and containment for radiopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries) is developing an automated bio-decontamination system for hospitals based on the same technology used in Comecer’s aseptic isolators. This would allow fast decontamination of hospital rooms and equipment, and potentially enable reuse of devices such as N95 masks, which would otherwise be disposable, thereby helping to mitigate shortages.

COVID-19 Test Kits. In Germany, the ATS team is developing a solution for a manufacturer of COVID-19 test kits to help them ramp up production to meet the unprecedented demand.

Hygiene Product Filling. At IWK in Germany (an ATS company that manufactures high-speed, high-precision packaging solutions for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and related industries), the team has developed a rapid deployment tube-filling solution suitable for hygiene products including hand sanitizer. The machine will fill up to 70 tubes per minute. “A severe disruption in supply chains combined with an ever-growing demand for critical medical devices has left manufacturers looking for creative yet trusted solutions to meet demand,” Hider said. “And while the speed of manufacturing these medical devices is certainly important, there has never been a time where product quality has mattered more. Fortunately, ATS has the capabilities, expertise, and certifications to deliver both speed and quality.”

Headquartered in Cambridge, Ont., ATS operates 23 manufacturing sites globally, and more than 50 engineering and service sites.

We also remind that the COVID-19 outbreak has led Shell Chemical to temporarily suspend construction on the massive plastics and petrochemicals site it's building in Monaca, Pa, USA.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 383,760 tonnes in the first two month of 2020, up by 14% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased due to the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 192,760 tonnes in January-February 2020, down by 6% year on year. Homopolymer PP accounted for the main decrease in imports.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- As the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt around the world, local non-profit organizations are stepping to the forefront to help meet the increased need for food and other basic necessities, said MEGlobal.

MEGlobal is stepping up with them, providing monetary contributions to Blackfalds Food Bank (USD4,000), Red Deer Food Bank ($6,000), Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank (USD5,000) and Actions Inc. of Brazoria County (USD5,000).

"Our communities have endured hard times before, but never anything like this,” said MEGlobal Public Relations Manager Trish Thompson. “MEGlobal strives to be a good neighbor and when we saw the needs increasing and local groups struggling to meet them, we immediately went to work to see how we could help."

Breah Knape is the Executive Director of Actions Inc., a non-profit in Brazoria County that provides services to senior citizens. They were serving daily meals at their congregate centers; however; with social distancing measures in place they are now delivering those meals, and have seen the number of sign-ups grow exponentially. Before the pandemic hit, they provided about 1,200 meals per week. Now they are delivering more than 3,000, and the numbers keep rising.

"All these seniors are in need of basic supplies to help survive this public health emergency,” said Knape. “We are so grateful to MEGlobal for their contribution. We didn’t know how we were going to get beyond this week, but now we have enough to keep going. Plus, other businesses are following MEGlobal’s example so we are starting to have our prayers answered."

At the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank, Board President Kassandra Gartner says the need is also growing for their services. "Funding from supportive businesses like MEGlobal ensures the continuity of food bank services, provides for improvement in programming efficiency, and strengthens our ability to provide food and assistance to those who are in need. As the demand for assistance rises our food bank will be able to adapt and provide,”" she said.

Karie Ackermann, Community Building Initiative Administrator at Blackfalds FCSS says the Blackfalds Food Bank is also thankful for MEGlobal’s contribution.

"Food demand has been affected and we have seen a supply shortage in many of our essential food needs. Community food donations have completely stopped. Our food share program with Food Banks Alberta has started to ration between food banks as their food supply has also been limited. More people are in need of food hampers and with layoffs and uncertainty continuing, the need continues to rise," she said.

All these organizations are in great need of donations – monetary, food and in some cases, volunteers. Gartner said they welcome any contribution from individuals or businesses, large or small.

"Monetary donations are currently the best way to support the food bank as it enables us to bulk purchase the items needed like meat, milk, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, dry goods such as coffee, sugar, cereal etc, and the extra cleaning supplies that are required for the food bank to operate."

As MRC informed earlier, MEGlobal, the world leader in the production of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and diethylene glycol (DG), nominated the May MEG contract price for Asia at USD560/tonne. That is down by USD80/tonne from its April nomination.

MEG is used to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used in the manufacturing of plastic bottles, films, packaging containers, in the textile and food industries.

As per MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PET consumption in Russia increased in January 2020 by 9% year on year. Totally, Russia recycled 55,390 tonnes of PET chips in January (excluding shipments of Russian material to the countries of the Customs Union). Russia's PET chips production totalled 43,200 tonnes in January 2020.

Headquartered in Dubai (UAE), MEGlobal is the world leader in the production of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and diethylene glycol (DG). Established in July 2004, MEGlobal currently sells more than 2.5 million tons of DG per year worldwide. MEGlobal is a 100% subsidiary of Equate Petrochemical Company. In December 2015, Dow Chemical closed a deal to sell its stake in MEGlobal to Equate Petrochemical Company as part of a strategy to optimize its equity stake in Kuwaiti joint ventures.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thai Oil Public Company Limited (Thaioil) has signed an agreement for Topsoe’s SNOX solution to efficiently remove sulfur and nitrogen oxides and dust emissions from their Sriracha Refinery in the Chonburi province in the east of Thailand, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This is part of Thaioil’s 5-billion-dollar Clean Fuel Project to produce cleaner transport fuels in a more environmentally friendly way. The project is expected to boost capacity from 275,000 to 400,000 barrels per day - while improving energy efficiency and the impact on the environment.

The agreement comprises proprietary equipment and catalyst supply for Haldor Topsoe's air quality control technology SNOX. This initiative to secure compliance with air emission regulations for a new energy recovery unit at the Sriracha Refinery is part of Thaioil’s Clean Fuel Project.

The Sriracha Refinery’s new energy recovery unit will use three parallel SNOX lines to remove sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and dust from the new circulating fluidized bed boilers. Sulfur is recovered as commercial grade concentrated sulfuric acid and the nitrogen oxides are reduced to free nitrogen.

The SNOX process includes energy recovery by recycling of surplus heat to reduce energy consumption in the boilers. Another benefit of using SNOX in a refinery is that it can also handle additional sulfurous waste streams such as H2S gas, sour water stripper gas and Claus tail gas.

Thaioil has also chosen other Topsoe technologies and licenses for its new and environmentally friendly Sriracha Refinery, including hydrotreater.

We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC), another major petrochemical producer in Thailand, fully restarted its No. 2 cracker in Map Ta Phut in early March, 2020, after a planned turnaround. The company started resuming operations at the cracker by end-February, 2020. The cracker was shut for maintenance on January 20, 2020. Located at Map Ta Phut, Thailand, the No. 2 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 400,000 mt/year.

The company also operates No. 1 cracker at the same site with a capacity of 515,000 tonnes of ethylene and 310,000 tonnes of propylene per year, which was also shut on 23 January, 2020, for a 40-day turnaround.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, estimated PE consumption totalled 383,760 tonnes in the first two month of 2020, up by 14% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased due to the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 192,760 tonnes in January-February 2020, down by 6% year on year. Homopolymer PP accounted for the main decrease in imports.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brazilian fuel distributor Petrobras Distribuidora SA, better known by its BR Distribuidora brand name, has seen demand for gasoline and ethanol plummet during the new coronavirus outbreak, its chief executive officer told Reuters.

CEO Rafael Grisolia said the company’s sales for those fuels initially fell 60% after the arrival of the disease in Brazil, and in recent days has recovered slightly with demand down 30-35%, compared to levels prior to the outbreak.

As MRC informed earlier, Brazilian imports of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products were up 22.3% in January compared to a year earlier, at 37,661 mt. The imports were valued at USD34.37 million FOB. In January 2019, the 30,803 mt imported were valued at USD28.01 million FOB.

As per MRC"s DataScope report, last month"s SPVC imports into the Ukrainian market decreased to 3,700 tonnes from 4,200 tonnes in February, plastic products producers fell in purchases, including due to the spread of coronavirus. Overall SPVC imports reached 11,500 tonnes in January-March 2020, compared to 11,300 tonnes a year earlier. The high level of capacity utilisation and the steady demand for polymer from foreign markets helped the Ukrainian producer to seriously increase export volumes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Aramco has offered oil refineries in Asia and Europe the option to defer payments for crude cargo deliveries by up to 90 days as plants struggle with shrinking demand, reported Reuters with reference to refining industry sources.

The credit terms, which Saudi Arabia’s national oil company has offered through unnamed Saudi banks, are also seen as part of the country’s efforts to increase its market share, the sources told Reuters.

Aramco “are asking us to amend our existing agreement to include a bill of exchange which will give you basically an opportunity to pay through a bank in 90 days time,” one source at an Asian refiner said.

Under the terms, Aramco will receive the payment for the cargoes from the same bank within 21 days of shipment, he said.

Saudi Aramco declined to comment.

The new terms, offered to at least four refiners in Asia and Europe, could alleviate the short-term financial burden for refineries, which have struggled with a collapse in oil demand around the world due to coronavirus-related movement restrictions.

They will however lead to overall higher costs due to more expensive financing terms, according to sources at the refineries.

As a result, at least three refineries have rejected the terms, the sources said.

“It is... useful for people who are actually looking at rolling or rotating money (but) it comes at a cost. We are actually trying to reduce our overall cost,” the first source said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, along with Russia and other oil producers - a group known as OPEC+ - last week joined with other producing countries, including the United States, for an agreement which is set to remove a total of around 19.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from the market in the face of the demand collapse.

The agreement followed a sharp drop in oil prices to below USD20 a barrel after Saudi Arabia and Russia launched a price war to try to increase their market share after ending a four-year production cut deal.

“Following the OPEC+ deal, Saudi’s agenda remains broadly intact in as far as maintaining pressure on U.S. and international oil companies while continuing its passive-aggressive price war with other producers,” said Christyan Malek, JPMorgan’s top European oil and gas analyst.

As MRC informed before, Saudi Aramco will continue reducing operations at its local refineries in April and May to boost the state energy company’s potential to export crude oil, a company official said in March.

We also remind that in October 2019, McDermott International announced that it had been awarded a contract by Saudi Aramco and Total Raffinage Chimie (Total) for their joint venture (JV) Amiral steam cracker project at Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Amiral is a JV in which Aramco holds 62.5% and Total the rest. The plant, designed to produce 1.5 million metric tons/year (MMt/y) of ethylene, will be one of the world's largest mixed-feed crackers.

Aramco and Total launched their USD5-billion Amiral JV project in October 2018. The steam cracker will be fed with a mixture of 50% ethane and refinery off-gases. It will supply ethylene to a downstream 1 MMt/y polyethylene manufacturing complex and other petrochemical products. The project aims to fully exploit operational synergies with the adjacent refinery, owned by Satorp, another JV between Aramco and Total. Third-party investors, including Daelim and Ineos, will locate plants at the value park adjacent to Amiral with a combined investment of USD4 billion. A final investment decision is expected in 2021.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, estimated PE consumption totalled 383,760 tonnes in the first two month of 2020, up by 14% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased due to the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 192,760 tonnes in January-February 2020, down by 6% year on year. Homopolymer PP accounted for the main decrease in imports.

Saudi Aramco is an integrated oil and chemicals company, a global leader in hydrocarbon production, refining processes and distribution, as well as one of the largest global oil exporters. It manages proven reserves of crude oil and condensate estimated at 261.1bn barrels, and produces 9.54 million bbl daily. Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the company employs over 61,000 staff in 77 countries.
MRC