AOC acquires Spolchemie unsaturated polyester resins operations in Czech Republic

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AOC, Kaprain and Spolchemie announce they have reached agreement on AOC acquiring the Unsaturated Polyester Resin (UPR) manufacturing operations located at the Spolchemie site in Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic), said the company.

This footprint extension will allow AOC to further improve service and logistics to its customers in Central/ Eastern Europe as well as in Germany, and will make new products (e.g. based on recycled PET) available for customers around Europe.

The UPR plant at the Spolchemie site in Usti nad Labem (located 70 km Southeast of Dresden, Germany) has already been making resins for AOC on a contract basis for many years. Besides state-of-the-art UPR production equipment, the plant has unique capabilities for manufacturing green resins based on recycled PET.

AOC, Kaprain and Spolchemie have signed on 15 October 2020 an agreement to transfer the operations to AOC (to become effective as soon as possible in the 4th quarter of 2020). This acquisition enables AOC to significantly extend its manufacturing footprint, and further adds to the company’s global presence.

"This acquisition will give AOC a major leverage for strengthening our market position in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Germany. It enables us to ensure continued competitiveness in the region”, explains Joe Salley, CEO of AOC. “The acquisition proves our commitment to this industry, helping us and our customers to build even stronger relationships through supply security and continued technical collaboration."

“The Usti operations have been working for AOC already since long time, and supported the company with great service and resins in sizeable volumes”, adds Romana Benesova, CEO of Kaprain Investment Group. “I am very happy that through this acquisition by AOC we have found a good home for this business, allowing Spolchemie to focus on our core business of chlorinated hydrocarbons and epoxy resins."

"AOC has been delivering quality resins for composites applications for over 50 years, and is recognized for its market leadership in quality and innovation”, comments Stefan Osterwind, AOC Managing Director EMEA. “As a result of this change, AOC can take a stronger ownership of the operations and apply its manufacturing expertise from around the globe. This will also help to strengthen the product portfolio we can offer to the region, including our broad range of specialty resins. At the same time, the products based on recycled PET will become available to more customers across the European continent."

As per ICIS-MRC Price Report, rhe activity in the Russian polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market was not strong last week, which is typical for this period of the year. Some converters reported a weaker demand in the market of finished PET products. Spot prices for Russian PET increased in mid-October.
MRC

Kem One declares force majeure on PVC output from plant in France

MOSCOW (MRC) -- France’s Kem One declared a force majeure (FM) on mass and suspension polyvinyl chloride (PVC-M and PVC-S) supplies from its plants in Saint-Fons and Balan sites, France, on October 13, reported NCT with reference to a letter to customers.

A disruption in the feedstock chain for monomer vinyl cloride (VCM) stemming from the interrupted navigation on Rhone River was cited as the reason behind the FM.

As the Saint-Fons and Balan sites cannot be supplied with VCM by barge due to the recent interruption, the company was forced to significantly reduce PVC production at these sites.

Kem One will not be able to supply mass and suspension PVC as scheduled earlier, while it is yet to be known when the force majeure would be lifted. The company is searching for alternative solutions to supply VCM to the abovementioned sites.

Saint-Fons site can produce around 210,000 tons/year of PVC, while the company’s Balan plant has a PVC production of 300,000 tons/year.

As MRC wrote before, in late July, 2020, ferric chloride leaked from Kem One’s (Lyon, France) PVC production site at Berre, France, into the Mediterranean Sea. Several reports quoted then a Kem One spokesperson, who confirmed that the leak came from a storage tank and that the liquid was discharged into the sea via a storm sewer. The company said the incident caused no injuries.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PVC production totalled 718,500 tonnes in January-September 2020, down by 0.3% year on year. At the same time, only two producers managed to increase their PVC output.

Kem One, a fully integrated vinyl production company, was established mid-2012 following the acquisition of Arkema's vinyl products division by the Klesch Group. The company employs 2,600 people at 22 manufacturing sites, primarily in Europe but also in Asia and North America. Europe’s second-largest producer of PVC with revenues in excess of one billion euros, Kem One continues to grow and build on its numerous strengths with a view to becoming market leader for integrated vinyl solutions.
MRC

Pactiv Evergreen commits to 100% recycled, recyclable or renewable materials

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Pactiv Evergreen has announced a new goal that by 2030, 100% of its products will be made with recycled, recyclable or renewable materials, said the company.

"Consumers and brands are increasingly looking for sustainable packaging solutions. Pactiv Evergreen is committed to meeting those market demands,” said John McGrath, the company’s CEO. “We are nearly two-thirds of the way towards our goal based on 2019 net revenues, and in the next decade, we will work to achieve that 100% goal."

The report further outlines a comprehensive sustainability strategy, which includes a new vision, mission and pillars that ground the company’s current and future initiatives.

Based on 2019 net revenues, Pactiv has reached nearly two-thirds of the goal, “and in the next decade, we will work to achieve that 100% goal”, McGrath added. In the report, the company also noted it decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% in the last five years, and that about half of its annual energy consumption comes from renewable sources, including biomass, hydropower, wind and solar.

As MRC informed earlier, chemical recycler Plastic Energy has teamed up with consumer products major Nestle on a study for a commercial large-scale plastics recycling facility in the UK. Nestle UK and Ireland has partnered with chemical recycling company Plastic Energy to develop a recycling plant in the UK. The two companies will explore the scope for the first-commercial large-scale facility of its kind in the country.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in August 2020 by 5% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 5.3% in the first eight months of 2020, according to Rosstat's data. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the January-July output. August production of benzene fell to 102,000 tonnes from 95,300 tonnes a month earlier due to scheduled shutdowns for maintenance at several producers. Overall output of this product reached 918,300 tonnes over the stated period, down by 0.9% year on year. At the same time, August production of primary polymers rose to 888,000 tonnes against 838,000 tonnes in July due to increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim, Stavrolen and Gazprom neftekhim Salavat. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 6,630,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 15.2% year on year.

Pactiv Evergreen Inc. is the largest manufacturer and distributor of food and beverage packaging in North America with a diversified mix of customers, including restaurants, foodservice distributors, supermarkets, food and beverage producers, food packers and processors. Additionally, the company manufactures paper and paperboard from responsibly sourced fiber, providing supply chain confidence to customers. With over 15,000 employees, the Lake Forest, Illinois-based company helps make today’s convenience-oriented lifestyle possible with products that give people the freedom to eat and drink fresh food and beverages safely anytime and anywhere.
MRC

Hyosung to restart PP plant in Vietnam

Hyosung to restart PP plant in Vietnam

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hyosung Vina Chemicals Co Ltd is on track to restart its new polypropylene (PP) unit in Vietnam following a three weeks shutdown due to an unspecified technical issue, reported CommoPlast with reference to market sources.

The 300,000 tons/year plant was taken offline on 29 September 2020.

As MRC informed before, following the start-up at the newly constructed PP plant in Vietnam on 12 February 2020, it was reported that Hyosung reached on-spec cargoes approximately in mid-February. The first prime grade parcels were homo-PP yarn grade F501N with a melt index of 3.7.

This is the No. 1 PP unit that has an annual capacity of 300,000 tons/year, operating using external sources of propylene. The company is constructing the Phase II project at the same location, which houses a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant and No. 2 PP unit that could produce another 300,000 tons/year.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

Hyosung Corporation is a Korean industrial conglomerate, founded in 1957. It operates in various fields, including the chemical industry, industrial machinery, IT, trade, and construction.
MRC

Huntsman starts up new aromatic polyester polyols in Taiwan

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huntsman officially inaugurated its new 22,000 tonne/year aromatic polyester polyols plant in Kuan Yin, Taiwan, said the company.

The 3,600-square meter polyols plant, completed in May, expands Huntsman’s downstream polyurethanes capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and marks the first time Huntsman has manufactured its TEROL polyols outside the United States.

TEROL polyester polyols are critical components in the production of MDI-based polyurethane insulation systems – the most effective insulants available in the market, as measured by R-value. Insulation products based on TEROL® polyols, include polyisocyanurate (PIR) boardstock systems, spray polyurethane foam (SPF) and pour-in-place applications, including entry doors, garage doors, coolers, refrigerators and commercial freezers.

To produce its TEROL polyols, Huntsman utilizes a proprietary process that upcycles scrap polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, some of which otherwise would have ended up in landfills, rivers and oceans.

In remarks at the opening ceremony, Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Huntsman Corporation, said: “The work we are doing in Taiwan and throughout the Asia Pacific region will truly transform our industry. By recycling the equivalent of nearly half a billion PET bottles from the oceans, landfills and refuse facilities, we are creating the building blocks that transform plastic waste into something of real value – highly efficient insulants that help conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Huntsman manufactures TEROL polyols for the Americas and European regions from its plant in Houston, Texas, where it upcycles the equivalent of one billion 500ml PET bottles per year. Additionally, Huntsman manufactures polyols from scrap PET bottles at its Huntsman Building Solutions site in Boisbriand, Canada.

Commenting on the new facility, Tony Hankins, President of Huntsman’s Polyurethanes business and CEO of Asia Pacific said: “Taiwan is a critically important base for the achievement of our strategic objectives in the region, which are focused on moving downstream and creating more differentiated solutions for our customers. The TEROL polyols from this plant are already being used in PIR boardstock systems, cold chain applications and spray polyurethane foam, or SPF. Earlier this year, we established Huntsman Building Solutions, the leading SPF company in the world, through the integration of two major SPF businesses that we recently acquired. As a result, Huntsman is now able to effectively supply energy-efficient SPF systems to customers throughout Asia-Pacific, leveraging the TEROL® polyols from the Taiwan plant. We see significant growth opportunities for SPF in the cold chain, modern agriculture, and the insulation of buildings."

As MRC informed earlier, Nanjing Jinling Huntsman, a joint venture between Huntsman and Sinopec Jinling, plans to close the propylene oxide plant in Nanjing (Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China) on November 1 for scheduled maintenance. This plant with a capacity of 240,000 tonnes/year of propylene oxide will be closed until approximately 25 November.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2019 revenues of approximately $7 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 70 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 9,000 associates within our four distinct business divisions.

MRC