Trinseo raises November PS, ABS, and SAN prices in Europe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe, have announced a price increase for all polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) in Europe, according to the company's press release as of 3 November.

Effective Noveber 1, 2020, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below rose as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) -- by EUR110 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech and STYRON X- Tech and STYRON C- Tech high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR110 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR110 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR80 per metric ton.

As MRC informed before, Trinseo last raised its prices for all PS, ABS and SAN grades on 1 October 2020, as stated below:

- STYRON GPPS -- by EUR75 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech and STYRON X- Tech and STYRON C- Tech HIPS - by EUR75 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR50 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR30 per metric ton.

According to ICIS-MRC Price report, in Russia, market participants continued to report strong demand in the HIPS and GPPS market and a shortage of Russian PS last week. And the shortage of material is expected to remain in November. Prices of Nizhnekamskneftekhim's material will rise by Rb3,000/tonne in November. November GPPS prices will be in the range of Rb92,000-98,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, whereas HIPS prices will be at Rb96,000-102,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. Prices for November quantities of Penoplex's GPPS will be in the range of Rb95,000-97,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, this month.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD3.8 billion in net sales in 2019, with 17 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,700 employees.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SIBUR third-quarter earnings jumped 20% year on year as the Russian chemicals major continues ramping up polymers output at its large ZapSibNeftekhim (ZapSib) complex, said the Russian petrochemical company.

Sibur Holding sustained a net loss of 24.6 bln rubles (USD309 mln) under the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the first nine months of 2020 due to exchange rate differences.

For reference, the company had a net profit of 103.16 bln rubles (USD1.3 bln) in the same period last year. The adjusted net profit for the reporting period (excluding the exchange rate difference) amounted to 71.9 billion rubles (USD905 mln), Sibur notes.

The company's revenue for nine months decreased by 6.6% - to 369.33 billion rubles (USD4.6 bln). The company's EBITDA decreased by 3.3% to 122.03 billion rubles (USD1.5 bln) driven by narrowed spreads for the majority of Sibur's product groups due to the adverse price dynamics.

EBITDA margin was 33%. The holding's capital expenditures in the reporting period fell by 19.9% to 80.25 billion rubles (USD1.01 bln).

As MRC informed earlier, Sibur selected Univation’s licensed process for three 600,000-metric tons/year PE lines at Amur. The lines will be part of the integrated project, located near Svobodny in the Amur region close to Russia’s border with China, which will have a total polyolefin design capacity of 2.7 million metric tons/year.

As per MRC's ScanPlast, September PE production in Russia was 233,200 tonnes, whereas this figure was 258,700 tonnes a month earlier, in the first month of autumn several producers stopped their capacities for repairs at once. Thus, overall PE output reached 2,204,200 tonnes in January-September 2020, compared to 1,349,000 tonnes a year earlier. Production of all PE grades rose, but LLDPE accounted for the greatest increase, which was provided by ZapSibNeftekhim.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LG Chem, a South Korean petrochemical major, has shut down its naphtha cracker in Yeosu following a fire at dawn, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

The company said a fire broke out at its central control room at the Yosu cracker complex at around midnight local time (15:00 GMT) today.

The country's largest chemical company said it was in the process of figuring out the cause of the fire.

The facility can process about 1.2 million tonnes of ethylene per year (tpy).

The cracker shutdown is expected to last at least three weeks.

As MRC reported earlier, LG Chem is planning to spend USD2.4-billion to expand its naphtha cracking center (NCC) and polyolefin (PO) plant in Yeosu, South Korea. The project, which will expand the NCC and PO facility by 800,000 t/y each, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021.

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

According to MRC"s ScanPlast report, Russia"s estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, exluding producers" inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Scientists of the Rosneft United Research and Development Centre have developed an innovative technology for processing acetone produced by Rosneft’s enterprises into isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol), a high-margin product that is now mainly imported in Russia, said the company.

The technology includes hydrogenation of acetone with the Company’s own heterogeneous metal-containing catalyst, obtained from raw materials available in the country. Technological potential development is one of the key items of the Rosneft-2022 Strategy. The Company pays special attention to innovation and breakthroughs, recognising the technological leadership as an essential element for competitive performance on the oil market.

The isopropanol will be used as an anti-icing agent in the production of the high-quality, odourless (as opposed to propylene-based isopropanol), frost-free car windscreen wiper fluid for the Company’s retail network. Isopropanol is also a component of solvents, reagents and a number of cosmetic products. Furthermore, it is the basis for highly effective antiseptics designed to combat the spread of infections, which is why the demand for isopropanol in Russia and worldwide is expected to grow significantly.

An industrial-grade acetone-to-isopropanol unit and in-house isopropanol-based windscreen wiper unit are to be constructed at Rosneft’s Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company that has the relevant petrochemical profile.

As MRC informed earlier, Rosneft United Research and Development Centre, the institute of the corporate R&D complex of Rosneft Oil Company, has developed a laboratory unit for synthetic crude oil. The unit, which completed a synthetic oil production run, is capable of converting methane to synthetic liquid hydrocarbons. Rosneft said its technology for obtaining synthetic oil from associated petroleum gas has undergone a series of expert reviews, including international ones, and has been assessed as advanced process solution.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, exluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema leads the Series B investment in Adaptive3D, an innovative company and premium additive manufacturing photopolymer resin supplier, said Chemweek.

This investment complements our expertise in UV liquid resin material design and our commitment to accelerate 3D printing manufacturing technology development. Adaptive3D, through cutting-edge technologies, offers solutions enabling soft and elastomer end-products. The start-up sells photopolymer resins to enable additive manufacturing of tough, strain-tolerant, tear-resistant rubbers. Adaptive3D printable photo-resins are optimized for high-throughput manufacturing of functional complex 3-dimensional plastic and rubber parts in a wide range of applications in the consumer goods, healthcare, industrial, transportation and oil and gas markets.

Through its Sartomer’s activity and its pioneering N3xtDimension® range of advanced UV curable liquid resins, Arkema and Adaptive3D have already succeeded in many technical and commercial developments. With this announcement, the companies aim to partner across the end points of an additive manufacturing ecosystem, from new material development, scaled specialty resin manufacturing, to functional end-use parts, to deliver market leading materials solutions at scale. Arkema, specializing in many other material technologies like photoinitiators and thio-based materials, can further enhance Adaptive3D product offerings through custom solutions.

With this investment in Adaptive3D, Arkema takes a new milestone that will create exciting opportunities for new applications in footwear, medical, automotive and electronic appliances, among others. With materials developed to best meet market needs, both consumers and producers stand to benefit from the specialty and sustainable high-performance solutions developed by Arkema and Adaptive3D.

Challenging the aging model of injection-molded rubbers, Adaptive3D is now scaling production and distribution to deliver shelf-stable, print-stable, one-part photoresins that yield superior, manufactured end parts. Our resins enable customers to topologically optimize and micro-architect their polymeric products to provide a sustainable competitive advantage now."

"Arkema is a global leader in supplying specialty materials to enable sustainable, innovative solutions to manufacturing technologies. Adaptive3D photo-resins, based on Arkema materials and now validated in the market, further our customer-focused mission to reach into new application spaces. Adaptive3D delivers compelling materials properties with an ease of printing and post processing—a great step forward for the whole additive manufacturing field."

As MRC reported earlier, Arkema said in June, 2020, that it had finalized the divestment of its functional polyolefins business to SK Global Chemical. The divestment was announced last year. Arkema says the sale forms part of its strategy to refocus the group’s activities on specialty materials.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, exluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

Arkema is a global manufacturer in specialty chemicals and advanced materials, with 3 business segments - High Performance Materials, Industrial Specialties, and Coating Solutions - and globally recognized brands. The Group reports annual sales of EUR8.8 billion. Buoyed by the collective energy of its 20,000 employees, Arkema operates in close to 55 countries.
MRC