Sherwin-Williams COO to step down

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sherwin-Williams (SW) says president and COO David Sewell will step down effective 12 March to become CEO of an undisclosed company outside the coatings industry, reported Chemweek.

Sewell’s position will not be filled immediately, with CEO John Morikis assuming Sewell’s responsibilities in addition to his current role on a temporary basis.

Sewell joined SW in 2006, and was named COO in 2019.

As MRC informed before, in late February 2021, The Sherwin-Williams Company announced it had signed a purchase agreement with global coatings company Hempel A/S to divest Wattyl, an Australian and New Zealand manufacturer and seller of architectural and protective paint and coatings with annual revenue of approximately USD200 million USD and 750 employees.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in November 2020 by 9.5% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals increased in the first eleven months of 2020 by 6.6% year on year, 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-November 2020 output. November production of polymers in primary form rose to 896,000 tonnes from 852,000 tonnes in October. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 9,240,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 17.1% year on year.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Motiva Chemicals has been resuming operations at its mixed-feed cracker in Port Arthur, USA, reported S&P Global.

The process of restart of this cracker with the capacity of 635,000 mt/year of ethylene and 340,000 mt/year of propylene began on 27 February, 2021, and is expected to finish late this week.

The cracker wa shut along with the refinery at the same site on 14 February, 2021, because of the deep freeze.

As MRC informed earlier, the second-largest crude distillation unit (CDU) at Motiva Enterprises 607,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery is operating at 80% of capacity. Motiva is preparing to restart the smallest CDU and the small coker at the refinery

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

Motiva Enterprises, LLC, is a fully owned affiliate of Saudi Refining Inc. and headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States with revenue of USD24 billion. Previously, it was a 50–50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company (the wholly owned American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) and Saudi Refining Inc. (controlled by Saudi Aramco).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical has reportedly restarted the troubled polypropylene (PP) plant in Vietnam over the weekend following an unexpected shutdown on 13 February 2021, reported CommoPlast.

The unit has an annual output of 370,000 tons/year.

A source close to the producer informed that the plant is currently working to stabilize the operating rate, hence still unable to supply adequate allocation at the moment.

As MRC wrote oreviously, in the third week of September 2020, NSRP restarted its PP unit in Vietnam following a 10 days unscheduled shutdown starting 7 September 2020 due to a persistent technical issue.

We also remind that Vietnam’s Nghi Son oil refinery officially began commercial production from 14 November 2018, following months of tests. The USD9 billion refinery is 35.1 percent owned by Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan Co, 35.1 percent by Kuwait Petroleum, 25.1 percent by PetroVietnam and 4.7 percent by Mitsui Chemicals Inc.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The second-largest crude distillation unit (CDU) at Motiva Enterprises 607,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery is operating at 80% of capacity, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

Motiva is preparing to restart the smallest CDU and the small coker at the refinery, the sources said.

Motiva did not reply to a request for comment.

The second largest of the three CDUs at the refinery is the 195,000-bpd VPS-2 CDU. The smallest CDU is the 80,000-bpd VPS-2. The small coker is the 54,000-bpd DCU-1.

The refinery was shut on Feb. 15 because of a loss of steam supply in severe cold weather along the Gulf Coast.

As MRC informed before, in H1 September, 2020. Motiva Enterprises restarted the largest and second-largest crude distillation units (CDUs), coker and hydrocracker at its 607,000 brrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery. The 325,000-bpd VPS-5 and 195,000-bpd VPS-4 CDUs, 110,000-bpd DCU-2 coker and 105,000-bpd HCU=2 hydrocracker were the first units that restarted as Motiva continued to bring the entire refinery, which is the nation’s largest, back into production following an Aug. 25 shutdown because of Hurricane Laura.

We remind that in the last week of August, 2020, Motiva Chemicals at Port Arthur, Texas, began shutting down light olefin operations Monday to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Laura.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

Motiva Enterprises, LLC, is a fully owned affiliate of Saudi Refining Inc. and headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States with revenue of USD24 billion. Previously, it was a 50–50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company (the wholly owned American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) and Saudi Refining Inc. (controlled by Saudi Aramco).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell Industries is restarting the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker (FCC) after completing the restart of the large crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 263,776 barrel-per-day (bpd) Houston refinery, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

The 147,000-bpd Unit 537 CDU is the first to restart since the refinery was shut on Feb. 15 by severe cold weather. The 90,000-bpd FCC could be back in production by early next week, the sources said.

Lyondell spokesman Chevalier Gray declined comment.

Unit 537 along with the Unit 536 CDU breaks down crude oil into hydrocarbon feedstocks for all other production units in the refinery.

The FCC uses a catalyst to convert gas oil into unfinished gasoline.

As MRC wrote previously, LyondellBasell (Houston, Texas), one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, reports fourth-quarter net income of USD855 million, up 40% year-over-year (YOY) from USD612 million on higher polyolefin volumes and margins. A USD147 million non-cash, lower-of-cost-or-market (LCM) inventory valuation benefit increased net income by USD119 million, or USD0.36 per share. Sales totaled USD7.937 billion, down 3.0% YOY from USD8.179 billion. Adjusted earnings per share of USD2.19 increased 15% YOY from USD1.91 and beat the consensus of USD1.31 as compiled by Zacks Investment Research.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its 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, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world"s largest producer of polymer compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2020, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune Magazine"s list of the "World"s Most Admired Companies" for the third consecutive year.
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