SABIC subject to anti dumping investigation in European market

(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is again subject to anti dumping investigation in European market on its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) products, after being subject to ADD on polypropylene in India, SABIC said in statement.

⌠The European Commission has, on Wednesday 16th February 2011, following a complaint by the Committee of PET Manufacturers in Europe, initiated anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations with respect to imports of PET originating in or exported from Oman and Saudi Arabia, SABIC said in email to Arabianoilandgas.com.

⌠SABIC and its affiliated company Ibn Rushd (Ibn Rushd) are studying the complaint and will coordinate with the Saudi Government, in preparing their response. SABIC and Ibn Rushd will cooperate fully with the European Commission investigation, it added.

⌠As one of the world's foremost petrochemical companies, SABIC and Ibn Rushd are committed to complying with their obligations under international laws and treaties, including those with which the investigation is concerned, SABIC added.

MRC

(Plastics Today) -- Empire Precision Plastics Inc., specializing in high-volume injection molding and mold manufacturing, announced that it is installing two, precision 55-ton Arburg injection molding presses with Arburg automation for an OEM customer with requirements for medical disposables. According to Markus Lettau, director of sales and application engineering for Empire (Rochester, NY), the cells will be enclosed in ⌠micro clean rooms which cover the molding machine clamp and automation area (where parts are packaged), to provide clean-environment molding and handling.


About 55% of Empire Precision Plastics' business is now medical, which also prompted the company to move forward and become ISO 13485:2003 certified. The certification, which the company received in the third quarter of 2010, will help Empire grow its medical business, and ⌠fully participate in the medical market, Lettau notes.


Empire currently operates 42 injection molding machines in a 42,500-ft2 facility. In addition to medical, the company continues to serve the electronics market on which the business was founded, along with industrial components and some consumer components.

MRC

(Press TV) -- Iran's Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company (BIPC) says it has exported more than USD 1 billion worth of products to 23 countries from March 2010 to January 2011.

"In the first 10 months of the [Iranian calendar] year [March 2010 to January 2011], this unit produced more than 1.811 tons of petrochemical products. The figure shows an 18-percent increase compared to the same period last year," the BIPC said in a statement on Monday.

The total amount of exports stood at more than USD 1 billion, which is 67 percent higher from last year, Mehr News Agency quoted the statement as saying.

Over that period the BIPC - one of Iran's largest industrial establishments - exported pentane plus, butane, propane, propylene, pyrolysis petrol, xylene, ethylene, and benzene. The products were exported to European, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries, including Britain, France, Italy, Japan, China and South Korea.

MRC

(Braskem) -- Braskem-Idesa, a joint venture between the Brazilian petrochemical producer Braskem and the Mexican group Idesa, took another important step towards the development of the Ethylene XXI project in Mexico. The JV selected the Lupotech T process technology of the Dutch company LyondellBasell for the 300 kt LDPE (low density polyethylene) plant, which is one of the three polyethylene plants of the Mexico project, with start up slated for 2015. The industrial unit will be built in the region of the Coatzacoalcos/Nanchital Petrochemical Complexes in the state of Veracruz.

The Lupotech T technology is owned by the Dutch company LyondellBasell and is the most widely used process in high-pressure units, which will guarantee the best possible performance for the investment. This will be the first license for a tubular LDPE plant in Mexico and the Americas in over 20 years.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The growth of prices for PE in the external markets is going on, while low demand and excessive offer will limit the price growth in Russia, according to MRC Price Reports.

The continuing growth of oil prices along with ethylene prices in the European and Asian markets will result in further growth of polyethylene prices in March. Some European producers have already declared their intentions to jack up the prices for HDPE by EUR 40-50/mt next month. The same actions are considered also by the Asian producers. According to preliminary data, the March price rise for HDPE will make USD 40-60/mt.

After launching of new capacities in Nizhnekamsk and Salavat, the Russian market of HDPE is not so adoptive to the price rise in the external markets. Even now, by the end of February, the Russian converters could not fully accept January PE price rise. Low seasonal demand almost in all consumption sectors in terms of stable work of all producers resulted in the market saturation and enforced competition between HDPE producers.

The range of prices for HDPE is considerably high in the market. For example, for film HDPE it makes 58.500 - 63.000 RUB./t, including VAT, FCA, depending on producers and regions. The forecasted growth of PE prices in Asia and Europe will have some effect on prices in Russia. In the beginning of March the price rise is not expected in the Russian market, and the price range for HDPE from the Russian producers will decrease to 1.500 - 2.000 RUB./t.

MRC