SRG Global Inc. has broken ground on an injection molding plant in Irapuato, Mexico

(Plastics Today) -- SRG Global Inc. has broken ground on an injection molding, top coat, chrome-plating, and assembly plant in Irapuato, Mexico. The company estimates that the initial phase of the project will cost between $25 and $35 million, with the facility expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2012.

Tom Schneider, SRG's director of marketing, told PlasticsToday that at this point in time the facility's final size and machine count are to be determined, with the build-out expected to last one year. The company expects to install injection molding machines ranging from 250 to 3000 tons, but that also could be subject to change. Schneider said that SRG currently supplies "many" of the OEMs that are Mexico, shipping product from its sites in Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri.

SRG Global said in a release that construction of the Mexico facility is part of its business strategy to maintain local and regional production capabilities.

MRC

(Food Production Daily) -- An advanced polymer modifier that tackles a host of limitations linked with polylactic acid (PLA) could boost its take up in packaging, said DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers.

Latest trials by the US-based company have shown its Biomax Strong 120 delivers ⌠remarkable toughening effects in brittle PLA materials, cuts power consumption and increases thermal stability during extrusion, according to Dr Carol Casarino, packaging and consumer global technology manager.

The modifier can also have a dramatic effect in reducing crinkly film noise - which has so far restricted its acceptance in flexible packaging application such as snack bags, said DuPont.

The firm said recent testing had revealed the new benefits from this PLA modifier that ⌠could speed the growth of PLA polymers in packaging.

MRC

(Food Production Daily) -- Austrian bottle and preform producer Alpla said it has secured an important legal victory in its battle with Italian company Cobarr over a disputed PET patent. Alpla said that the German Patent Court had revoked Cobarr's European patent 0 964 031 with all claims directed to a polyester resin having average nylon domain sizes between 0.2 and less than 1 micron except for those requiring premixing with and/or the presence of a dianhydride. The decision only has jurisdiction in Germany.

Cobarr is a subsidiary of Milan-based M&G (Mossi & Ghisolfi) Group. A company spokesman confirmed the firm would be appealing the decision.

But Alpla signalled its determination to continue with the legal battle.

The Austrian company employs almost 11,000 employees at 128 plants in 37 countries. It manufacturers bottle, performs, caps and tubes, posting a turnover in 2009 of ┬2.145bn.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Despite increased volumes of PET production in 2010 in Russia, the market remains dependent on import supplies of the material which made 11.2 KT in January, according to MRC DataScope. By the end of 2010 the three Russian PET producers increased their production up to 312 KT. Among them 137 KT of PET was produced by POLIEF, 98,3 KT - by Plant of new polymers "SENEG", and 76,7 KT - by Sibur-PETF. Overall imports of primary PET exceeded 260 KT last year.

In January changes in the structure of supplies by countries were marked. The level of December imports was preserved by the companies from South Korea (KP Chemical, Tongkook, SK Chemical). PET purchases from the Chinese companies (Jiangsu Sanfangxiang, China Resources Chemicals, Sinopec, Shanghai Hengyi Polyester) reduced almost twice, and there were only few supplies from Lithuania.

Launch of new capacities in Kaliningrad region will soon reduce the dependence of the Russian market on imports. As we reported earlier, in the second half of February a new Alco-Nafta plant was launched on the basis of Mariyskiy oil refinery with total capacity of 220 KTa. While the enterprise is debugging its technological process, the loading of capacities makes only 60% or 140 KTa.

MRC

(BP) -- BP announced today the intention of selling its interests in a number of operated oil and gas fields in the UK. The assets involved are the Wytch Farm onshore oilfield in Dorset and all of BP's operated gas fields in the Southern North Sea, including associated pipeline infrastructure and the Dimlington terminal.

BP anticipates that the staff currently working on these assets will transfer employment to the new buyer when the divestments are completed.

These divestments will allow BP to focus resources and investment on its diverse central North Sea, northern North Sea, West of Shetland and Norway assets and on successful delivery of its new major projects.

BP aims to complete the divestments around the end of 2011, subject to receipt of suitable offers and regulatory and third party approvals.

MRC