Dow formed Performance Plastics Division

(Dow) -- Howard Ungerleider, vice president for Investor Relations, has been named senior vice president for Dow, and President for the newly formed Performance Plastics Division.

The Performance Plastics Division will be comprised of all Dow plastics including Solution Polyethylene, Wire & Cable, Elastomers, Films and Packaging Resins and will include the Packaging and Converting Unit that is currently part of the Advanced Materials Division.

Its focus will be on high value market driven solutions in applications such as Packaging, Hygiene, Food and Telecommunications. The Division's formation reflects Dow's active portfolio management over the last two years that has resulted in the de-emphasis of its commodity plastics products, especially following the divestment of Styron.
MRC

(Tetra Pak) -- Tetra Pak, the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, unveils three new closures designed to meet the diverse needs of the global beverage market: DreamCap, an ergonomically designed closure specially for on-the-go consumption; LightCap, designed to keep plastic use and cost to a minimum and HeliCap, which combines one-step easy opening with distinctive tamper evidence.


Benefits are possible because of Tetra Pak's industry-first combination of Pre-Laminated Hole (PLH) and Direct Injection Moulding Concept (DIMC) technologies. DIMC technology ≈ already used by Tetra Pak customers for milk ≈ allows the base of the cap neck to be moulded as flat as possible to the underside of the packaging material, providing the maximum pouring area.

DreamCap, LightCap and HeliCap are cost effective solutions, which can be integrated with existing packages and Tetra Pak lines.

MRC

Long-term conflict with Gazprom neftechim Salavat concerning ethylene price didn't allow Kaustik to reach 100% utilization of capacities.

During modernization of Bashkir production in 2009 capacities of VCM-PVC output were increased to 200 KTa. Total volume of investments made RUB 2.6 bln.

In January production was also increased at Plastkard (Volgograd) and Sibur-Chimprom - up to 8.2 KT and 3.1 KT, respectively. On the contrary, Sayanskchemplast, the biggest PVC producer in Russia, decreased output to 24.3 KT.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- Brent crude settled at US$111.72 after rising past US$114, while light, sweet crude on the Nymex settled at US$96.89. Earlier in the day, oil prices rose by 2% on news of shutdown of oil production in Libya and on fears that the unrest might spread to Saudi Arabia. However, prices recoiled on an announcement by Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco that all demands for extra oil had been met coupled with news that Tobruk port in East Libya had reopened and a Chinese tanker was being loaded.

MRC

(ICIS) -- The cost of acetone in Europe is set to firm again because of tightness in supply and another increase in the cost of feedstock propylene, market sources said on Tuesday. In relation to the "high" and "unexpected" ┬80/tonne ($111/tonne) increase in the March propylene contract price, a European producer described it as "a disaster for our customers.

⌠This is a disaster for our customers. They are going to kill us. In just one or two hours the cost of propylene increased by ┬40/tonne. We were expecting it (the propylene contract) to increase by ┬20-40/tonne, the producer said.

On the back of another hike in feedstock costs, the producer said its target for spot acetone was now in the low ┬900s/tonne for the solvents market and the high ┬900s/tonne for the pharmaceutical sector.

Tightness in the European market was also fuelling the intention of acetone producers to raise spot and contract prices in March. A number of suppliers said they were totally sold out of material.

While the March propylene contract increased by ┬80/tonne, the March benzene contact price rolled over at ┬1,001/tonne.

MRC