Bayer and its employees provide help to Japan

(Bayer) -- Following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, Bayer and its employees are providing help. First of all, Bayer is providing immediate financial aid to the value of EUR 880.000 - which is the equivalent of Yen 100 Million - to the Japanese Red Cross. The funds are intended to help assist communities or individuals severely affected by the catastrophic events. Furthermore, the company intends to provide the Japanese health authorities with around EUR 120.000 worth of health products that are urgently needed.

In addition to the immediate relief, Bayer is also calling on its employees worldwide to make donations through the Bayer Cares Foundation. The company will match the donations up to the amount of EUR 250.000. These funds are to be used for a reconstruction project yet to be defined in one of the worst affected areas.

Bayer has been operating in Japan for more than 100 years and employs some 3.660 people there. None of the employees was injured as a consequence of the earthquake or the tsunami.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- In its statement concerning the status of the company's operations after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami Sumitomo Chemical confirmed that none its employees are injured or missing. At the Chiba Works ethylene plant, (Ichihara and Sodegaura cities, Chiba Prefecture), operations continue at the main facility while adjusting the load on the plant as necessary. At most of the derivatives facilities, automatic shutdown systems were activated at the time of the earthquake and emergency shutdown procedures were undertaken. The production facilities sustained no major damage. The shut-down production facilities are being brought back into operation sequentially as their safety is confirmed, and at this stage most of the production facilities have recommenced operations, according to Sumitomo.

The financial impact of this earthquake on Sumitomo Chemical is not yet known, but any anticipated major impact will be promptly disclosed when determined.

MRC

(LyondellBasell) -- LyondellBasell announced that it will contribute up to USD 250.000 toward relief efforts in Japan by matching employee contributions to agencies providing disaster relief services.

"We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the people of Japan who have been so greatly impacted by these twin calamities," said LyondellBasell CEO Jim Gallogly. "Our employees are responding individually to help the people of Japan who are in need and that is why we will be matching their generous contributions up to USD 250.000," Gallogly said.

LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. The company manufactures products at 58 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Shares of Japan's major automakers ended mostly higher on Tuesday amid expectations that their operations would be restarted or ramped up this week after they were halted by the earthquake that struck the country's northeast on 11 March.

Shares of Toyota Motor ended 4.04% higher on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, while Honda Motor rose 2.11%. Nissan Motor, meanwhile, bucked the trend and slipped 0.13% at the close of trading. Mazda Motor was up 4.94%, while Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, was 3.19% higher.

These automakers are expected to resume some operations this week after shutting their plants from 14 March because of safety issues in the wake of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that followed.

On Monday, Nissan restarted the production of parts for overseas manufacturing and repairs at its Oppama, Tochigi, Yokohama, Kyushu and Nissan Shatai plants.

Vehicle production is expected to start on 24 March and will continue while supplies last, the company said in a statement.

Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, said on Tuesday it will keep all of its 12 assembly plants in Japan shut at least through 26 March, according to a Reuters report. The company previously said it would keep the plants shut until 22 March.

Many automakers in Japan are facing serious supply disruptions, not only damages to their plants, but also problems such as rolling blackouts, infrastructure damage, port and shipping issues.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Shuttered parts plants in Japan could threaten supply chains all the way in North America, working down to the chemical industry - although it is too early to forecast what effects this may have, sources said on Monday.

General Motors (GM) already has suspended production at a plant in Shreveport, Louisiana, because of a parts shortage. Toyota, meanwhile, has curtailed overtime at its 13 vehicle and engine plants in North America, the company said.

Many supplier plants in Japan were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake, according to a column by Keith Crain, the editor in chief of Automotive News. If a key part is missing, a producer could suspend all production, cutting demand for bumpers, tyres and other auto parts.

That, in turn, could reach downstream to the chemical industry, as the automobile industry is a major end market for such materials as polypropylene (PP); nylon; acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS); polyurethane flexible foam; synthetic rubber; and paints and coatings.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) estimates that each automobile contains an average of USD 2.700 worth of chemicals.

MRC