Dow awards Fluor a contract for its Texas propylene project

(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- Fluor has announced that it was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) contract by Dow Chemical for its upcoming propylene project in Freeport, Texas, said a company source on Friday. The project is underway with estimated mechanical completion by 2015.

"The US is experiencing a significant rebound in the petrochemical sector due to the attractive price of shale gas and we look forward to helping our long-time customer Dow realize this important project," the company said.

As MRC reported earlier, Dow Chemical, Formosa Plastics, and Chevron Phillips Chemical had recently unveiled their expansion plans in North America basing on deposits in the Marcellus Shale Formation in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Earlier this year, Fluor and Dow signed a strategic global engineering, procurement, construction and construction management agreement in support of Dow’s global capital projects program ranging across all Dow products.
MRC

(reinforcedplastics) -- Speciality chemicals company Lanxess has acquired German company Bond- Laminates GmbH to strengthening its portfolio of lightweight materials for the automotive industry. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

Bond-Laminates and its management team will be part of the Lanxess’ High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit, which currently produces Durethan engineering plastics based on polyamide (PA) 6 and 66, Pocan engineering plastics based on polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), glass fibre for reinforcement of plastics.

Lanxess has been working with Bond-Laminates since 2006 on several projects in the automotive industry.

Lanxess is a leader in specialty chemicals and operates in all important global markets. With its extensive portfolio, it focuses on premium business. Its core business comprises the development, manufacture and sale of plastics, rubber, specialty chemicals and intermediates.
MRC

(chemistry news) -- Wacker and DKSH Business Unit Performance Materials has entered into a strategic partnership.

Wacker will distribute fermenter cysteine and bioengineered cyclodextrins through DKSH under the exclusive distribution agreement to South East Asia, Greater China and parts of the India subcontinent, specifically India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Cori Diaz, Vice President Key Client Management, DKSH Performance Materials comments: "In line with our focus on strategic business and relationship development with current and potential key clients, this cooperation with WACKER represents another milestone since establishing the new key client function in 2011. We are proud to be chosen by WACKER as a key distribution partner and look forward to a fruitful collaboration."

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry. Starting from ethylene, Wacker Polymers serves mainly the construction industry with redispersible powders and several other industries with dispersions. Wacker Biosolutions focuses on using bio-technological processes to serve its customers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) – Asian PET prices keep growing steadily on higher costs of the local producers caused by a rise in PTA and MEG prices. By the end of the week export quotations of the Korean and Chinese PET had increased by USD20-40/tonne, report MRC analysts.

Despite the decline in consumer activity from makers of soft drinks and water, Asian producers of bottle PET granulate keep raising prices for their production. Local makers claim that production costs have increased significantly while the margin of the plants has slashed. The continuous growth of prices do not allow decrease PET price-offers below the current price-level. Only last month, the spot price of PTA at Chinese ports rose by USD68-70/tonne.

Last week price-offers of Korean PET makers grew by USD30-40/tonne. Many Korean plants voiced their prices at the level of USD1,480-1,500/tonne, FOB Korea. At this stage, the consumers of the material do not want to accept such prices. Due to this the bulk of the deals were concluded in the range of USD1,420-1,450/tonne, FOB Korea.

Chinese PET has grown in price by USD20-30/tonne. Plants’ price-offers were voices at the level of USD1,420/tonne, FOB China. According to a source, shipments to CIS countries and those of Latin America were made at the level of USD1,390/tonne, FOB China.

According to Asian PET producers, price-offers for the material in the spot market in September will keep rising since local facilities will try to recover their margins. In connection with the softening of the monetary policy of the Fed, the activity in commodity markets has grown. Oil quotations are also rising. Due to this, speculative operations are leading to a rise in paraxylene prices which affects the chain of upstream products - up to the prices of bottle PET, said a trader.
MRC

(plastemart) -- Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA reported pollution in excess of permitted levels from a coking unit at the company's 225,500-barrels-per-day Port Arthur, Texas refinery on Friday, as per a notice the plant filed with regulators, as reported by Reuters.

The excess emissions resulted from a malfunction on wet gas compressors. The refinery said instrumentation technicians were working on the compressor controls.

Total, one of the world’s leading petrochemicals companies, does business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. Total has two main product groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC