LDPE plant brought on-stream by Petronas

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petronas has restarted its low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit following a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Malaysia informed that the company has resumed operations at the plant on May 23, 2018. The unit was shut for maintenance in mid-May 2018.

Located at Kerteh in Terrenganu, Malaysia, LDPE plant has a production capacity of 255,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, in late March 2018, Petronas Chemicals secured a USD1-billion bridge loan from various local and international banks, fulfilling one of the conditions of its planned divestment of a 50% stake in PRPC Polymers to Aramco Overseas Holding Cooperatif (AOHC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.

Petronas, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia. The Group is engaged in a wide spectrum of petroleum activities, including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to downstream oil refining; marketing and distribution of petroleum products; trading; gas processing and liquefaction; gas transmission pipeline network operations; marketing of liquefied natural gas; petrochemical manufacturing and marketing; shipping; automotive engineering; and property investment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow Polyurethanes, a business unit of Dow Chemical, has announced the opening of a new PU systems house in the Maharashtra state in India, further expanding its network of more than 20 sites for production, development and technical service across the EMEAI region, according to GV.

Located in the Lote Parshuram industrial area in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state, the new site adds production capacity and technical capabilities to deliver high-quality polyurethane materials and customised solutions to customers in the region, serving growing market segments such as consumer durables, infrastructure and automotive.

According to the company, the opening of the PU systems house in Lote further builds on its investments in the region, following the recently inaugurated Dow India Technology Center (DITC) in Navi Mumbai, housing a dedicated lab for polyurethane application development that will help accelerate innovation and collaboration with customers in the region.

"Dow’s innovation and growth strategy is driven by a strong focus on delivering competitive advantage for our customers and preparing them for tomorrow’s challenges", commented Jon Penrice, Vice President Dow Polyurethanes. "By expanding our network of Systems Houses, R&D and innovation centers we are strengthening our regional presence to reinforce our collaborative value chain approach. This we believe will accelerate both existing and new opportunities through customised and more sustainable solutions that are geared to local market needs."

As MRC reported earlier, in January 2018, as part of DowDuPont Materials Science Division’s ongoing commitment to provide customers with greater access to expertise and products, the company announced that the technologies of Dow Corning Polyurethane Additives (PUA) would be incorporated into the Dow Polyurethanes portfolio under the Vorasurf polyurethane additives brand name.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF and Huafon Group Co., Ltd. have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to extend their partnership with initiatives to develop the polyurethane, bio-fiber and spandex markets in China, as per GV.

The two companies will work together in the areas of technical exchange, market development, and quality raw material supply.

According to the agreement, BASF and Huafon will jointly promote the growth of the polyurethane market in China, especially in the Western region. Additionally, BASF will develop speciality fibre and bio-content fibre for high-end apparel products with Huafon. In the field of spandex, the two companies will strengthen their cooperation in spandex technology, intermediate products and industrial digitalisation. The companies will also work together to optimise their raw material resources.

"At BASF we innovate to make our customers more successful. This includes providing the right solutions and support to help our customers grow their business," said Sanjeev Gandhi, member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE, responsible for the Asia Pacific region.

You Xiaoping, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Huafon, said: "One key to Huafon’s success is partnering with the world’s leading chemical company, BASF. With this strategic cooperation, Huafon has reached another milestone in becoming an innovative, sustainable and global company."

The two partners’ business relationship stretches back more than two decades. In May 2006, Huafon received the first batch of polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) delivered from BASF’s production site in Caojing. In 2007, Huafon was recognised as BASF’s strategic partner for the spandex business, the first such agreement by BASF with a customer in China. Since 2006, BASF has helped Huafon transform from a private family business into a leading public company, especially through support in the areas of environment, health and safety performance.

As MRC wrote previously, in November 2016, BASF announced that within the next five years, the company plans to invest globally more than EUR200 million in its plastic additives business, approximately half of which in Asia, focusing on capacity expansions and operational excellence. Plastic additives improve product properties such as scratch resistance or light stability, and optimize plastics manufacturing processes. As the leading global supplier of plastic additives with manufacturing assets in all regions, BASF is a major partner to the plastics industry.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sabic, a global leader in the chemical industry, has introduced LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet, the latest addition to the company’s expanding automotive glazing portfolio, as per the company's press release.

This advanced new technology is engineered to comply with the stringent visibility, strength and abrasion resistance requirements of ECE R43 (Regulation No. 43 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations). It features a tough polycarbonate (PC) base with exceptional optical quality, combined with a unique, formable hard coating that is pre-cured sufficiently to allow processing like regular PC sheet. In addition to ECE R43 compliance, LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet can enable customers to avoid post-coating operations, and gives automotive OEMs and tiers a fresh new option for creating simple, curved glazing designs.

"Market analysts, such as Grand View Research in the United States, predict strong growth in automotive glazing, propelled by technological advancements in materials such as polycarbonate and continued demand for increasingly lightweight components - particularly in electric vehicles," said Peter Chedd, segment leader, Glazing Functional Forms for Sabic.

LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet’s proprietary silicone-based formable hard coating uses dual-cure (thermal/thermal) technology. The coating is pre-cured to the point that it can be easily handled and fabricated like any regular PC sheet, but it maintains enough flexibility to be formed within specified limits. Following forming, using any of a variety of methods (drape forming, high-pressure forming, thermoforming, etc.), the coating requires post-curing for three hours at 130C to optimize abrasion resistance and meet ECE R43 requirements. The advanced coating technology ensures excellent adhesion under exposure to temperature cycling, water and humidity.

LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet also offers superior mechanical properties, including outstanding impact strength, as well as high optical quality. It features crystal-clear transparency with low ripple and distortion, including an extremely low number of optical defects. This advanced new product is also resistant to common chemicals, weathering and ultraviolet (UV) light.

Primary applications are moderately shaped glazing components for lower-production vehicles, where LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet can be more cost effective than injection molding. Additionally, LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet is a highly versatile product that can be used for non-automotive glazing, such as machine guards, cabin glazing for heavy equipment and many other typically formed and post-coated applications today.

LEXAN MARGARD FHC10 sheet is initially available globally in 3-5 mm gauges. Sabic plans to make thicker gauges available at a later date.

As MRC wrote earlier, in November 2017, plastics-maker Sabic announced it had developed new materials for customers producing LED automotive lighting parts. LEXAN HF4010SR resin was one of the new offerings. This polycarbonate (PC) material can make it possible for customers to develop complex headlight bezels with enhanced aesthetics. Sabic has also added new grades to its existing LEXAN XHT resin line, which can offer improved flow at high temperatures compared to other high-heat polycarbonate materials available today.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the worldпїЅs market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- On 1 May 2018, Repi has established the new subsidiary Repi Thai Co. Ltd in Thailand, which will take over the existing business in the ASEAN region both in the Polyurethanes and in the Thermoplastics business units, as per GV.

According to Repi, this is another step for the company to expand market presence in Asia and Bangkok with a strategic location to serve the surrounding countries. The new unit will provide commercial support and technical service to all clients in the region as well as fast colour-development capabilities to serve customers just-in-time.

The Repi Group is a family-owned corporation, founded in 1973. From the headquarters in North Italy it has been growing over the decades opening facilities in the US, Russia, UK, Thailand and establishing commercial relationships worldwide. The Group’s activity focuses on two main business units, Polyurethanes and Thermoplastics, which offer products and services to industries with different requirements and metrics.

The Polyurethanes BU serves mainly the automotive, building and construction and footwear industries, while the Thermoplastics BU has its core business in the rigid packaging field (preforms, bottles, PET sheets for thermoforming, caps, etc.) followed by industrial applications both in injection moulded parts and extrusion such as the furniture industry.
MRC