ICIS - Search Articles by Date : September 13 2004 - September 19 2004

BASF division set for top return
BASF’s Agricultural Products division is on target to achieve ‘one of the highest returns in the industry’, according to its president, Hans Reiners. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Kemira raising funds
Kemira plans to give existing shareholders a 52.5% stake in the GrowHow fertiliser division it plans to spin off later this year through a special.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Gallium Nitride Market Poised for Robust Growth
Currently valued at over $1 billion, the embryonic gallium nitride (GaN) market is forecast to hit $4.5 billion by 2007. While research and.... more
(17 September 2004 18:39)

Specialties Pricing
BASF Corp. will increase prices by 5 to 7 percent for the following specialty intermediate products in North America, effective October 1:.... more
(17 September 2004 18:39)

Bayer in Marketing Pact With Schering-Plough
Bayer is hoping to boost the profitability of its troubled pharmaceuticals operations by forging a marketing alliance with Schering-Plough Corp. more
(17 September 2004 18:39)

Lawmakers Move Closer on Asbestos
In an effort to move stalled Con-gressional negotiations, Senate Minor-ity Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) says he will accept a Republican proposal for.... more
(17 September 2004 18:39)

Drug Reimportation Bill Stalls in Senate
The Senate is unlikely to vote this year on legislation that would allow Americans to import less-expensive prescription drugs from Canada and other.... more
(17 September 2004 18:39)

BASF Aims for High Profits in Crop Protection
BASF expects to be one of the most profitable of the leading players in crop protection chemicals in two years by concentrating resources on.... more
(17 September 2004 18:39)

Specialities roundup
BAYER announced a broad pharmaceuticals alliance with Schering-Plough to re-align its troubled healthcare business. The alliance will affect some.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Zydus Cadila eyes top-10 spot by 2010
ZYDUS Cadila aims to become one of the world’s top ten generics players by 2010 and a global research-driven pharmaceutical company by 2020,.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Kolon Chem’s $15m target
KOLON Chemical is targeting sales of US$15m for its pharmaceutical intermediates in this financial year, compared with about US$11m for 2003-2004. more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Hanwha takes big step towards holding company
THE Hanwha Group has taken a big step towards setting up a holding company, ACN was told. more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Nan Ya eyes bigger Chinese market share
NAN YA Plastics aims to increase its current 10% share of the Chinese epoxy-resin market to 20-30% during 2006, a company source told ACN. more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Impact of crude
Crude prices are at an all-time high, but petrochemical markets have managed to cope so far. While there are murmurs of concern about a slowdown in.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Finances bloom
After a few rough years, Asian petrochemical companies are finally smiling as financial results have exceeded expectations. Share prices, however,.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

From strength to strength
Rick Coles looks at the effects of oil and feedstock prices on Asian olefins and derivatives over the past six months more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams. more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Market Trends: Styrene buyers wait
Benzene strengthens following US spot price gains, while lacklustre activity in styrene prompts buyers to pause for prices to soften further more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Market Trends: C2, C3 edging down
Ethylene faces an overdue market correction after weeks of high prices, and propylene slows in Asia. Meanwhile, naphtha and MTBE climb more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Polmer trends: HdPE buyers retreat
After a surge in prices during August, markets slow as buyers assess decline in Chinese domestic prices. more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

PVC rally expected to continue
POLYVINYL chloride (PVC) prices are expected to continue their current rally in Q4 this year, on the back of rising feedstock costs, strong demand.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

New projects summary
As reported in ACN 13-19 September 2004 more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Piling work at Bayer’s site soon
BAYER MaterialScience aims to start piling work on the first phase of its isocyanates project in Caojing, Shanghai, China, at the end of this year, a.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Initial nod for Hegang methanol
HEGANG Mining Industry Group has obtained initial approval for its 600 000 tonne/year coal-based methanol project in Hegang, Heilongjiang, China. more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Yangzi PTA project
YANGZI Petrochemical is buying equipment for its 450 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid project, according to a company source. The company.... more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Strong summer for ethylene
Demand and operating rates up, but so too the price of crude oil. Polyethylene, propylene, and PP also enjoy healthy demand. Sergey Vasnetsov reports more
(17 September 2004 19:55)

Air Liquide aims big funds at China
Air Liquide is planning to invest €100m/year in China over the next five years. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Bayer clinches primary care pact with Schering-Plough
After clinching the takeover of Roche’s over-the-counter drugs business in July, Bayer last week announced plans to partner major parts of its US.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Swiss base for top level staff
As part of its ongoing realignment, Clariant plans to concentrate top management functions in Switzerland. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Whispers grow about future of BASF inks arm
BASF has declined to comment on international press reports that it is in exclusive talks with UK venture capital firm CVC over the sale of its.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Steris sale indicated
Steris, a US specialist in infection control, has acquired UK-based Albert Browne, a privately-held manufacturer of chemical indicators. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Unions and employers sign lifelong learning deal
Europe’s chemical trade unions and employers’ groups have signed a landmark agreement to implement a joint strategy for education and lifelong.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Huntsman reveals IPO plans to pay off debts
Huntsman announced last week it plans an initial public offering in the fourth quarter of this year, and will use the proceeds to repay debt. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

EVOH opening
Masaki Orita, the UK’s Japanese ambassador, gave the opening speach at the launch of Nippon Gohsei’s new £65m (€78m/$117m) ethylene vinyl alcohol.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Register now: LME
The London Metal Exchange (LME) is asking plastics producers to register product brands, and warehouse firms to apply for storage opportunities.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

VCP starts BorsodChem share sale
Vienna Capital Partners (VCP) has started the sale process for up to 67.9% of Hungarian petrochemicals producer BorsodChem. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Nine dead: state seeks answer
The death toll from the explosion at South African chemical firm Sasol’s Secunda ethylene cracker has risen to nine. more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Lifelong learning to compete
Now is the time for action, not just good intentions, to build lifelong learning systems.’ Thus advised Wim Kok, head of the European Commission’s.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

People on the move
Borealis Erling Øverland has been promoted from vice chairman to chairman of the board of directors of leading plastics maker Borealis..... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

25 years ago
ECN 17 September 1979 more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Pops proposal sparks query
The European Brominated Flame Retardant Industry Panel (EBFRIP) is requesting that EU member states remember that only those substances that meet.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Residents settle lawsuit as DuPont evaluates link
DuPont and lawyers for local residents who filed a class action over releases of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from DuPont’s Washington Works plant.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Raids threaten GMO test sites
After a summer of raids on GMO test sites across France, seed and crop protection professionals fear that years of testing have been destroyed,.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Environment in brief
Climate debate The European Commission is launching a web-based stakeholder consultation to look at the future for the fight against climate.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Open dialogue
Europe’s chemical employers and union groups met in Helsinki recently to further their social dialogue and sign an important joint position paper on.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Syngas solution?
Global warming and energy worries have revived the idea of making syngas from carbon dioxide rather than from steam. The economics look potentially.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Bayer signs pharma deal
Bayer Technology Services, the engineering and applied science spin-off company of Bayer, and Physiomics of the UK have signed an agreement to.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Cyclics plans CBT resins plant
Cyclics Europe of Germany, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cyclics in the US, has raised €55.9m in bank finance to build a resin plant in Schwarzheide,.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Public database to file results
The US pharmaceutical industry plans to launch a public database for clinical trial results, apparently to preempt a congressional mandate for strict.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)

Aker Yards ties its Finnish units
Shipbuilder Aker Yards Group will merge its two shipyards in Finland, Kvaerner Masa-Yards and Aker Finnyards, to create a new Aker Finnyards company,.... more
(17 September 2004 20:15)