ICIS - Search Articles by Date : September 27 2004 - October 03 2004

Unions resist industry move to contract labour
Unions have launched a campaign to tackle the rising trend of contract labour use by multinational firms in the chemical industry. more
(27 September 2004 10:19)

Shell melds business units
Shell has combined downstream its oil products and chemicals businesses, as a result of its group-wide shake-up, following the oil and gas reserves.... more
(27 September 2004 10:21)

US Justice Department Continues Price-Fixing Probes
The Justice Department’s continuing investigation into price fixing in the chemical industry has yielded three additional plea agreements in recent.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Congress Approves Extension of R&D Tax Credit
The chemical industry and other US manufacturers are applauding Con-gressional approval of a $146 billion tax-cut bill that will extend the research.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

EPCA Attendees Upbeat Regarding Petrochemical Fortunes
Cautious optimism reigned at this year’s 38th annual European Pe-trochemical Conference (EPCA) at the Monte Carlo Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo, Monaco..... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Inorganics in Brief
CANPOTEX Ltd., the offshore sales association for Saskatchewan potash producers, has increased its 2004 forecast for offshore sales from a record 7.5.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Strong Potash Fundamentals Bode Well for Profitability at PotashCorp
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (PotashCorp) is projecting stronger demand for potash and improved profitability. In an address to the Credit.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Life Sciences in Brief
acambis PLC and partner Baxter Healthcare SA have received fast track designation from the FDA for their joint project to develop a modified vaccinia.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Takeda Files NDA for New Sleep Disorder Drug
As drug companies continue to face a long dry spell with new product innovation, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Wyeth to Manufacture for Genentech
Genentech Inc. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, have entered into a manufacturing agreement under which Wyeth will produce the bulk.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

BASF Sells Printing Inks and Plates Business
BASF has sold its printing inks and plates business, together with its ink pigments activity, to CVC Capital Partners, a leading European private.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

BorsodChem Evaluates Targets
BorsodChem is considering four potential acquisition targets in Central and Eastern Europe as part of an expansion program to strengthen its position.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

DSM Evaluates Fate of Anti-Infectives Business
DSM Admits it must take “drastic actions” to deal with the problems of its anti-infectives business, which lost a substantial amount of money in the.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Kemira Moves on GrowHow
Kemira last week commenced an offer to Finnish and international institutional and private investors of 27 percent of shares in Kemira GrowHow, the.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Chemical Industry Skeptical Of Value of EU’s R&D Policy
The European Union (EU) and its individual governments are investing more in R&D with the goal of raising EU competitiveness. However, many chemical.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

EU Moves to Restrict Use of Phthalates
The European plasticizer sector is strongly criticizing a decision by European Union (EU) governments to ban or restrict the use of phthalate.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

News in Brief
J.M. Huber Buys CP KelcoJ.M. Huber Corp. has completed its purchase of hydrocolloid producer CP Kelco ApS from Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Tight Supply and Surge in Demand Puts the Squeeze on Fatty Alcohols
After two to three years of trying to trim industry capacity through idling and closures, the upswell in demand for fatty alcohols and derivatives.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Oils in Brief
CRYSTAL INC PMC has added production of four new grades of sodium and potassium stearate to its Lansdale, Pa., facility. The stearates are based on.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Oils Spot Prices
LATE SPOT PRICES more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Jobs and People
Eric Anderson more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Petrochemicals in Brief
BASF AG is raising its European prices for ethanolamines including mono, di, tri, and Amix TE, and ethylene amines including EDA, DETA, AEEA,.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Methanol Pricing Steady As Supply Situation Changes
Despite some significant changes to the global supply picture, methanol pricing is firm and is expected to remain steady in the coming months until.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Petrochemical Prices
PETROCHEMICAL PRICES more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Dow Sees PO/PG Markets Tightening
Healthy downstream demand and limited capacity additions could boost market demand growth for propylene oxide (PO) to 5 percent per year in coming.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Merck and Nastech Link Up To Develop New Obesity Drug
Beating out other pharma companies hoping to tap into the enormous market for obesity drugs, Merck & Co. Inc. has managed to snag the rights to a.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Pharmaceuticals in Brief
ALBEMARLE Corp. will increase prices on its full line of brominated fine chemicals by an average of 25 percent on a global basis, effective October 1.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

IT in Brief
EmERSOn, LubrizoL LINK more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Focus on Price Execution: Ways to Improve Profitability
Driven by recent economic con-ditions and increasing glo-bal competition, company exe-cutives across the board have successfully cut costs throughout.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Smith Barney Boosts Profit Estimates
Commodity chemical stocks are surging as one Wall Street analyst significantly boosted profit estimates on greater confidence in the ethylene.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Cobalt Demand Increasing Strongly
Despite what has been called a “massive” price increase in the fourth quarter of 2003, the demand for cobalt is booming, and several companies are.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Specialties Pricing
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., as of October 1, has increased the price of isopropylamines by 8c. per pound; and n-propylamines and n-butylamines.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

US Chemicals Poised for Strong Growth
Benefiting from strong demand in particular key markets such as paints and coatings, US Chemicals Inc., a New Canaan, Conn.-based distributor of.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Merck Slammed by Vioxx
Shares of Merck & Co. Inc. cratered $12.07—or 27 percent, to $33—last Thursday on news that the company is taking its blockbuster arthritis drug.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

M&G Plans PET Plant in South America
M&G Group will build a 450,000 metric ton (990 million pound) single reactor polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in South America. The plant will.... more
(01 October 2004 18:39)

Asset split deal
HONAM Petrochemical and LG Chem have agreed to split the Hyundai Petrochemical assets complex-by-complex because of failure to agree on asset.... more
(27 September 2004 10:31)

Caustic soda surging
Electricity costs, tight supply, and dampening chlorine market push up caustic soda prices. EDC and soda ash are also bullish on the back of strong.... more
(27 September 2004 15:37)

MEG and PTA prices on the up
ASIAN monoethylene glycol (MEG) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) prices increased significantly last week from a month earlier, driven by tight.... more
(27 September 2004 10:27)

KFH plans Bahrain C2, EDC
KUWAIT Finance House (KFH) Bahrain plans to build a small-scale ethane cracker integrated with an ethylene dichloride (EDC) unit and a chlor-alkali.... more
(27 September 2004 10:28)

Sichol the next petchem hub?
THE Petroleum Institute of Thailand (PTIT) has proposed that some of the projects in the 15-year petrochemical masterplan be located in Sichol,.... more
(27 September 2004 10:30)

Indian pharmas adapt to changes
SUN Pharmaceutical, like other Indian major pharmaceutical companies, is not too worried about the new international patent regime that will come.... more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Sojitz to regain confidence
SOJITZ Holdings aims to reduce its business risks and improve liquidity, as well as the quality of its assets, under a revised business plan that was.... more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Ube, Maruzen PE tie-up gets nod
THE polyethylene (PE) alliance between Ube Industries and Maruzen Petrochemical has been approved by the boards of both companies, sources from the.... more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

IOC nears end of due diligence on Haldia Petrochem
INDIAN Oil Corp (IOC) expects to complete due diligence on Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) in the next two weeks, ahead of a possible equity.... more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Asahi turns tide
In the Japanese chemical industry, Asahi Kasei is known for its sound finances, writes Malini Hariharan more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Steps to recovery
Japanese companies have seen profits soar on strong demand. But, while many are bullish about the prospects for the next two years, there are also.... more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Sumitomo reaps the benefits
Sumitomo’s overseas petrochemical investments have boosted profits this year. But concerns have been expressed about its IT-chemicals business more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Global Roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams. more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Market Trends: Orthoxylene bullish…
… and paraxylene strengthens after Reliance Industries’ supply blip. Benzene weakens in response to US spot prices, while toluene remains muted more
(01 October 2004 18:10)

Market Trends: Naphtha heads west
Spot naphtha jumps by US$22/tonne as crude hits US$50/bbl. But lower Asian demand forces traders to sell cargoes to the US. C2, C3 markets are quiet more
(01 October 2004 18:10)