ICIS - Search Articles by Date : June 28 2004 - July 04 2004

BASF ups selling prices as costs are passed on
BASF sees good chances to increase selling prices for its products this year, chief financial officer Kurt Bock said at a BW Bank-sponsored.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

German production picks up
After a disappointing first quarter, when output fell 0.6% against the strong 2003 first quarter, German chemical production picked up in the second.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Nanofilm Market Slated for Strong Growth
Nanofilms have emerged as a strong market contender, marked by healthy growth projections that have recently been backed up by com-mercial.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Specialties Pricing
CHEMRON Corp. will increase prices for its surfactants, as of July 15: Chemoxide amine oxides by 2c. per pound; Amidex alkanolamides, Sulfochem alkyl.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Dow to Expand Capacity For Polystyrene Insulation
Dow Chemical Company plans to expand its production of Styro-foam extruded polystyrene insulation by building two new plants, one in Texas and one in.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Cosmetic Ingredients Important Focus for Symrise
While flavors and fragrances constitute the lion’s share of revenues for Symrise GmbH, cosmetic ingredients represent a niche and growing area for.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Tech Watch: Extracting a Cure for Malaria From Wormwood
Wormwood, a bitter herb once considered a curative for the bite of sea dragons, is now showing greater value as a first-line treatment for malaria. A.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Wacker Sells Ceramics Unit For $136MM
Looking to diversify beyond the military markets which it primarily serves, industrial ceramics producer Ceradyne Inc. has signed a definitive.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Image of the UK Chemical Industry Is Mixed
The chemical industry’s reputation among UK teenagers has fallen sharply over the last two years although the country’s population as whole is.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Akzo to Cut Jobs in Car Refinishes Business
Akzo Nobel is planning to cut 600 full-time jobs in its car refinishes business, equivalent to 10 percent of the operation’s global work force. more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Outlook for Chemical Industry Still Sluggish
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) now expects that the European chemicals sector will perform slightly better than previously forecast.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

European Biotech Industry Skeptical Over Changes in EU GMO Process
The European biotechnologyindustry is expressing doubts about whether a European Union (EU) moratorium on genetically modified (GM) products has been.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Bayer in Exclusive Talks To Acquire Roche’s OTC Unit
Bayer was reported last week to be in exclusive negotiations with Roche for the acquisition of Roche’s over-the-counter (OTC) medicines business,.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

News in Brief
Crompton Plant Update more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Macroeconomic Insights: Mid-Year Review and Global Outlook
The US and the global economies are expected to continue to show healthy growth throughout the balance of the year. Economists say that the decision.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

IT in Brief
Siebel in SEC Probe more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Sandoz Beats Competition to Generic Hyperthyroid Drugs
In an unexpected maneuver that raises its competitive edge in the generic drugs war, Sandoz Inc., the generics arm of Novartis, won approval from the.... more
(02 July 2004 20:03)

Credit controls yet to hit
THE Chinese government’s recent move to impose credit controls on heavy industries has not yet had a significant impact on petrochemicals.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Sojitz slams ‘misleading’ debt concerns
ALL the brouhaha about Sojitz’s debt situation served only to confuse and mislead investors, a company source told ACN. more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Orchid, Apotex in Canada sales deal
ORCHID Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals has signed a marketing and distribution agreement with Apotex of Canada, ACN was told. more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Specialities roundup
SANOFI-SYNTHELABO has agreed to sell the Aventis interests in cancer treatment Campto (irinotecan) to Pfizer for US$620m. The Campto .... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Cognis Thai ups esters plant capacity
COGNIS Thai’s expanded esterification facility will have a production capacity of 37 000 tonne/year when it starts up at the end of this month, a.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Petchem ponder
Oil major Petronas has invested a substantial amount in petrochemicals. But does it have an incentive to expand further? Nick Reynolds reports more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Titan on the up?
Titan appears to have finally ovecome its debt problems. It has planned modest capacity expansions as well as an IPO this year, reports Nick Reynolds more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Waiting to grow
What does the future hold for PCS, given parent Sumitomo’s recent interest in a Middle East cracker? Nick Reynolds finds out more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

What is slowing investments?
Petrochemical companies in Singapore and Malaysia are in no rush to invest in greenfield projects despite the good investment climate that the two.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams. more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Styrene soars
Prices rise by US$40/tonne to US$985/tonne, but buyer resistance and a softening in crude-oil prices pull down benzene by US$10/tonne more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

NPC delays start-up of No 6
THE start-up of Iran’s National Petrochemical Co’s (NPC’s) No 6 cracker has been delayed to the fourth quarter, said a source close to the project. more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Ammonia ascends
Tight supply and production problems push ammonia higher. C2, C3 and butadiene markets also remain strong despite a weakening in naphtha more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

PTA looks buoyant on tight supply
PURIFIED terephthalic acid (PTA) producers were last week optimistic that Asian markets would remain buoyant in the coming months despite the current.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Rising demand cheers acrylic-fibre producers
ACRYLIC-fibre producers are expected to enjoy a profitable 2004, as a tight global demand-and-supply balance has helped them raise operating rates,.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Styrene producers cut back
STRONG benzene costs and rising resistance to high styrene prices forced a few styrene producers to slash operating rates last week, while others.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

New Projects summary
As reported in ACN 21 June-4 July 2004 more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Chinese PET plans may stall
POLYETHYLENE terephthalate (PET) projects that have been proliferating in China could face months of delay as a result of a domestic supply-demand.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Mitsubishi mulls reusing PTA unit
MITSUBISHI Chemical is mulling how it can reuse its 140 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant which was closed in September 2002,.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Geermu methanol
GEERMU Refinery plans to build a 300 000 tonne/year methanol unit in Geermu, Qinghai, China. more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Decision on Orissa C2 soon
AN IN-PRINCIPLE decision on Indian Oil Corp’s (IOC’s) refinery and cracker project in Paradeep, Orissa, India, is likely in July or August, said a.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

IOC, Gail consider Iran No 12 Olefins
INDIAN Oil Corp (IOC) and Gail (India) are likely to decide in the next two months whether or not to invest in National Petrochemical Co’s (NPC’s).... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Huajin starts work on NH3-urea
LIAONING Huajin Chemical (Group) Corp has started construction work on its ammonia-urea project in Kuche, Xinjiang, China. more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

LG may make EDC-VCM at two sites
LG CHEM might produce ethylene dichloride (EDC) and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) in Tianjin and Fujian, China, instead of building plants at one of.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

SIUCI postpones Sohar start-up
SOHAR International Urea and Chemical Industries (SIUCI) has delayed the start-up of its ammonia-urea project in Sohar, Oman, a company official told.... more
(02 July 2004 17:07)

Wacker-Chemie sells subsidiary
Wacker-Chemie is to sell its 100% subsidiary ESK Ceramics for an undisclosed sum to long-term customer California-based Ceradyne. more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Borealis merges management
Danish polyolefins producer Borealis last week launched a cost-savings and restructuring exercise across its Norwegian and Swedish plants, begining.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Eastman restores salaries
Eastman Chemical is to give all of its 15 000 employees worldwide a 3% pay rise, restoring the pay cut made last year, a company spokesman has.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Lanxess looks hard to cut costs
Bayer’s new chemicals company Lanxess will have to cut back hard to be competitive, chief executive designate Axel Heitmann warned last week on the.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Akzo Nobel to slash jobs
Akzo Nobel has announced plans to cut 600 full-time jobs under a major restructuring of its car refinishes business. more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Atofina reinvests, closing site
French chemicals company Atofina has announced it will close its Dutch acrylic sheet site at Leeuwarden, Netherlands, with the loss of all 135 jobs.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Business in brief
Chairman resigns Zbigniew Wrobel has resigned as chairman and chief executive officer of Poland’s PKN Orlen because of ‘recent media.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)

Paint dealer aquired by Akzo Nobel
Akzo Nobel has extended its presence in the German paint market with the acquisition of Timpe & Mock, the country’s second largest decorative paint.... more
(02 July 2004 17:17)