ICIS - Search Articles by Date : February 07 2005 - February 13 2005

Product profile: MCAA
Further restructuring is likely to follow recent moves. Reasonable growth is forecast with Asia, particularly China, the primary driver more
(07 February 2005 13:22)

Leap in demand for BOPP film
Global demand for biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film will surpass 6.5m tonne by 2013, says a new study by AMI Consulting. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Markets in brief
VAM price hike Dow aims to increase vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) prices worldwide from 1 March. European numbers will rise by €100/tonne, Latin.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Pricing threatens profits
Pricing needs to become a core competence in the European cracker and thermoplastic industry if it is to avoid lower-sector profitability and a.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Market Trends: Butadiene spot prices increase
Higher price ideas in the US and Asia, as well as healthy domestic demand, are responsible for the jump. Gasoline prices dipped then recovered and.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

US Monitor: Deer Park outage impacts supply
Shell’s Deer Park force majeure sees the market tighten for ethylene, propylene and butadiene. In general, chemical prices have moved up, although.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Vopak builds new terminal
Vopak is expanding capacity in Antwerp, Belgium, to meet growing demand. The Netherlands-based storage company will build a chemical terminal on a.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Odfjell reports healthy profits
Norwegian shipper Odfjell has reported a healthy increase in 2004 profits and is expecting a much better performance in 2005. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Get Qudos for compliance
Australian software developer Qudos is making its Qudos System 3 compliance and risk management solution available in Europe through Avanquest in the.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

EU waterway initiative viable
Europe’s inland waterway system can fulfil its potential as a viable mode of transport, according to Fotis Karamitsos, the European Commissioner for.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Balance sheet challenge
The cost of altering the composition of motor oil to meet changing environmental legislation is a tough call. Cath O’Driscoll finds out the latest.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Smooth operations
In response to the latest EU environmental standard, Total Lubricants and Idemitsu Kosan have formed an alliance to co-produce automotive lubricants,.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Pesticide regulators take a global approach
Pesticide regulators in the US and Canada have given their commitment to a global approach to the regulation of agricultural pesticides. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Kemira acid leak investigation
Initial investigations into the cause of a sulphuric acid leak at Kemira’s plant in Helsingborg, Sweden indicate that a burst water cooling pipe, not.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

EPA bows to public pressure
The US Environmental Working Group (EWG) has given its support to plans by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend its research into.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Environment in brief
ACC security call The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has reiterated its support for federal chemicals security legislation. The ACC is urging.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Fine chemicals in brief
Basilea agreement Swiss company Basilea Pharmaceutica has entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement with Cilag AG International, a Johnson.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

ITI launches £3.7m R&D
Scotland, UK-based company ITI Life Sciences has announced the launch of a £3.7m R&D programme aimed at developing cell-based, pharmaceutical.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Honeywell invests in Arizona
Honeywell’s Electronic Materials business has opened a 40 000 ft2 manufacturing facility in Chandler, Arizona, US, boosting the firm’s capabilities.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Fewer drugs get to market
Despite working harder and completing more projects, pharmaceutical scientists are not seeing their efforts rewarded in more drugs on the market,.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

NPC announces start of $12.5bn five-year plan
Iran’s National Petrochemical Co (NPC) will begin its fourth five-year development plan on 21 March this year, the Iranian new year. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

US holds back plant progress
US sanctions are delaying the construction of Jam Petrochemical’s planned alpha-olefins plant, which will form part of the tenth olefin complex in.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Süd-Chemie buys diesel technology
Süd-Chemie has acquired Wacker-Chemie’s technology for the manufacture of diesel-exhaust catalysts. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Cavis to up production after €2m BASF boost
BASF Venture Capital is investing €2m in the biotechnology company Cavis Microcaps. A further €3m has been invested by Iventages Venture Capital.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

BOC invests, GfE pulls out
BOC has become a shareholder in Hydrogen Storage Systems (Hera). more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Visionary innovation award
DuPont has been presented with an award that recognises its biologically sourced polymer as a ‘most visionary innovation’. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Technology in brief
Syngenta signs Syngenta has signed a licensing agreement with Sumitomo Chemical for the development and marketing of a herbicide for.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Kemira in €493m spending spree
Kemira is to spend €493m on business purchases, with its sights firmly set on Dutch speciality chemicals company Verdugt and Finland’s Finnish.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Merck buys Avecia business units
Germany’s Merck KGaA will pay €50m cash to acquire Avecia’s organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and polymer electronics businesses. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Avecia reveals divestment plans
Avecia’s sale last week of its organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and polymer electronics business to Merck KGaA is the latest in a series of.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Plants will struggle to meet demand
European ethylene supplies will be ‘very short’ up to 2009, with cracker operating rates at 92-93% of nameplate capacity, warned Peter Frenken,.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Contract prices up?
First quarter European acrylonitrile contract prices have begun to emerge with key players confirming that contracts have gone up by €70/tonne, which.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Feedstock shift opens possibilities
The Middle East’s need to broaden its feedstock base for ethylene production away from ethane will bring smaller-scale opportunities for western.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

New Projects in brief
SAV invests in PVC Société Artésienne de Vinyle (SAV) will invest €4m in expanding its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Mazingarbe in Northern.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

BCKC ups output
BCKC Formalin will double its formaldehyde production in Kazinbarcika, Hungary, to 120 000 tonne/year by year end. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Ineos plant upgrade
Ineos Chlor has signed two licensing agreements to upgrade chlor-alkali plants in Finland and South Africa. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

TPC boosts polypropylene production
The Polyolefin Company (TPC), a consolidated subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical, is to convert its linear low density polyethylene (lldPE) plant in.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Norsk Hydro plan
Norsk Hydro plans to invest NKr700m (€85m/$110m) to convert its diaphragm chlorine plant at Rafnes, Norway, to membrane technology. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

How long will the good times last?
Petrochemical producers reaped record profits in 2004. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Speculators stalk Linde
German industrial gases and engineering group Linde has been the focus of analyst interest after its share price made unexpected gains on the.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

ICI gets back into shape
ICI has enough financial flexibility to consider bolt-on purchases of up to $50m now that debt has fallen below £1bn (€1.4bn/$1.8bn) for the first.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Akzo Nobel to sharpen focus on five divisions
Akzo Nobel has announced a second round of restructuring as chemical businesses with sales of €750m are on the block, now that it has sold businesses.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Grace defendants face jail over mine
WR Grace and seven current and former executives have been indicted for knowingly endangering residents of Libby, Montana, US, and concealing.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Syngenta ceo promises yet more growth
Syngenta’s chief executive officer Michael Pragnell re-affirmed his target of delivering high-teens growth in earnings per share in the next two.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Arkema in talks to avert strike
Arkema management and French officials met ahead of a strike at Arkema and Total plants in France last week to discuss options, including possible.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Producers fear price explosion
German plastics processors fear recent ‘price explosions’ in polymers and energy will wipe out their already thin margins. more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

Class action
Dor Chemicals has confirmed that it is the subject of a class action motion lodged by one of its shareholders, accountant Mario Gilman, with the Tel.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

TPG holds out
Texas Pacific Group is ‘not discouraged’ by British Vita’s initial rejection of its £620m (€900m/$1150m) indicative acquisition bid and would like to.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

BP pushed into the red by closures
Underlying business looks good for BP’s petrochemicals segment with volumes and margins up for high volume products such as paraxylene and olefins,.... more
(11 February 2005 17:16)

ACC Takes Up Fight on Public Policy
In a world of increasing regulatory pressure, negative perceptions propagated by nongovernmental or-ganizations (NGOs), and China’s forg-ing ahead.... more
(11 February 2005 20:27)