ICIS - Search Articles by Date : September 08 2003 - September 14 2003

News in brief
Emissions fund A Spanish carbon fund is being developed by CO2 Spain and CO2e.com (a division of Cantor Fitzgerald International). International.... more
(12 September 2003 15:30)

Price hike ideas fade
Despite experiencing tough times recently, European polycarbonate manufacturers are hopeful that prices will rise and are committed to the market in.... more
(08 September 2003 10:14)

Yule Catto Is Poised for Record Profits
Yule Catto is projecting a record profit after recording a 37 percent rise in pretax profit during the first half of this year. Its gains were more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Corn Oil to Benefit From New Corn Breed
As consumers clamor for healthier fats and oils ingredients, the market for vegetable oils is heating up as researchers try to come up with new more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Jobs and People
Robert B. SteinRobert B. Stein has been appointed president of Roche Palo Alto, effective September 22. He joins the company from Incyte Corp., more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Oils in Brief
COGNIS Corp. will increase its fatty alcohols prices by 3 cents per pound effective October 1 or as contracts more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Acetic and VAM Tighten Following Global Supply Constraints
A series of global supply outages and a number of planned turnarounds during the second quarter have tightened the market for acetic acid and vinyl more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Petrochemicals in Brief
Acetic Anhydride Celanese Chemicals will increase off-list selling prices of acetic anhydride by  30 per metric ton in Europe, $30 per ton in more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Fine Chemicals Companies Are Cautiously Optimistic
Fine chemicals companies are optimistic that after a challenging stretch their business will see some improvement in 2004, according to the results more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Product Showcase
AlphaGary Corp. has been selected by Dr"gerwerk AG to supply a specialty TPE material for its new safety mask product. AlphaGary's Evoprene TPE more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

ACC Reputation Initiative Enters Critical Phase
After a summer of discussion that included questions about cost and scope, the American Chemistry Council's (ACC) reputation communications more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Responsible Care Secures Its Future
An enhanced Responsible Care program is being implemented at over 2000 facilities by ACC members. This week, Socma's membership vote whether to adopt.... more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

PLM Software Vendors Formulate Strategies for Process Industries
If not yet in full swing, successful implementation in the process in-dustries of product life-cycle management (PLM) software as a tool in product more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Six Sigma: A Short Course
At the time of its inception back in the mid-1980s, Six Sigma was considered a revolutionary approach in quality management. First introduced by more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Quality Focus: The Next Phase of Six Sigma
Although the Six Sigma quality concept dates back to the mid-1980s, its penetration into the chemical industry has been fairly recent, with more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Solvay America Acquires American Soda
Solvay America Inc. has acquired the soda ash concern American Soda LLP, a unit of the natural gas pipelines group Williams Company. The deal, more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Nalco Sale Points to Future Changes in Water Chemicals
The recent sale of Nalco by Suez SA for $4.35 billion adds another chapter in the complicated history of the water treatment market. Mergers and more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Specialties Pricing
NIACET Corp. will be increasing the off-list pricing of calcium propionate and sodium propionate by 5c. per pound as of October 1 or as contracts more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Can the Chemical Industry Sustain Sustainable Development?
Chemical companies set ambitious goals for sustainable development, advocating a variety of approaches to joining economic and EH&S progress..... more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Merck Seals RNAi Deal With Alnylam Holding
In the first major pact to develop RNAi therapeutics, Merck & Co. Inc. has linked up with Cambridge, Mass.-based Alnylam Holding Company. Merck more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Elementis Warns Of EU Plant Closures
Elementis warns that it may have to close two of its five plants in the European Union (EU) if EU legislation on the testing of chemicals goes more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Europe in Brief
NINE of 11 employees of Grande Paroisse, Total's fertilizer division, had charges against them dismissed by a judge investigating an explosion at a more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Bio-based PDO and Green Chemistry
Sorona, the new DuPont polyester, has finally made it to the market, over 50 years after its discovery. Du-Pont scientists had early on recognized more
(12 September 2003 20:57)

Inchon Oil picks new adviser
A consortium comprising accounting firm Young Wha and corporate restructuring company KDB Lone Star has been appointed as the new financial adviser.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Kyowa Hakko Kogyo to scrap EA plant in Yokkaichi
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo is to scrap its 39 000 tonne/year ethyl acetate (EA) plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, when its EA joint venture with Showa Denko starts.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Asahi fails to sell all acrylic plants' parts
Asahi Kasei has failed in its efforts to sell all its equipment and machinery from its 8.2 tonne/day acrylic staple fibre and 245 tonne/day acrylic.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

KP adviser pushes for asset discount
KP Chemical's new mergers and acquisitions adviser KPMG is attempting to persuade creditors to lower their expectations before a fourth round of.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

A new direction
The brighter macro economic news emerging from Japan is being taken with a giant pinch of salt by the country's very cautious petrochemical industry,.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Not worth a glance
The recent rally in the Nikkei index, along with positive economic news, is certainly a cause for indifference given that the same happened two years.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Acrylo producers hope for prices above $850 by end-Sept
Major acrylonitrile producers were hopeful last week of Asian spot prices touching US$850/tonne cfr Asia by end-September more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Chinese resist MEG/PTA offers
Several producers submit inadeqaute safety reports, with shutdowns possible more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Lower spot prices, freight hike threaten European butadiene
European butadiene is set to arrive in Asia at end-October or early November, the recent fall in Asian spot prices and an increase in freight rates.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Spot benzene rebound likely
Asian benzene spot prices are likely to bounce back soon despite a US$70/tonne decline more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

China styrene import growth forecast to dip in 2004
The year-on-year growth in exports of styrene to China is expected to decline next year more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Daqing delays cracker expansion to July 2004
Daqing Petrochemical has decided to delay the startup of its cracker expansion from later this year until July 2004 more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Huvis mulls second site for China PTA
Huvis is considering Chongqing in Sichuan, China, as a second site for its proposed 500 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

PTT plans integrated PDH-PP in Thailand
The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) Plc plans to construct an integrated propane dehydrogenation (PDH)-PP project more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Gail to start study on No2 C2
Gail India plans to soon commission a feasibility study into a cracker project, which would be sited at Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh, India more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Harbin MEK plant
Harbin Petrochemical Industrial Co, a PetroChina subsidiary, has started construction work on its 30 000 tonne/year methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) project.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

PetroChina plans October trial runs on West-East line
PetroChina plans to start trial operations on the eastern section of its US$20bn West-East gas pipeline on 1 October more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

New projects summary
As reported in ACN 8-14 September 2003 more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Three tough years
More shutdowns are needed soon to help the supply/demand balance of commodity chemicals. Only then can an upcycle be expected more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

More Japan companies face Meti probe
Several producers submit inadequate safety reports, with shutdowns possible more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Xiyang and Picon sign MoU for NFC stake
Chinese fertiliser major, the Xiyang Group and Thai construction company, the Picon Group, have signed an MoU to jointly acquire a strategic stake in.... more
(12 September 2003 08:39)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Japan Chem-wire Express: edition of 5 September   Basic and Fine Chemicals Nippon Rikuun Sangyo and more
(08 September 2003 04:17)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: edition of 8 September Basic and Fine Chemical Sumitomo Chemical will accelerate efforts to develop.... more
(09 September 2003 06:06)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: edition of 9 September Basic and Fine Chemicals Toray has used nanotechnology to develop a series of.... more
(10 September 2003 03:51)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: edition of 10 September Basic and Fine Chemicals The Supercritical Fluid Research Center at the .... more
(11 September 2003 04:06)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: Edition of 11 September Basic and Fine Chemicals In an effort to broaden its worldwide R&D network, .... more
(12 September 2003 04:19)