ICIS - Search Articles by Date : February 10 2003 - February 16 2003

Product profile: Polyether polyols
Flat demand and disastrous margins are likely to herald more asset rationalisation in the near future as players fight to pull their businesses back.... more
(14 February 2003 17:21)

News in brief
Ions on the up Rohm and Haas is proposing an increase of approximately 7% on its range of ion exchange resins, adsorbents and catalysts from.... more
(14 February 2003 17:21)

Specialties Pricing
Alco Chemical Corp. will, as of March 1, increase the price of its Alcogum solution thickeners sold in all markets by 3c. per wet pound. The more
(14 February 2003 19:50)

Roche Broadens Diabetes Management Portfolio
Roche continued to narrow its focus on therapeutics last week with a SFr1.6 billion ($1.2 billion) bid for medical device supplier Disetronic. The more
(14 February 2003 19:50)

Ibra planning to divest GT Petrochem in H2
The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (Ibra) is planning to divest GT Petrochem Industries in H2 2003, an Ibra official told ACN last week more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Govt liberalises India's urea policy
Indian urea producers should eventually be allowed to sell 100% of their production in any state that they like and export all output without a.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Petrocorp in tolling business
Petrocorp has recently switched to only producing PP for local trading companies, in return for which the companies are supplying the beleaguered.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Mitsub eyes tie-up with Shin-Etsu
Mitsubishi Chemical is considering an alliance with Shin-Etsu as part of its effort to restructure its PVC business, a company source told ACN more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

More changes to TPI debt plan on the cards
Thai Petrochemical Industry's (TPI) debt-plan administrator, Effective Planners, is negotiating with TPI's creditors to make further amendments to.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Mitsubishi to take over Tonen's JPC stake by June
Mitsubishi Chemical's acquisition of Tonen Chemical's 35% equity stake in Japan Polychem (JPC) will be completed by the end of H1 2003 more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Daelim eyes Hyundai merger
Daelim talks to Hyundai's new owners about merging its polyolefins with those of the latter more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Whither Indian job prospects?
Job opportunities in India's petrochemical industry are few and far between as a result of high labour, capital and infrastructure costs that are.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Fresh labour laws needed
Firing or retrenching workers is no easy task in India where the labour laws are heavily in favour of employees. The laws are in need of a major.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Polymer trends: Korean hdPE hits $700
South Korean film-grade hdPE prices soar to $690-700 due to rising feedstock costs, tight markets and unusually high demand from South America more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

EDC price rises face downstream threat
The increase in prices of ethylene dichloride (EDC) may not hold in the coming months. more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Jilin Chemical delays ammonia startup
Jilin Chemical Industrial Co (JCIC) has delayed the startup of its 300 000 tonne/year ammonia facility in Jilin, China more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Market trends: Naphtha leaps to $353
Offers for open-spec naptha soar to $350 for mid-March to mid-April delivery as fears of a US-Iraq qar run high. C2 offers also rise to as high as.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Market trends: Phenol shoots up
Paraxylene fluctuates in a volatile market while trading is thin for orthoxylene. Benzene moves up marginally as mixed xylenes remain stable more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

New project summary
As reported in ACN 3-16 February 2003 more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Fibre Chemical plans first acrylo/MMA plant in Iran
Fibre Chemical Co (FCC) plans to build an acrylonitrile and a methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in Bandar Imam, Iran - the first of its kind in the.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Iffco revives Nellore ammonia-urea with gas MoU
The Indian Farmers' Fertiliser Cooperative (Iffco) has revived a proposal to set up an ammonia-urea plant in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Kailian proposes phenolic joint ventures
Qingdao Kailian (Group) Corp plans to build a phenol/acetone unit, a bisphenol-A unit and an epoxy resin plant downstream of a planned refinery in.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

ExxonMobil viewing PE, PP expansions
ExxonMobil is considering expanding the PE and PP capacities downstream of its joint-venture cracker project in Quangang Petrochemical City (QPC),.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Sabic Euro continues Iran ldPE talks
Sabic EuroPetrochemicals is continuing to hold talks with Sasol and National Petrochemical Co (NPC) for an investment in NPC's ldPE project in.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

War-risk levies and premiums may rise
A rise in war-insurance premiums on shipments to the Middle East could come as early as this week as fears over a war in Iraq intensify, said a.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Burrup plans mega NH3-urea
Burrup Fertilisers is considering building a worldscale ammonia-urea complex in Australia more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Ibrahim Fibre to double PSF to 400 000 tonne/year
Ibrahim Fibre aims to double the capacity of its polyester staple fibre (PSF) plants to about 400 000 tonne/year in about four years' time more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Luoyang BOPP talks
Luoyang Petrochemical is in talks with three potential licensors for its biaxially oriented PP (BOPP) film project in Luoyang, Henan, China more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

San-Dia Polymers plans SAP in Jiangsu
San-Dia Polymers is planning to build a super-absorbent polymer (SAP) plant in Nantong, Jiangsu, China, for startup in 2005 more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Naphtha soars to 11-year high
Prices are at level not seen since the Gulf War in 1990-91, pushed up mainly by fears of war in Iraq more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

High styrene pushes up ABS and PS prices
Although players see little prospect of prices abating in the short term, the high styrene and ABS prices are unlikely to hold because of an expected.... more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(14 February 2003 11:15)

Aliachem expects a better year
Czech chemical group AliaChem says it is expecting a 'much better year' in 2003 after indicating that last year's profit and sales revenues will drop.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

German employers association warns of a grim year ahead
German chemical producers are bracing themselves for another difficult year, the employers' association BAVC has said in its January newsletter for.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Eastman predicts loss
Eastman Chemical said its fourth quarter (Q4) loss will be 10-20cent/share - about half of that for asset impairment and restructuring costs more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

BP sells Sericol to Saratoga after three year wait for buyer
BP has agreed to sell its speciality printing chemicals business Sericol for £74.5m ($119m) in cash and assumed debt more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Genencor buys Brewing and Enzymes arm
Rhodia is selling its UK-based Brewing & Enzymes business to US biotechnology group Genencor for E9m ($9.4m) in cash more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Energy prices hit margins
Profitability deteriorated in the fourth quarter (Q4) for the US chemical industry as rising energy prices squeezed margins, prompting Salomon Smith.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Decline in paints and coatings to continue
Germany's paints and coatings producers are predicting a 3% decline in domestic consumption this year more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Rhodia reduces divisions and sharpens focus
French speciality chemicals company Rhodia has reorganised its business nto four market-led divisions: automotive, electronics and fibres; food and.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Jv plant under construction
Degussa has started construction this month on a new plant to produce the pharmaceutical amino acid L-methionine at Wuming in southern China more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

DSM invests in TCF technology
DSM has invested $1.5m in Optiva, a California, US-based company that develops thin crystal film (TCF) technology for use in products, such as flat.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Commission directive paints a safer future
Detailed proposals to limit the solvents content in decorative paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products, have been outlined by the.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

MCAA to drive CABB following spin-off
Clariant has spun off its Germany-based chloro-organic chemicals businesses into a stand-alone limited company, Clariant Acetyl Building Blocks (CABB) more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Who's who
The 2003 edition of Who's Who in World Petrochemicals & Plastics is now published more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

UK chemical prices continue to inch up
UK chemical product prices rose 1.6% in December compared with December 2001, according to data published by government statistical office National.... more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

CyPlus gears up for success
CyPlus, the new cyanides subsidiary of German speciality chemicals firm Degussa, has begun operations more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Akzo Nobel targets costs
Akzo Nobel has warned that 2003 will be a difficult year and called for continued efforts to cut its operating costs more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

High enzyme demand sparks major gains
US demand for speciality and industrial enzymes will reach $2.6 billion in 2004 more
(14 February 2003 15:45)

Turnover grows in Netherlands
Dutch chemicals turnover grew 5% in November, compared with the same month in 2001, according to data released by Statistics Netherlands more
(14 February 2003 15:45)