ICIS - Search Articles by Date : January 12 2004 - January 18 2004

Product Profile: Alpha-olefins
Producers are relieved to see the back of another bad year but still need to be patient before the sector is restored to full health more
(16 January 2004 11:03)

News in brief: Business
Creditor crisis Romanian fertiliser producer Turnu SA risks liquidation because of debts of some $45m to creditors and utility suppliers and the.... more
(16 January 2004 11:06)

Financial In Brief
Lyondell Chemical Company has been downgraded by UBS from "neutral" to "reduce." Nova Chemicals Corp. has closed a private placement of more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Phosphoric Acid Prices Improve on Tightened Supply
After a long stretch of flat to sinking prices for phosphoric acid, producers began to see some improvement in 2003. The closure of a facility in more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Potash Producers Seek Price Hike
Several North American potash players are seeking price increases as domestic potash inventories fall below year-ago levels and transportation more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Inorganics In Brief
SODIUM HYDROSULFITE Olin Corp. will increase off-schedule pricing for all grades of solution sodium hydrosulfite (Reductone and Hydro-lin products) more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Custom Players Map Investment Plans - CustomDespite difficult market conditions, the top players remain committed to their custom manufacturing business and are proceeding with investment plans. Biologics and early-phase manufacturi
CustomDespite difficult market conditions, the top players remain committed to their custom manufacturing business and are proceeding with more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Technology Watch: Ionic Liquids Offer New Solutions
A few months ago, visitors to CPhI in Frankfurt may have noticed that BASF is promoting a new technology called BASIL. "Need to sca-venge acids? more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Jobs and People
Robert L. Wood Robert L Wood has been named president and CEO of Crompton Corp. He was also elected a member of its board of directors. Prior more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

LG Chem Develops New Acrylic Acid Process
South Korea's LG Chem Ltd. has successfully developed a new acrylic acid production process using its own technology. The development and more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

ImmunoGen to Control Development of Two Lead Candidates
Cambridge, Mass.-based Immuno-Gen Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in targeted anticancer pro-ducts, will develop two of its lead more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Life Sciences in Brief
AMGEN Inc. has made a $25 million equity investment in Infinity Pharma-ceuticals Inc. as part of a new collaborative agreement between the more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Merck Adds Two Biotech Companies To Its Growing Licensing Roster
Merck and Co. Inc. continued to build up its early phase product pipeline by in-licensing, last week inking two more deals with biotech companies. more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Bioterrorism Act May Inspire Copycat Legislation, New Burdens
European exporters of food and feed additives and ingredients to the US are unhappy about the extra administrative work they must perform to comply more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Thermphos Banks on China's Exit From Phosphorus
Thermphos International BV, Europe's only producer of elemental phosphorus, is hoping for an improvement in the worldwide supply-demand balance for more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Unipetrol Suitors Line Up
last week, Seven bidders made initial offers for the Czech government's 63 percent stake in Unipetrol, the country's oil products and more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

BP Reiterates Need for Ethylene Pricing Reform
BP says that lower petrochemicals margins in the last quarter of 2003 provide further evidence of a need to reform Europe's system of pricing more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Aventis Sells Pharma Site to Famar
Aventis has sold a pharmaceutical site at Saint-Genis-Laval in southeast France to Famar, a rapidly expanding Greek-owned more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

BASF Share Buyback
Over the past five years, BASF AG has reduced its number of shares outstanding by 13 percent through a share buyback program. Last year, the more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

News In Brief
EMD Chemicals Ups Capacity EMD Chemicals Inc.'s pigments division is expanding capacity for Iriodin WM8 products at its plant in Savannah, Ga. A more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Bio-based Industry Welcomes USDA's Proposed Federal Purchase Regulations
The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recent effort to implement a preferred procurement program by federal agencies for bio-based products is more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Oils in Brief
LONZA will increase the price of Acrawax by 5c. per pound effective February 15. PETROLATUM Crompton Corp.'s Witco Refined Products business more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Benzene Soars on Crude Pricing and Supply Outages
A number of planned and unplanned refinery outages, coupled with surging crude oil prices, sent benzene prices skyrocketing at the beginning of more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Petrochemicals In Brief
BTX Spot benzene maintained its strength early in the week as it hovered around $1.90 per gallon until Wednesday when spot prices plunged 6c. to more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Eli Lilly Foresees Steady Growth In Expanding Antidepression Franchise
Amid the recent flurry of activity in its antidepression franchise, Eli Lilly and Company is gearing up to launch its newest candidate, Cymbalta more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Pharma in Brief
AVENTIS Pharmaceuticals Inc. signed a licensing deal with Evry, France-based UroGene SA giving UroGene exclusive rights to develop and more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

US Manufacturing Sector Expects Slight Gains for 2004
US executives expect economic growth in the US to strengthen in 2004 and for the manufacturing sector to improve over 2003. A recent survey of more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Small Players Navigate the Custom Market
Like their large counterparts, small to medium-sized custom manufacturers have also had to navigate difficult business conditions. However, with more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Scorecard Rates Leaders and Laggards
Chemical companies sitting out the nanotechnology race will miss out on an important opportunity, says a new study, which predicts sector sales more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Venezuela: Post-Strike Woes
A year after a two-month national strike paralyzed Venezuela's petrochemical industry, plants have not yet achieved stable operating rates. When more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Specialties Pricing
Air Products Polymers LP is, as of February 2, implementing a 2c. per-wet-pound price increase for vinyl acetate homopolymer and copolymer more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Consumer Specialties Corner
P&G Raises 2Q Outlook Procter & Gamble Company expects earnings per share for the second quarter (October to December 2003) to exceed more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

IT in Brief
SAP Expects Software Revenues to Decline SAP AG expects its software revenues for the fourth quarter 2003 to be roughly  930 million ($1.18 more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Valspar Acquires Coatings Maker
Minneapolis-based Valspar Corp. has purchased De Beer Lakfabrieken, a privately owned manufacturer and distributor of automotive refinish coatings more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Global Watch: Latin America Promising Signs from Brazil and Mexico
There is a feeling of cautious optimism abroad that Latin American economies have recovered since Argentina's international-debt default and more
(16 January 2004 22:06)

Asahi raises February acrylo offer
ASAHI Kasei Chemical has raised its contract price nomination for February shipments to US$950/tonne cfr Asia, up US$50/tonne from its nomination for.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

As soaring naphtha pushes up olefins
How long will the Asian olefins rally last? more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Tight supply ups PTA/MEG
TIGHT supply and rising feedstock costs have led producers of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) to increase February.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Battle is on to control SK
THE current board of directors of SK Corp, a major petrochemical producer and South Korea’s top refiner, still faces a significant threat from major.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

JPE considers more cost-cutting measures
JAPAN Polyethylene Corp (JPE) is looking closely at reducing its expenditure on plant maintenance and cutting staff numbers and salaries, among other.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

PP demand to rise in Japan
JAPAN’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti), expects domestic demand for polypropylene (PP) to rise by 3.4% in 2004 from 2003, up from the.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Ibra receives first payment
THE Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (Ibra) said it received the first half of the payment due from Glazers & Putnam Investment for Jakarta’s.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Politics dominate…
… certainly they will until the 20 March presidential poll, while Taiwan continues to wrestle with its deep-seated long-term problems. John.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Monsoon magic
India is still benefiting from the effects of last year’s monsoon – consumer spending is up and the stock market is booming. Malini Hariharan reports more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Too much, too easy?
South Korea might enjoy a good export performance in 2004, but John Richardson discovers that there are some pretty hefty domestic challenges ahead more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Sentiment rises
The strong start to 2004 has raised expectations that projects activity will increase. But as Clara Tan discovers, companies still need to tread.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Still the Poster Boy?
He continues to sound and look good, but John Richardson reports on the scepticism over Koizumi achieving the reforms needed for sustained recovery more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

All plain sailing?
Maybe, maybe not. John Richardson examines the evidence for and against an uninterrupted economic boom in China more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Shades of grey
Don’t believe the headlines, writes John Richardson, which paint Southeast Asia as an undoubted economic success story for 2004. Major challenges.... more
(17 January 2004 18:25)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(17 January 2004 18:25)