ICIS - Search Articles by Date : March 12 2007 - March 18 2007

Sumitomo plots course to drive up profitability
Sumitomo Chemical aims to expand net profit by 65% and revenues by 34% by focusing on value-added products, and by expanding petrochemicals as part.... more
(12 March 2007 09:36)

Shell wins n-paraffin approval
Unilever has approved n-paraffin produced at Shell's gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in Bintulu, Malaysia. The move strengthens Shell's plans to.... more
(12 March 2007 09:38)

Sands of time
Despite delays, petrochemical development in the Middle East and North Africa has reached fever pitch and is poised to continue for as long as the.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

PP prices poised to rise
In other key plastics markets, polypropylene remains tight on solid demand and limited availability while polystyrene seeks solid footing. Ron.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Polystyrene market grasps for stability
ALTHOUGH POLYSTYRENE prices moved up 3 cents/lb. in January and then down 3 cents in February, sources view the current PS market as stable, at.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Remember the hydrocarbon!
Facing the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress, the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association goes forth undaunted in its goal of opening up.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Living in a green world
With the national spotlight on the environment and global climate change, how can the industry maintain its global competitiveness? NPRA aims to.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

US chemical site security rules imminent
Industry eagerly awaits DHS final rules on April 4 more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Oh, Cinderella, time's almost up!
After three years of record world GDP growth and the chemical peak, when will the ball end? more
(17 March 2007 08:57)

China plastics hit by recycling
China has been a fast-rising market for the developed world's waste plastic. But will this market screech to a halt just as quickly? more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

A tale of two commodities
Lower but still-solid profits are expected in the ethylene chain on Middle East capacity delays, but vinyls will continue to languish on the US weak.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Moving sideways
Ethylene buyers and sellers are engaged in a pricing tug-of-war. But polyethylene continues to move forward, pushed by strong demand from the.... more
(17 March 2007 08:57)

Toast the good times
The European petrochemical and plastics industries are finally getting to enjoy the champagne years. But could the caviar dreams soon be crushed? more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

50 YEARS AGO100 YEARS AGO
THIS WEEK ICIS Chemical Business Americas, formerly CMR, traces its roots back to 1871 when the publication was called Oil, Paint and Drug.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

WHO'S MOVING WHERE?
Montgomery Alger has been named vice president and chief technology officer of Air Products. He served most recently as technology manager for.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Think Tank - Rhodia's CEO starts a new chapter
Rhodia aims to begin a new phase following the extensive and difficult restructuring of the past three years. Can the company prosper? .... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Distributor mergers may spell trouble
A NEW wave of consolidation among chemical distributors may be triggered by last week's $600m acquisition of US firm CHEMCENTRAL by.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

TIO2: more global than regional
      THE ACQUISITION of Lyondell's titanium dioxide (TiO2).... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

HFCs beat the heat
WHEN SUMMER arrives and temperatures start to reach unbearable points, most people aren't too worried about what chemicals make their air.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Citric acid soured by competition
THE GLOBAL citric acid market remains pressured from the one-two punch of high production costs and intense competition from Chinese producers. .... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

IN BRIEF oils, fats & waxes
Solardiesel buys Nano Biodiesel producer SolarDiesel is acquiring Nano Chemical Systems Holdings (NCSH) for $100m. NCSH is a developer and.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Consumers slowing on fish?
US consumers may appear to be slowing down on seafood consumption, but the overall trend been moving upward, according to NOAA (National Oceanic.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Fortitech fuels $22m growth
Fortitech is investing $22m over the next three years to grow operations, with expansions planned in the US, Malaysia and Mexico. A major.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Antioxidants grab the health market
Health activists are on the vanguard of market demand for healthy, bio-performing foods and additives, such as the power of antioxidants in lycopene more
(17 March 2007 08:58)

Methyl chloride
        DEMAND 2005:.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Expanding into the US market
    AT A time when many other companies are positioning themselves in the.... more
(17 March 2007 08:59)

Scaling the green wall
Last year marked a big success with President Bush signing into law a bill opening up offshore areas in the US Outer Continental Shelf for natural.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Akzo Nobel to sell Organon
  DUTCH LIFE science, coating and chemical group Akzo Nobel plans to sell Organon BioSciences (OBS) to US.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Ranbaxy bids for Merck generics
INDIA'S RANBAXY Laboratories has confirmed its submission of a bid for German chemicals and pharmaceutical major Merck KGaA's generics business "at.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Asia leads the way in soda ash capacity
ASIA WILL lead in construction of new soda ash capacity over the next 10 years, according to ZN Langrana, general manager of Tata Chemicals. .... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Solid results take Arkema to profit
Arkema's ceo believes his firm is finally turning around. Speaking at the company's financial results conference last week, chairman and CEO.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

EU INSIDER
CEFIC WANTS ETS ANSWERS NOW The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) last week backed the European Council's energy overhaul, but.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

IN BRIEF Europe watch
Profits zoom up for lenzing Lenzing posted a 31% increase in its 2006 operating profit from a year ago to €107.1m ($140.9m) on a strong.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

China's need for biodiesel is predicted to go sky-high
Chinese demand for biodiesel is expected to grow at 122% annually from 2005-2010, according to analysts, while global demand is expected to jump to.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

IN BRIEFMiddle East watch
Qatargas goes for Emersen solution Qatargas has selected Emerson to supply digital automated solutions for the company's liquefied natural gas,.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Iran makes prices move
Iran has lifted state controls on the price of petrochemicals in a bid to bring products in line with international practices, says a local news.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

SABIC's expansion may falter
SABIC may not be given approval for a $5.2bn (€3.9bn) petrochemical plant until next year, further delaying its plans to expand into China. .... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Omega-3 coming to a bean near you
OMEGA-3 FATTY acids, found mostly from fish oil and algae, will soon sprout from other sources such as soybeans. Monsanto and Solae recently.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

LME joins with ICIS for three special events
Analysis of changes to futures contracts for PP and LLDPE are set to come under the spotlight more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Knowledge zone starts online
ICIS chemical Business Americas is pleased to announce that it has posted the full listing of chemical prices published in the last issue of ICBA.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

DIARYICIS CONFERENCES
The 3rd ICIS Asian Polymers Conference April 16-17 Venue Shanghai, China Email joanne.fisher@icis.com Website.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Canada strives to go green
The Packaging Association of Canada (PAC) has signed an agreement with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), based in the US, with the.... more
(17 March 2007 09:01)

Lobby calls for tougher controls
Europe's environmentalists are calling on the European Parliament to impose tighter controls on pesticides to protect the development of children. .... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

IN BRIEFEnvironment watch
Toshiba takes back to boost recycling Toshiba Digital Products Division is to expand its recycling initiatives with a free computer take-back.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Conferences and events
Benchmarking of Strategic Marketing in the Chemical Industry - Phase 1 March 29 2007 Prangins (Nyon), Switzerland Contact info@ecmsa.org .... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

COMMENTARY
Bottoms up! The North American petrochemical industry is toasting the good times. Demand remains solid on strong US and global economic growth.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

5-MINUTE NEWS WATCH
Solutia to sell water business... Solutia will sell its water treatment phosphonates business Dequest to Thermphos Trading for $67m in cash. The.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Analysts cut NOVA
  ROYAL BANK of Canada joined other analysts in reducing EPS (earnings per share) estimates and its share price.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

Dow shuffles executives on redefined growth plans
DOW CHEMICAL has formed a five-man executive leadership committee as part of a senior-level restructure focused on implementing the company's new.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)

ACC welcomes back Huntsman, CPChem
HUNTSMAN AND Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CPChem) have returned to the American Chemistry Council, the trade group said last week, ending a.... more
(16 March 2007 17:30)