ICIS - Search Articles by Date : August 12 2002 - August 18 2002

ACC Guardedly Optimistic On Chemical Industry Recovery
The latest economic survey by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) indicates a robust recovery is under way. Preliminary data for gross domestic more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Amgen Expands Rights to Neutropenia
Amgen Inc. will pay $137.5 million to acquire the rights to the white blood cell boosting drugs filgrastim and pegfilgrastim in the European Union, more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Oil Price Variations Cloud Chemical Profit Recovery
Uncertain political climate in the Middle East makes oil prices a wild card. Pamela Sauer reports. more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Financial In Brief
Sovereign Specialty Chemicals Inc.'s first quarter loss narrowed to $300,000 versus a year-ago loss of $3.1 million on 2 percent lower sales of more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Lucite International Unveiled
Lucite International has been unveiled as the new name for Ineos Acrylics, the world's largest supplier of methacrylates with 25 percent market more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Chemical Industry M&A Activity Plunges to $2 Billion in 1Q of 2002
The aftershocks of September 11 compounded by difficult market conditions has led to a stunning drop in mergers and acquisitions activity for the more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

New CEO for Lyondell
Lyondell Chemical Company has appointed Kevin DeNicola senior vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) upon the retirement of Robert T. more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Nova Sees Gains in Styrenics
Nova Chemicals Corp. expects a sharp increase in earnings and profitability throughout its styrenics chain as the economy improves and the more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Sunoco to Shut Polypropylene Line at La Porte
Sunoco Chemicals will permanently shut down a 200 million pound-per-year polypropylene line at its La Porte, Tex., plant during the third quarter. more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Ernst & Young will advise on KP sale
KP Chemical's creditors have selected Ernst & Young as the financial advisor for the sale of the company's assets, a company source told more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Taking responsibility
Despite most member states missing the transposition deadline for the EU's Solvent Emissions Directive, industry has been far from inactive. Nadia.... more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Are chemicals a risk to children's health?
Last week in Brussels saw the second annual European Union (EU) Green Week which had, as was expected, a wide agenda. Right from the opening more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

TDA inks funding for plant study
The US Trade and Development Agency (TDA) has signed an agreement with Zaklady Azotowe Kedzierzyn (ZAK) to provide funding for a feasibility study more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Pricing round-up
Acetone took a downward turn at the start of the year but spot prices are now trekking relentlessly upwards. Nel Weddle, Carolyn Green and Harry.... more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

SNPE awaits restart decision
SNPE is waiting anxiously for permission to restart its Isochem fine chemicals facility in Toulouse, southwest France. The facility was closed more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Cargill Dow signs 'green' deal
Cargill Dow has signed a five year agreement to supply Ashland Specialty Chemical with lactide for electronics-grade ethyl lactate. Ashland said more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Minister sets up new institute
France's research minister Roger-G'rard Shwartzenberg has set up a rare diseases institute, Institut des Maladies Rares. It is a scientific more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Spot price direction waivers
Spot benzene markets have lost more ground settling in the $320-330/tonne fob NWE range and players say there is some uncertainty on future price more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Supply deal for Fertiberia
Spanish fertiliser producer Fertiberia has signed a long term ammonia supply contract with Norwegian ammonia and fertiliser producer Norsk Hydro, more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Omifco awards $770m contract
Oman-IndiaÊFertiliser Company (Omifco) has awarded a 50:50 joint venture between Technip-Coflexip and Snamprogetti, a lump-sum turnkey more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Methanex sees slashed profits
Plummeting methanol prices left the Canadian supplier Methanex nursing a first quarter net loss of $17.4m, compared with a $123m profit for the more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Unions resume pay talks
Talks resume this week between the chemical union IG BCE and the German federal employers association BAVC about a new contract for eastern more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Sanofi-Synth'labo to expand R&D spending in Toulouse
Sanofi-Synth'labo is to invest E48m ($43m) in two sites in the Toulouse region in southwest France between 2002 and 2004. The French more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

EU delegates pessimistic
European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstr"m has cast serious doubts over the success of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Parliament rejects wider ban
The European Parliament has rejected broadening a ban on two brominated flame retardants under the European Commission's proposed electro-scrap more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

BASF to boost global capacity
BASF is building an integrated production facility for polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) at the Shanghai Chemical Industrial more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Wacker to broaden biotech and fine chemicals activities
Semiconductor and silicones specialist Wacker-Chemie restated its intention to grow its biotechnology and fine chemicals/custom synthesis more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Restricted availability
Firming butadiene price ideas in Europe and US are primarily the consequence of supply restrictions rather than reflecting a significant recovery more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Producers urge EC to rethink
Germany's plastics producers are talking to the European Commission about eliminating some of the 'worst points' of its White Paper: A strategy for more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Wacker nearer to site decision
Wacker-Chemie will decide this July where to site its planned 300mm silicon wafer fabrication facility. It is currently bringing its first such more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Green light imminent
Solvay expects the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to clear the path to its acquisition of Italian fluorinated specialities producer Ausimont more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Akzo income grows as sector recovers
Strong pharmaceuticals growth and a recovery in the chemicals division enabled Akzo Nobel to lift first quarter net income by 9% to E234m more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Dow settles Q2 PS at q925/tonne
Dow Chemical has settled its European polystyrene contract reference price for quarter two at E925/tonne FD. This settlement follows the company's more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Sales plummet in Q1
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) suffered a sharp fall in first quarter sales and profits, but said price improvements are expected have more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Government supports E.On swap plan
The German government is backing E.On's plans to swap a 51% stake in chemicals subsidiary Degussa for coal and energy group RAG's 18% stake in gas more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

DSM divides businesses to sharpen focus
DSM is to divide its fine chemicals business into separate pharmaceutical products and fine chemicals units from 1 July. The company said this more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

BASF makes move into non-antibiotic pig feed market
BASF has acquired the animal feed additive Formi from Norsk Hydro subsidiary Hydro Formates for an undisclosed sum. It will market Formi, the more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Market speculation hits LGChem shares
LG Chem's shares fell 23.5% on the Korea Stock Exchange over two days last week on rumours the company had bought shares in subsidiary LG more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Abbott to Buy Full Ownership Of Hokuriku Seiyaku
Abbott Laboratories is broadening its position in the Japanese pharmaceutical market by acquiring full ownership of Hokuriku Seiyaku. Abbott gained more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Bayer Streamlines Rubber Business
Bayer Inc. is restructuring its rubber business. The company's Butyl I unit in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, will cease operations as that site more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Cambrex Posts Strong 1Q in Life Sciences Market
Cambrex Corp. last week released financial results for the first quarter of 2002, beating consensus earnings estimates with strong growth in the more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

DuPont Indicates Signs Of Recovery During 1Q
Chemical industry bellwether DuPont post-ed a 3 percent decline in underlying earnings in the first quarter of $552 million as sales declined 10 more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

ExxonMobil Launches Expansion
ExxonMobil Chemical Company is moving ahead with plans to expand its capacity for metallocene ethylene elastomer products in Baton Rouge, La. The more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Major Chemicals Show Signals Of Improvement in First Quarter
Dow Chemical gets back in the black, while Lyondell, Nova and Methanex still see red. Joseph Chang reports. more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Industrial Gas Majors Post Flat Earnings in 1Q
Continued weakness in the electronic and manufacturing markets resulted in flat first quarter earnings for two major industrial gas companies. more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Monsanto Posts Profits Despite Lower Sales
Monsanto Company posted first quarter 2002 earnings of $55 million, up 53 percent from $23 million in 2001. However, excluding special charges and more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Wyeth Posts 13 Percent Profit Gain; Bristol-Myers' Net Falls 30 Percent
Pharmaceutical company earnings are coming in mixed with Wyeth, the former American Home Products, generating profit growth and the beleaguered more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

BASF Furthers Its Presence in China
BASF will build a new integrated production facility in the newly developed Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) in Caojing, Shanghai, China. The more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Initial Batch of Specialty Chemicals 1Q Earnings Mixed
The first batch of specialty chemical earnings is coming in mixed, but many companies are showing signs of improvement and expectations for more
(14 August 2002 12:47)

Abbott, Schering-Plough Woes Continue
The Food and Drug Administra-tion's (FDA) tolerance for repeat offenders cited for manufacturing flaws appears to be running low. Last week two more
(14 August 2002 12:47)