ICIS - Search Articles by Date : January 15 2007 - January 21 2007

Keep it simple
Specialty chemical firms need to reduce complexity and become better at managing those aspects that cannot be eliminated. Carmel McQuaid and Tony.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

PVC is recyclable, not harmful, claims ECVM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Rhodia shares leapon Akzo takeover talk
SHARES IN French chemical firm Rhodia increased by 5.62% last Wednesday amid analyst speculation of a possible takeover bid from Akzo Nobel. more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

US okays SAPs in food packaging
THE AUTHORIZATION of superabsorbent polymers in food packaging by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could be a boon for the acrylic acid market,.... more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

TiO2 price slide predicted
AFTER WEAK demand drove down prices for titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment by an average of 2 cents in recent weeks, paint manufacturers said the.... more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

BP: waiting for the shoe to drop
WHILE SOME gauge that the impact on BP of the Baker report into the Texas City refinery explosion may not be as great as earlier expected, a.... more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

Icy conditions hit Gulf's petchem region
MOTHER NATURE had a nasty surprise for many of her children in the normally more balmy parts of the United States last week, with a low-temperature.... more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

PPG Q4 earnings disappoint investors
PPG INDUSTRIES reported record fourth-quarter sales of $2.8bn, surpassing the year-ago quarter by 11%, and boosting underlying net income to $154m,.... more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

PPG acquires Brazil coatings maker
PPG INDUSTRIES has acquired an architectural and industrial coatings business in Brazil for an undisclosed sum. more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

DuPont ag biotech to gain traction: analyst
DUPONT'S INVESTMENT in agricultural biotech will eventually make headway against leader Monsanto, but don't expect any major progress on that front.... more
(20 January 2007 12:10)

ICIS radio: Americas: Ferro
Feed Air Products Weblink more
(17 January 2007 17:04)

ICIS radio: Americas: 15 January 2007
Feed Air Products Weblink   more
(15 January 2007 10:39)

NEW PROJECTS REPORTED BY ICIS 15-21 JANUARY 2007
NEW PROJECTS REPORTED BY ICIS 15-21 JANUARY 2007 more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

IN BRIEF Markets Watch
Force majeure lifted more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Brice's Prices : It's better late than never as pta settles
A mere three months late, and most of last November's European purified terephthalic acid (PTA) contracts have now been agreed. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

IN BRIEF Environment Watch
ONE IN SIX HAVE HIGH MERCURY LEVELS more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

VIEW FROM ASIA
Geographic diversification is the way to go more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

IN BRIEFAmericas Watch
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(20 January 2007 12:19)

Downstream segments to push China's growth
China's economic growth may slow slightly this year, but the chemicals sector is likely to continue to power ahead. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

THINK TANK NASA plans a moon-based chemical plant
The moon will soon become the newest "foreign" production site for chemicals, US space scientists say, and chemistry will be the single most.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Asian polymers conference 2007
With Asia-Pacific GDP expected to grow by 7.1% this year, the outlook for the Asian polymers sector remains strong more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

In this week 20 YEARS AGO 10 YEARS AGO
ECN 26 January 1987 more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

People on the move
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(20 January 2007 12:19)

PET and PX forecasting
ICIS FORECASTING has announced the launch of the paraxylene (PX) to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monthly report covering the US market. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Europe leads the green race
Europe is leading the way in setting green standards, according to a report from US academics. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Borealis expands PP operations
Borealis is expanding its polypropylene (PP) capacity in Porvoo, Finland, by 65,000 tonne/year and extending its PP product range in Schwechat,.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Uhde to build EPPC plant
Egyptian Propylene & Polypropylene Co (EPPC), a consortium led by Oriental Weavers, has commissioned Uhde to build a turnkey propylene and.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

INEOS EXPANDS UK GAS STORAGE
INEOS Enterprises has signed key contracts for the development of its £200m ($392m, E303m) Cheshire, UK, gas storage facility. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Haldor Topsoe to provide DME technology to China...
China's Guizhou Tianfu Chemical has selected Haldor Topsoe technology for an integrated methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) plant plus an ammonia.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

GIH plots to cash in on region's economic boom
GULF INVESTMENT House (GIH), one of the region's leading financial services companies, launched the Afkar Holding Company last week to look at.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

PetroChina enjoys good 12 months
LAST year was a good one for PetroChina, China's largest integrated oil company, with the production of chemicals growing as industries increased.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

IPCL profits given major boost
Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL) has boosted its operating profit by 28% to Indian rupees (Rs) 6.81bn ($153.8m, €118.6) in its.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Shin-Etsu on the rise
Shin-Etsu posted a 31.7% rise in its operating profits for the nine months ended 31 December 2006 from the same period a year ago. This is partly due.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Stinnes to go after 200 years
German logistics group Stinnes will disappear in Deutsche Bahn's (DB) new management structure. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

EU INSIDER
EU gets backing in its monopoly crackdown more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

IN BRIEF Europe Watch
SIKA SELLS SARNA more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

BVB calls for terminal for inland ships
Dutch agency Bureau Voorlichting Binnenvaart (BVB) is calling for inland shipping to have its own freight terminal on Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam's.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Chinese worry about pollution
A survey conducted by China Environmental Culture Promotional Association has indicated that China's citizens believe that environmental pollution is.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Fate of rogue-hit firm still uncertain
Two months after Mitsui Oil Asia (MOA) suffered $81m (€62.5m) trading losses, caused by a rogue naphtha trader, the fate of the Singapore-based arm.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Thais make MTBE u-turn
Thailand has backtracked on controversial plans to ban the octane-boosting additive MTBE in gasoline and replace it with a 10% ethanol-blended fuel.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

CHEMDOKU AND QUIZ WINNERS
Congratulations to the winners of the two competitions we ran in the last issue of 2006 (ICIS Chemical Business 18 December 2006), and to all those.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Dammam invests in $500m complex
Dammam 7 Petrochemical plans to invest $500m (E387m) in an acrylic acid, butanol and acrylic esters complex in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

INEOS and Zheijiang plan jv
Ineos Fluor and Zheijiang Xing Teng Chemical Co are to build a joint venture (jv) anhydrous hydrogen fluoride plant in Shangrao, Jiangxi province,.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Exeltium and EdF sign deal
FRENCH ELECTRICITY consortium Exeltium, which includes chemical companies Air Liquide, Solvay, Rhodia and Arkema, has signed a memorandum of.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Organon attracts three buyers
Three private equity firms are in the running as possible buyers of Akzo Nobel's pharmaceuticals division Organon, according to media reports. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

... Quinghai picks Johnson Matthey
Qinghai Zhonghao Natural Gas Chemical has selected Johnson Matthey (JM) technology and catalysts for a methanol project in Geermu, Qinghai province,.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Distribution mergers hit all-time high last year
THE NUMBER of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in the distribution market broke the record last year. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Shutdowns tighten EPS supply
Planned maintenance shutdowns at European expandable polystyrene (EPS) plants are exacerbating an already tight market. more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Mild weather hits MEG prices
The pressure is on European monoethylene glycol (MEG) spot prices as unseasonably warm temperatures across Europe have led to a poor start to 2007,.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)

Extra plants in Asia to add to benzene boom
Asia's growing benzene demand should continue to bolster values in 2007, although traders will continue to pay close attention to US benzene prices.... more
(20 January 2007 12:19)