ICIS - Search Articles by Date : March 17 2003 - March 23 2003

A challenging year
After a lacklustre performance in 2002, olefins markets continue to suffer from instability more
(21 March 2003 11:36)

A glimmer of hope
Rising costs and volatility continue to cloud the outlook for the petchems sector, as it moves out of the recent downturn. But an end to the gloom is.... more
(21 March 2003 11:36)

Monsanto Is Under Price-Fixing Probe
Monsanto Company says it has been contacted by the Department of Justice as part of the government's investigation into potential price fixing in more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

News In Brief
Solvay Inks Polymer Expansion Solvay Advanced Polymers LLC has completed its previously announced plans to expand of production capacity at its more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Congress Calls For Chemical Security Strategy
Congressional investigators are calling for a national strategy to address chemical security after concluding that the Bush administration and more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Inorganics in Brief
ALUMINUM PRODUCTS Summit Research Labs will increase the price for all aluminum chlorohydrate, polyaluminum chloride and aluminum zirconium more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Environmentalists Urge CCA Ban On Wooden Playground Structures
Environmental activists have ask-ed the Consumer Product Safety Com-mission (CPSC) to ban the use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) on wooden more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Plastics & Coatings in Brief
ALCO CHEMICAL will increase its prices of Alcosperse, Alcoquest and Versa TL polymers effective April 15. BASF AG is increasing its European more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Jobs and People
Ken Alibek Ken Alibek has been elected as chairman of the science advisory board of Ganeden Biotech Inc. Mr. Alibek currently serves as more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Novartis Captures Pfizer's Enablex for a Steal
Novartis has snared Pfizer Inc.'s investigational incontinence drug Enablex (darifenacin) at what is generally considered to be an enormous more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Broader Acceptance of Biotechnology Crops Increases Despite Skepticism
Major agricultural chemical/ biotechnology (bt) companies continue to shift their focus from crop protection chemicals to the faster growing seeds more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

More Biodiesel Capacities Ahead
The number of biodiesel producers in the US continues to grow as several companies expressed interest in joining their ranks. Among them is more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Hudson River PCB Dredging Postponed
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says dredging of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the upper Hudson River will be put off until more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Perchlorate Exemption Urged For Military Contamination
The Bush administration is urging Congress to shield the Pentagon and defense contractors from liability for perchlorate contamination of surface more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Olefin Prices on the Rise as the USEnters War Mode
Feedstock costs and supply difficulties have sent olefin prices soaring, but margins remain thin. A potential bright spot for producers comes in more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Petrochemicals in Brief
BTX Falling crude oil prices have impacted benzene pricing. Spot pricing for April is in the range of $1.85 to $1.89 per gallon. May deals have more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Dowpharma Is Positioned for Significant Growth
Dowpharma, the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical custom manufacturing business of Dow Chemical Company, is gaining momentum in its quest to more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Pharma In Brief
BASF Animal Nutrition is increasing the prices for Lutavit vitamin E 50 percent, feed grade, by 10 percent effective immediately. XANTHAN GUM more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Petrochemical Insights: MEG
Recent spikes in the price of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and its major co-products, diethylene glycol (DEG) and triethylene glycol (TEG), with more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Global Petrochemical Focus: Latin America
Latin America appears to have regained a degree of stability after the traumatic events of late 2001 and 2002. The first major blow to the region's more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

IT in Brief
SAP, Degussa Team SAG AG reports that Degussa AG will deploy a customer relationship management pilot using mySAP Customer more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Rhodia Urges Price Initiatives For Long-Term Health and Viability
With staggering raw material bills besieging the global specialty chemicals industry, Rhodia has taken a front line position in expressing the more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Sabic Looks to Future
Since its inception in 1976, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic) has grown into a $9 billion company with leading positions in basic and more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Price Hikes Hitting Specialty Amines
Since late February, price increases for a wide variety of specialty amines have been coming fast and furiously. Depending on the product or the more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Specialties Pricing
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. will be increasing the price of its dimethylformamide by 3c. per pound in the Americas as of April 15. Albemarle more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

UIC Sees Boost in Chemicals Demand In Wake of Iraqi War
France's chemical industry association (UIC) projects that the growth of chemicals output in the country will almost triple this year, following a more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

Chemical Industry Supports EPA Withdrawal of Impaired Water Rule
The chemical industry is expressing strong support for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to withdraw a controversial rule that more
(21 March 2003 19:34)

KP Chem sale may be delayed again
The sale of KP Chemical may be delayed by six months to a year, as the company's creditors have all but decided to call for a fourth round of bidding more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Anti-trust raids on Rohm and Haas and 13 others
Anti-trust investigators raided the offices of Rohm and Haas and 13 other companies in Japan, the US and the European Union in early February,.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Staying away from mud fights
Rajiv Gupta is on a mission to educate those who might want to focus too heavily on the cost of raw materials more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Pertamina and govt fuss over asset sales
Pertamina and the Indonesian government are in disagreement over to what extent the state-owned oil, gas and petrochemical major should reduce its.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

BASF trims capex but ups Asia spend
BASF plans to increase investment spending in Asia proportionally this year even as it trims capital expenditure (capex) by Euro300m (US$321m) to.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Japan, US firms eye Chandra Asri assets
Several potential investors have expressed an interest in acquiring Indonesia's sole cracker operator, Chandra Asri, the Texmaco Group and the.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Reliance Infocomm row with cellular operators drags on
Reliance Industries' (Reliance) telecommunications arm, Reliance Infocomm, is treading in rough waters as an ongoing dispute with India's cellular.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

US trends: Margin concerns
US producers worried about their cash profit margins should find some releif in a decline in nataural-gas, writes chemicals analyst Sergey Vasnetsov..... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Focus on Europe: Suit-ably weary, Bayer pins hopes on impotence drug
Bayer has many headaches that aspirins alone cannot relieve, reports Hilfra Tandy, in the first of a monthly series of articles for Asian Chemical.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

SK Corp tries to protect itself
SK Corp is considering selling its non-performing assets and reducing its capital expenditure to protect itself from the debt problems that have hit.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

SK Corp has trouble finding a petchem jv partner
SK Corp's bid to consolidate its position in the petrochemicals sector by finding a joint-venture partner more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Natural gas: Is the US starting to feel the heat?
For many years, the US enjoyed cheap and plentiful natural gas supplies. However, this scenario is changing. And the change has helped to create a.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

The Middle East: Just how bad?
John Richardson and Clara Tan analyse what impact a war against Iraq would have on the Middle Eastern global petrochemical industries. They also.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

The Middle East: A petchem industry in Iraq?
If you were to list the petrochemical industries in the Middle East you would, obviously, start with Saudi Arabia followed by the other Gulf.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

China: Great numbers...
... but it's no easy ride for polymer players in China who need the right grade mix, distribution network and understanding of the customer base,.... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

How long will methanol surge?
Methanol players in Asia are witnessing surging prices and strong margins more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

BPA prices likely to rise further
Polycarbonate (PC)-grade bisphenol A (BPA) spot prices are expected to rise further on tight supply and strong demand from PC producers more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Spot butadiene shortage appears set to continue
The severe shortage of butadiene in Asian markets in recent weeks did not show any sign of easing last week more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

LG-Caltex aromatics may start up earlier
LG-Caltex Oil may commission its aromatics complex in Yeochun, South Korea, about two weeks earlier than the scheduled target of end-April. .... more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

Market trends: Naphtha plummets
Naphtha takes a dive as MoPJ falls by $91.5/tonne on softening crude prices more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

China: shorter waiting time?
China fine-tunes its project-approval process, but will investors' waiting time be shortened? more
(21 March 2003 13:46)

ABF ponders urea/ammonia revamp
Asean Bintulu Fertiliser (ABF) is considering debottlenecking and revamping its 1800 tonne/day (594 000 tonne/year) urea plant and 1320 tonne/day more
(21 March 2003 13:46)