ICIS - Search Articles by Date : April 19 2004 - April 25 2004

Plain sailing ahead
Mike Corkhill takes a look at recent developments in the European shortsea chemical shipping market, detecting a fair wind for the next few years. As.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Bomb alert
With the emergence of the latest terrorist threat of fertiliser bombs the industry needs to be on its guard. Glenda Thisdell gives advice on how to.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Rockwood Buys Dynamit Nobel Assets for $2.67 Billion
Rockwood Specialties Group Inc. will acquire four businesses of Dy-namit Nobel AG for €2.25 billion ($2.67 billion), creating a new specialty.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Amines Face Upward Pricing on Higher Raw Material Costs
Facing high energy and raw material costs over the last several months, several major producers of amines have sought price hikes. With supply-demand.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Specialties Pricing
Albemarle Corp. will increase prices in North America for its Ethanox and Ethaphos antioxidants by 10 percent, effective May 1. more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Specialty Chemicals Results Mixed in 1Q
The first batch of specialty chemicals earnings are coming in mixed. Great Lakes, Engelhard and W.R. Grace posted improvements in results, while.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Manufacturing Production on the Rise
Despite the slight dip in overall US industrial production in March, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) says manufacturing production.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Asbestos Bill Stalls, but Negotiations Continue
Opponents of a bill to compensate asbestos victims from a special claims fund outside the court system successfully kept the measure from reaching.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Senator Grassley Unveils Drug Importation Bill
Senate Finance Committee Chair-man Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has introduced a bill that would make it legal for US consumers to buy cheaper.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Ethanol Industry Refutes Link to Higher Gasoline Prices
A top ethanol industry official is strongly rebutting assertions that granting Clean Air Act oxygenate waivers would help California and New York.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

House Approves Green Chemistry Legislation
By an overwhelming vote of 402-14, the House of Representatives last week approved an industry-supported measure that would promote research and.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

EU Backs Carbon Credits Allowance
The European chemical industry is welcoming moves by the European Union (EU) to allow carbon credits from developing countries to be used in its.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Rhodia Moves on Divestments?In Food and Specialty Phosphates
Rhodia last week reached agreements for the divestment of businesses in specialty phosphates and food ingredients, while also reporting improvements.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

EU Moves Forward on Regulation Of Generic Biopharmaceuticals
Although the European Union (EU) seems to be moving ahead of the US in generics biopharmaceuticals by introducing legislation for their approval, it.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Lenzing Mulls Asian Options
Despite sluggish growth in the European viscose fibers market, Lenzing is bullish on the sector’s prospects. Spurred by strong growth, particularly.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

MetaDynea Targets Top Slot?In Russian Adhesives Resins
ZAO MetaDynea, a newly formed joint venture between Dynea Chemicals Oy of Finland and JSC Metafrax of Russia, plans to open 320,000 tons of new.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Elementis To Acquire Sasol Servo
Elementis will pay €48.5 million for Sasol Servo, a Dutch-based subsidiary of Sasol of South Africa. The business had sales last year of €108 million.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

Novartis Agrees to Merger Talks With Aventis
Novartis AG may still come through as the white knight to rescue Aventis SA from the clutches of fellow French pharma major Sanofi-Synthelabo. Though.... more
(23 April 2004 18:32)

FPC seeks tech and jv for Ningbo MMA
Formosa Plastics Corp (FPC) is in talks with Japanese companies on technology licensing as well as on forming a joint venture for a proposed methyl.... more
(23 April 2004 08:44)

Tide is turning for chaebol
The battle for control of SK Corp, the major South Korean petrochemicals producer, goes to the heart of the struggle in the country for greater.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Splashing out
The automotive coatings industry is enjoying a revival in Southeast Asia thanks to the recovering automotive industry. The implementation of Afta can.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Daiichi to set up new firm
DAIICHI Pharmaceutical (Daiichi) is to set up a contract-manufacturing subsidiary by spinning off its three factories in Shizuoka, Osaka, and Akita,.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

ICI India seeking acquisitions
ICI India is looking to expand its speciality chemicals business by making acquisitions more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Specialities roundup
Helm Group , the privately owned Hamburg, Germany-based chemical distribution and marketing company, has confirmed its plan to open a.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Sinochem to move into chems manufacturing
SINOCHEM Corp is looking at diversifying into the manufacturing of chemicals more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Thai PET film under US threat
A GROUP of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film producers in the US wants GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) designation withdrawn for PET film.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the ACN and CNI newsteams more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Blue Star pledges investments in Shenyang
CHINA National Blue Star (Group) Co has pledged to invest Rmb7.5bn (US$905.5m) in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, by 2008, following its acquisition of.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Qapco seeks Oman PP stake
OMAN Oil Co (OOC) is in talks with Qatar Petrochemical Co (Qapco) on the latter taking a stake in the former’s polypropylene (PP) project in Sohar,.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Yanbu PDH and PP project nears financial closure
THE proponents of an integrated propane-dehydrogenation (PDH) and polypropylene (PP) project in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, are aiming to achieve financial.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Dow stake in Thai cracker ‘unlikely’
DOW Chemical is unlikely to take an equity stake in the proposed second wholly owned Siam Cement, or Siam Cement-led, cracker more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

PTT cracker feasibility study ready in August
PTT Pcl’s preliminary feasibility study on building a new cracker – dubbed NPC3 – and a No 6 gas-separation unit, in Thailand, is expected to be.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Fibre intermediates report: Fibre markets upbeat
High feedstock costs and robust demand drive MEG players to raise contract nominations by $130 from February. PTA and acrylonitrile are also strong more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Acrylonitrile riding high
IS the recent surge in Asian acrylonitrile prices sustainable? more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

No end in sight for butadiene bull run
BUTADIENE buyers may want to consider taking a holiday from the spot market if they would like to escape or not contribute to the relentless rise in.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Market trends: Benzene softens
Supply of benzene eases as Tosoh restarts BTX plant. A fire at Kashima Oil’s refinery has little impact on Asian markets. Phenol continues to be.... more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Market trends: Butadiene shoots up
No butadiene spot cargoes are available in a tight market. Naphtha and C2 prices hold steady. Methanol is muted and MTBE producers try for price rises more
(23 April 2004 09:48)

Right Engel
Klaus Engel’s strength lies in his extensive experience in the chemical industry. Hardly surprising then that he has felt obliged to overturn.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Sharing the load
UK distributor Suttons has found a way around declining domestic chemical production and is now reaping the benefits of being in a European.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

New Projects Summary
REPORTED IN ECN 29 MARCH, 5  AND 12 APRIL 2004 Company Product Capacity Process Contractor .... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

US Monitor: Benzene climbs with plant outages
Disruption at two Texas facilities caused benzene spot prices to soar to a high of $3.09/gal fob USG, but downstream players struggled to pass these.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Product Profile: Cyclohexane
Hydrogen availability continues to be the main concern for producers as they will have to compete for supplies with refineries. New capacity will.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Environment in brief
Protest climb Members of the environmental group Greenpeace climbed the UK headquarters building of Disney to protest about the company’s use.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Animal testing demonstration
  To mark World Week for Laboratory Animals, activists from the European Coalition to End Animal.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Accident report contains misleading data, says BP
Following the recent publication of a report by the Public Interest Research Group which cited BP as having the worst accident record of all American.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Firms focus on paint safety
More than 90% of companies involved in paint application want to reduce the risks associated with using paint but do not know of a clear-cut solution.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Making it simpler
Many chemical producers believe that the current Reach legislation will be too complicated and expensive to implement. The BCDTA Reach Task Force has.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

People on the move
Avecia Daniel Moore has been appointed to the newly created position of vice-president, manufacturing for Avecia Biotechnology. He takes.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

20 years ago
ECN 30 April 1984 more
(23 April 2004 14:39)

Earnings jump wins award for Dishman
UK-based Dishman Europe, supplier of specialist re­agents, intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients manufactured by its parent company in.... more
(23 April 2004 14:39)