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

Akzo Nobel takes top spot
Akzo Nobel is taking the lead in European production of coil coatings by buying the French coil coatings business of German speciality chemicals and.... more
(19 July 2004 14:33)

Bayer agrees to pay $66m antitrust fine
Bayer will pay a $66m fine to the US anti-trust authorities for participating in a rubber chemicals cartel in the 1990s. more
(19 July 2004 14:34)

Petrochemicals in Brief
BTX Spot benzene prices remain on the upswing with July deals having been sealed as high as $4.25 per gallon, while August deals have been completed.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Benzene and Styrene Prices Continue to Surge
Benzene and styrene prices continue to rise unchecked as the global benzene shortage sends spot benzene prices weekly to new highs. The downstream.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Pharmaceuticals in Brief
IDT (Institute of Drug Technology Australia Ltd.) has been awarded a contract with Pfizer Inc. for the development and manufacture of a new.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Pfizer Continues to Dominate in Second Quarter
While most pharma majors have spent the last two years grappling with lackluster results, Pfizer Inc. continues to show power. Pfizer’s sales and.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Aspen Tech Agrees to Proposed Settlement with FTC
Aspen Technology Inc.’s proposed consent decree to settle proceedings from its 2002 acquisition of Hyprotech Ltd., a supplier of process simulation.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

IT in Brief
Accenture SecuresIT Outsourcing Deal more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Information Technology Insights--Informatics: Synthematix Finds Niche in Chemical Research
Researchers and manufacturing chemists in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are constantly challenged to develop new molecules and then.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

AMR Research Launches SAP Best Practices Peer Forum
AMR Research has launched its SAP Best Practices Peer Forum. The new service is designed to help executives maximize the value of their.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

IT Insights: Invensys
Linking manufacturing operations within a global enterprise and with other business processes is an ongoing challenge for chemical companies..... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Specialty Chemicals Earnings Surge
Specialty chemicals compa-nies are starting to come in with strong gains in second quarter profits. Albemarle and Cabot Microelectronics beat Wall.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Semiconductor Market Emerges From Trough as Prospects in China Strengthen
Exhibitors at this year’s Semi-Con West were celebrating the end of the downturn that had afflicted the semiconductor industry, and theymade a.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Specialties Pricing
ALBEMARLE Corp. is increasing the price of its NcendX P-30 phosphate-based flame retardant by 15 percent globally, effective August 1. more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Apollo Management to Take UAP Holding Public in $736 Million Offering
Apollo Management LP plans to take UAP Holding Corp., the largest privately held distributor of agricultural chemicals, seeds and fer-tilizer in the.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Bayer to Buy Roche’s OTC Business for $2.9 Billion
Bayer has agreed to acquire Roche’s business in over-the-counter (OTC) medicines only days after deciding to spin off its Lanxess che-micals.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

NPRA Calls for Support of NSR Program
The petrochemical indus-try is urging the National Aca-demy of Sciences to support Bush administration efforts to reform the Clean Air Act’s New.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Senate Narrows Gap in Asbestos Trust Fund
US Senate leaders have significantly narrowed their differences over the size of a proposed multibillion dollar trust fund to resolve legal claims.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Methyl Bromide Waiver Sought
The Bush administration is seeking a waiver in international talks that would allow US agriculture to continue using methyl bromide, a pesticide.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

ImClone Systems Sinks on Second Quarter Results
ImClone Systems Inc.’s stock took a dive last week, based on weaker than anticipated second quarter results. The earnings release coincided with a.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

Eli Lilly Reports Steady Second Quarter Results
Propped up by sales of new products and the steady performance of current blockbusters, Eli Lilly and Company posted a 7 percent increase in.... more
(23 July 2004 20:12)

FTC hearings on PVC modifiers price-fixing
AN INVESTIGATION into the alleged violation of Japan’s anti-monopoly law by Mitsubishi Rayon, Kaneka Corp, and Kureha Chemical is still continuing.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Little support for LG strike
THE workers’ strike at LG-Caltex Oil and labour-union problems at companies in the Yeochun petrochemical complex are unlikely to have a significant.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Ariane buys drugs facility from Wyeth
ARIANE Orgachem has acquired Wyeth Lederle’s bulk-drug manufacturing facility in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, thus adding to its four.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Cadila’s US plans get boost
CADILA Healthcare’s plans to launch its products in the US received a shot in the arm in mid-July when the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) gave.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Specialities roundup
BAYER has agreed to buy Roche’s over-the-counter (OTC) consumer health business for Euro2.38bn (US$2.96bn). The deal, which includes Roche’s.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Making the right move
The Asian olefins industry has been through many changes. This time around, it faces increased price volatility because of the growing influence of.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Market Trends: Phenol sees spike
Benzene leads the aromatics price rally in Asia, but phenol records the sharpest rise. An unplanned shutdown in Korea has a psychological impact on.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Market Trends: Ethylene escalates
C2 prices rise by US$55-75/tonne, supported by limited supply. But butadiene falls to US$995/tonne on increased availability of material from Europe more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

LG-Caltex outage boosts Asian aromatics prices
THE shutdown of LG-Caltex Oil’s refinery on 19 July following labour problems gave fresh impetus to Asian aromatics spot prices. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Phenol price now at 15-year high
ASIAN phenol prices surged by US$200-350/tonne last week to a 15-year high, on soaring benzene costs, strong demand and tight supply. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Benzene costs carry on rising
THERE was no relief in sight for Asian styrene buyers last week as an escalation in benzene costs and tight supply pushed spot styrene past the.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Feedstock costs push up acetone spot prices
SPOT prices of acetone surged by US$20-40/tonne last week to US$800/tonne cfr SEA/China for July shipments on the back of high feedstock costs,.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Spot MEG prices surge
ASIAN monoethylene glycol (MEG) spot prices have surged by US$30/tonne in the past three weeks, driven by high ethylene costs, strong demand from.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Butadiene price drops as Europe ups output
INCREASED butadiene availability in Europe and the US has pushed Asian spot prices below the US$1000/tonne mark. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Ethylene rides spooked market
SPOT ethylene prices galloped to hit US$920/tonne fob SEA and US$913/tonne fob Korea early last week, up US$55-75/tonne from mid-July. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

New Projects Summary
As reported in ACN 19-25 July 2004 more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Blue Star considers PTMEG with Tianjin BDO
CHINA National Blue Star (Group) Corp is considering integrating an earlier announced 25 000 tonne/year 1,4 butanediol (BDO) project in Tianjin,.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

PTT, NPC, Siam Cement in PP jv?
PTT Pcl might form a joint venture with its affiliate, National Petrochemical Co (NPC), and Siam Cement for its propane-dehydrogenation.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

MRC mulls PMMA No 2 in China
MITSUBISHI Rayon Co (MRC) is likely to complete, by the end of this year, a study on the feasibility of a second polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Sipchem plans No 2 methanol plant
SAUDI International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) plans to build a second methanol plant in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, a company official told ACN. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Longpeng to produce PET and PDF in Jiangxi
JIANGXI Longpeng Speciality Polyester Fibre Co is to build a 500 tonne/day (18 000 tonne/year) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre-grade unit.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Jiaozuo plans PVC in 2 phases
JIAOZUO Chemical Power Group is to build facilities for producing 100 000 tonne/year of polyvinyl chloride and 100 000 tonne/year of caustic soda in.... more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Iran’s No 5 Methanol due onstream in April ’06
NATIONAL Petrochemical Co (NPC) is due to bring its No 5 Methanol project onstream in April 2006, said a source close to the project. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Nod for Henan methanol unit
HENAN Zhongyuan Dahua Group Co is to build a 400 000 tonne/year methanol unit in Puyang, Henan, China. more
(23 July 2004 17:36)

Strong demand fuels tanker profit
Strong demand for chemical tankers boosted second-quarter business for Danish logistics group Stolt-Nielsen. more
(21 July 2004 15:17)

Clariant to divest UK firm
Clariant is to sell its Lancaster Synthesis catalogue business unit to Johnson Matthey for some SF32m (€21m/$26m). more
(19 July 2004 14:35)

PA producers dissatisfied with OX drop
European phthalic anhydride (PA) producers admit they are ‘disappointed’ with the quarter three (Q3) orthoxylene (OX) contract price, despite values.... more
(19 July 2004 14:32)

BASF technology centre
BASF, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the city of Ludwigshafen, have signed an agreement that finalises the concept and financing of a chemical.... more
(19 July 2004 14:35)