ICIS - Search Articles by Date : February 20 2006 - February 26 2006

Johnson Matthey to build catalysts
JOHNSON MATTHEY has announced plans to build an emissions catalyst plant in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Limit to Chinese polyolefins demand
THE GENERAL assumption that China will be a never-ending sink for global polyolefins is wrong, according to Yves Bonte, senior Vice President Sales.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Egypt ups urea exports
EGYPTIAN FERTILIZER producers have begun to export increased quantities of urea in 2006, following massive imports in 2005, according to industry.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Chinese currency to continue gradual climb
CHINA’S POLICY for the revaluation of its currency is not expected to change drastically in 2006 and an appreciation of only 2–3% can be expected.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Ethylene market to get tighter
ASIAN ETHYLENE markets face their tightest year yet, with an estimated production loss of 2.8 million tons in 2006, due to a heavy turnaround.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Yansab soars after IPO
SHARES IN Yanbu National Petrochemical Co. (Yansab), an affiliate of Saudi Arabia state-owned major Sabic, soared well above its initial public.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Qatar to drive GTL base oils production
QATAR WILL be the main driver for the manufacture of gas-to-liquids (GTL) base oils, with the potential production of over 50,000 barrels per day in.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

COSMETICS GO NANO
Nanotechnology is slowly invading the face of the skin-care market. Major cosmetic manufacturer Beiersdorf AG recently invested in a new joint.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Tetra Tech invests $100M in fluids
TETRA TECHNOLOGIES Inc. plans to invest $100 million to develop brine resources around Magnolia, Ark. The company plans to add brine production.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

IN BRIEF News Watch
CAMBREX 4Q NET FALLS Cambrex Corp. posted a 22% decline in underlying fourth quarter earnings to $3.8 million on 3% higher sales of $121 million..... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Engelhard may open its books
ENGELHARD HAS provided BASF with a confidentiality agreement in response to BASF’s request for nonpublic information in its takeover attempt. The.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Plant security bill likely dead for 2006
PROSPECTS FOR passage this year of a chemical plant site security bill appear increasingly dim. more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

DuPont and Syngentain crop tech exchange
SYNGENTA AND DuPont have entered into a crop protection product exchange agreement where Syngenta will receive the global license to DuPont’s new.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Huntsman sells butadiene unit
Huntsman Corp. will sell its US butadiene and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) business to Texas Petrochemicals for $275 million. The sale, which.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

Rising gas pricescost producers $10B
The natural gas crisis has cost the North American chemical industry almost $10 billion over the past two years, according to Greg Babe, president.... more
(25 February 2006 11:07)

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“As an industry we want and must be part of the solution” Peter Elverding, ceo of DSM speaking about Saicm. more
(20 February 2006 15:46)

GPS SUPPORT IS STRONG
The GPS has strong backing from the chemical industry. Speaking at the ICCA launch, Alain Perroy, ICCA Council secretary and Cefic director general,.... more
(20 February 2006 11:16)

Methanol high on tight supply
Despite the prospect of increased low-cost production and the impending downturn in US methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), the global methanol market.... more
(20 February 2006 11:16)

Rail4Chem steams into France
German’s Rail4Chem has secured the necessary approvals to operate in France. The authorisation granted on 8 February makes it the first foreign rail.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

Fuelling the future
High oil prices have finally pushed biofuels into the limelight. Can today’s technology give us affordable fuels from sustainable sources? Helen.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

MARKET TRENDS: Energy drop bursts price bubble
Weaker crude and gasoline sees aromatics slide. Ethylene prices reach ¤1000/tonne as the market tightens on production outages more
(20 February 2006 10:17)

WTSA ups its US-Asia rates
Steady demand for chemicals has prompted a hike in shipping rates from the US to Asia after a year of price erosion. more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

NEW PROJECTS REPORTED IN ICIS CHEMICAL BUSINESS 13-19 FEBRUARY 2006
Company Product Capacity Process Contractor Cost Startup Status Al-Baha Company of Caustic.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

EC agrees compromise on drivers’ working conditions
The European Parliament and Council have reached a compromise agreement on controversial proposals for drivers’ rest time and digital tachographs. more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

BASF: Energy efficiency through ‘Verbund’
Around 90% of the power needed to run the 200 plants at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site is self-generated. Dede Williams finds out how this remarkable feat.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

US chemical sales buoyant
Chemtura, Cytec Industries and Arch Chemicals in the US achieved large increases in sales in 2005, but whereas Arch Chemicals saw a leap in operating.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

FoE condemns Reach
Marking the fifth anniversary of the launch of the European Commission’s white paper on the Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy, Reach, Friends of.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

Dow goes regional in reorganisation
Dow Chemical has re-organised activities outside North America in a move that will sharpen its focus on region-specific issues. more
(20 February 2006 15:26)

MARKETS DATA BANK
Prices contained in this magazine are gathered by various ICIS sources through consultation with producers, consumers and traders across Europe and.... more
(20 February 2006 09:52)

IN BRIEF Environment Watch
KYOTO MOU BETWEEN JAPAN AND BULGARIA more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

IN BRIEF Innovations
BLUE GENE PROGRESS more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

GIBSON’S GRAPEVINE
EUROPEAN TDI IS ON ITS WAY UP TO LOFTY HEIGHTS more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

IN BRIEF Markets Watch
CAPROLACTAM UP 15% more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

IN BRIEF Project Watch
POLYMER HUB ON THE CARDS AT HARYANA more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

US chemical imbalance
The US trade deficit for most major chemical products increased sharply in 2005, according to the latest figures released by the US Department of.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

EU INSIDER
POOR EU REGIONS NEED TO FOCUS ON INNOVATION more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

IN BRIEF Europe Watch
KEMIRA PROFITS DROP more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

MIDDLE EAST VIEW
MID-EAST PETCHEM INVESTMENT BOOM ON CARDS? more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

IN BRIEF Asia Watch
PETROCHINA COUNTS COST OF ACCIDENTS more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

WALL STREET VIEWPOINT
CAUSTIC MARKET IS BECOMING MORE BALANCED more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

IN BRIEF Americas Watch
PETROQUIMICA UNIAO SEES EARNINGS DROP more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

THE WORLD THIS WEEK
CLARIANT BID RUMOURS more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

COMMENT - A Brussels pas de deux?
The image of Nellie Kroes and Andris Piebalgs performing a ‘pas de deux’ is a sight to conjure with! But this is just what Kroes, Europe’s.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

People on the move
STEPHEN NEWLIN is the new chairman, president and ceo of PolyOne, the global polymer compounding and North American distributor. Newlin was formerly.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

5-MINUTE PROJECT WATCH
ADM/METABOLIX MOVE INTO PRODUCTION more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

5-MINUTE MARKET WATCH
REFINERY FIRE PUTS HEAT ON PS OUTPUT more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

New Finndisp Moscow plant
Finndisp, the Russian subsidiary of Finland’s Forcit, is building a dispersions facility southeast of Moscow. The new output will strengthen Forcit’s.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

Basell secures catalysis unit from Akzo Nobel
Basell is shoring up its access to catalyst supplies with the purchase of Akzo Nobel’s $60m-turnover polymerisation catalysts and components business.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

Advansa says Portuguese PTA project is possible
Advansa is considering constructing a 700 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant in Sines, Portugal, reports ICIS news. The company.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)

BASF gets green kudos
BASF has been included in the Global 100 list of the most successful companies in environmental protection and social and corporate governance.... more
(20 February 2006 09:39)