ICIS - Search Articles by Date : February 21 2005 - February 27 2005

Product Profile: Polyacrylamide
After a weak 2001, demand for polyacrylamide is rising and strong growth may lead to short supply if extra capacity is not installed more
(22 February 2005 17:12)

Global base oils thrive on capacity announcements
The global base oils market underwent a ‘year of great change’ in 2004, according to Stephen Ames, managing director of SBA Consulting. more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Petrochemicals in Brief
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. will implement a global price increase of 6c. per pound effective March 1. The products inlcude ethylamines including.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

Olefins Pricing May Be Peaking
Although demand for olefins remains steady, some producers are concerned that prices may be peaking as the first signs of a falloff in demand appear.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

Pharmaceuticals in Brief
COX-2 Drugs A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has recommended that Pfizer’s Celebrex and Bextra remain on the market. more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

Acquisitions to Put Sandoz at Top of the Generics Heap
In a deal that could set off a new wave of M&A activity in the generic drug industry, Novartis will pay roughly $8.5 billion to capture Lake Success,.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

IT Insights: Zilliant Finds Its Niche in Pricing Optimization Software
Price optimization or price management software is a growing niche in enterprise-wide applications. These applications provide tools to effectively.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

Sabanci Buys Out DuPont Nylon Joint Venture for $110 Million
Haci Omer Sabanci Holding AS (Sabanci Holding) will acquire DuPont’s 50 percent share of DuPont-Sabanci International LLC (DuSA) for $110 million. more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

Sankyo and Daiichi Consider Merger
Faced with an intensely competitive market both domestically and abroad, Japanese pharmaceutical companies are joining forces for the sake of.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

Wall Street Gains Confidence in Chemicals
Analysts are reiterating “buy” ratings and upping profit forecasts for a number of chemical companies as tight supply-demand fundamentals increase.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

NPRA Urges Supply-Driven Energy Policy
The petrochemical industry is urging Congress to pass comprehensive energy legislation that includes “long overdue” provisions to increase supplies.... more
(25 February 2005 20:28)

LG shares ‘good value for money’
SOVEREIGN Asset Management’s purchase of a 5.7% stake in LG Electronics and a 5.5 % stake in LG Corp is probably a pure investment decision, an.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

HPL keen to back Basell bid
HALDIA Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) has shown interest in financially supporting the Chatterjee investment group in bidding for Basell Polyolefins, even.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

LG Vina aims for $30m sales
THE only dioctyl phthalate (DOP) producer in Vietnam, LG Vina Chemical, is targeting a turnover of US$30m in 2005, an 11% increase from last year,.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

An unfulfilled dream
ACN looks at important dates in the development of PetroVietnam’s refinery and petrochemical projects over the last ten years more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Future hopes
PetroVietnam is drawing up plans for a third refinery in the south of Vietnam. But will this venture fare any better than its Nos 1 and 2 refinery.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Change of pace...
... is needed if Vietnam is to tap the potential of its plastics industry. Experts are predicting a rapid rise in demand for plastics, especially for.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Market Trends: Toluene is bullish
Most aromatics see a price rise, but for different reasons. Benzene surges on the back of US values, while styrene reacts to high benzene costs more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Market Trends: C2 rises by $100
Strong demand and tight supply lead to an ethylene price hike. Market sentiment for propylene and methanol is upbeat, and ammonia continues to.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Polymer Trends: PS soars on styrene
PS prices follow styrene upwards, but buyers are delaying purchases until the market is less volatile. HdPE producers report negative margins more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

PVC set to rise in peak season
ASIAN polyvinyl chloride (PVC) prices were expected to increase by US$50-60/tonne to US$950-970/tonne cfr China in the coming two months on the back.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Is butadiene deal a one-off?
TIGHT supply boosted sentiment in butadiene markets, but the question on everyone’s mind last week was: will Chinese customers accept the high offers? more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

C2 shortage pushes prices up
IT WAS good news for Asian cracker operators last week, as ethylene and propylene markets continued their run on tight supply, ahead of the.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

EPS soars, but margins low
ASIAN expandable polystyrene (EPS) prices are expected to continue rising on the back of surging styrene costs. However, producers are facing.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Daqing may expand methanol
DAQING Oilfield Methanol Plant is considering expanding its 200 000 tonne/year methanol plant in Daqing, Heilongjiang, China, said a company source. more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Japan Energy conducts study on expansion
JAPAN Energy Corp is considering increasing its aromatics capacity, according to company sources. more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

More aromatics for Thai Oil
THAI Oil Pcl is considering building facilities to produce benzene and toluene in Sriracha, Cholburi, Thailand, industry sources told ACN. more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

A tale of two PTA projects
MAKING comparisons is a part of human nature – and it is not that different in the petrochemicals industry. more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Kureha China PVDC in October
KUREHA Chemical is to start commercial production at its 10 000 tonne/year polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) project in Nantong, Jiangsu, China, in.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Urea, chlor-alkali in Qinghai
QINGHAI Salt Lake Potash Co is to build a 330 000 tonne/year urea facility and a 120 000 tonne/year chlor-alkali plant in Geermu, Qinghai, China, a.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Reliance mulls C2 options
RELIANCE Industries is looking to expand its presence in the ethylene chain using the most economic feedstock, said Nikhil Meswani, executive.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

LGPI to expand PS, EPS facilities
LG POLYMERS India (LGPI), a subsidiary of LG Chem, plans to double the capacity of its 80 000 tonne/year polystyrene (PS) plant and increase the.... more
(25 February 2005 18:24)

Markets in brief
Ciba increase Ciba Specialty Chemicals has announced global price increases of up to 15% for its range of water, paper and detergent chemicals..... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Market Trends: Ethylene caught in downward spiral
Ongoing logistical problems in the ARA region and low derivative demand are compounding the problem. Meanwhile benzene is boosted by high crude.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Neste, Kemira distribution deal
Finland’s Neste Marketing and Kemira GrowHow will cooperate on the sale and distribution of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) products. more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Comedy of errors caused Attilio Ievoli to run aground
Human error, poor bridge management and a mobile phone all contributed to the grounding of the Attilio Ievoli in the Solent, off England’s south.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Regular freight service plans
German rail freight companies Transpetrol and Rail4Chem are cooperating closely to run a regular service between Antwerp-Noord, Duisburg-Rheinhausen.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Shipbreaking meeting ‘failure’
Greenpeace condemned a United Nations meeting on shipbreaking this month as an ‘utter failure’. more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Year-on-year gain for Univar
Netherlands-based distributor Univar says preliminary unaudited results for 2004 show a year-on-year improvement. more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

People on the move
Honeywell Honeywell has hired Bernard Pellereau as its new European president for speciality materials. Coming from Huntsman Petrochemical, where.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

20 years ago
ECN 25 February 1985 more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Paint the town red
Substantial investment has lifted the lid off the Russian paint sector. Local manufacturers are mixing with Finnish, German and Turkish companies,.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Patently outdated
Western companies are reluctant to participate in Russia’s patent system, despite changes in Russian patent law that present many official avenues to.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Russia beckons
Air Products is taking its first step into Russia, supplying an air separation unit for a float glass facility. John Baker looks at how further.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Sara Lee challenges BEUC air freshener toxicity claims
Following the publication of a press release last year by Europe’s consumer body BEUC, US-based consumer products company Sara Lee has produced its.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Nokia inspects product impact
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has completed its first report looking at the environmental impact of its products. more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Study warns of perfume risks
A study published by environmental NGO Greenpeace claims that wearing perfume exposes humans to chemicals that can enter the body, are not easily.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Environment in brief
Mercury pollution Environmental NGOs including Greenpeace and the European Environmental Bureau are urging governments to take action against.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)

Serono plans for tenfold biotech plant expansion
Swiss biotechnology company Serono is planning nearly a tenfold capacity expansion at its Biotech Centre (SBC) in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland,.... more
(25 February 2005 18:20)