ICIS - Search Articles by Date : April 21 2003 - April 27 2003

Product profile: Bisphenol A
Demand for BPA has picked up in Q1, mainly driven by strong PC consumption. High growth rates for PC in Asia continue to spur new capacity in the.... more
(24 April 2003 15:04)

New projects summary
Reported in ECN on 31 March and 7, 14, and 21 April more
(25 April 2003 15:53)

Pfizer Offers Solid First Quarter
Pfizer Inc. is one of the few pharma majors to have maintained strong growth in the last 18 months, and the company continued to deliver a solid more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Information Technology Insights: SAP Reshapes Strategy, Offerings
At a time of constrained spending for information technology, the enterprise resource planning (ERP) giant SAP AG is rolling out products and more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

IT In Brief
Wacker Chemie, MCI Team Wacker Chemie GmbH has selected MCI as its primary global communications provider. Under terms of the more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Rhodia's Tirouflet Awaits Fate
Jean-Pierre Tirouflet, Rhodia's chairman and chief executive, will confront hostile shareholders at a crucial annual meeting this week. His more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Russian Oil Companies Yukos, Sibneft Merge
The planned merger of the leading Russian oil companies Yukos and Sibneft, which was announced last week, could lead to an acceleration in the more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Solvay's Polyol Expansion Set for 3Q
Solvay Caprolactones plans to install and commission a new low molecular weight polyol reactor in the third quarter as part of an ongoing more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Specialty Chemicals Post Mixed 1Q Results
Specialty chemical companies' profits are coming in mixed, with strong showings from Ferro, Cabot and Cytec. Despite higher raw material costs, more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Specialties in Brief
POLYLACTIDES It appears that several major Japanese companies are aggressively commercializing plastics and fibers made from polylactides derived more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Symrise Moves Into the Number Four Spot in the F&F Market
The flavors and fragrance (F&F) market is adjusting to the entry of a new player in the form of Symrise, the newly created company comprising more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Rohm and Haas CEO Raj Gupta Optimistic on Industry
Despite an incredible number of challenges, the chemical industry faces a bright future with innovation and targeted globalization leading the way more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Global Economy Offers Mixed Signals
With the situation in Iraq improving, the outlook for the global economy has also improved, but certain key indicators remain troublesome. On more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Specialties Pricing
Atofina Chemicals Inc. will be increasing the price of its peresters by 7 percent and all other organic peroxide products by 5 percent, as of May 1 more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Activists Target the Industry's Use of Persistent Chemicals
A newly formed coalition of environmental activists has launched a campaign aimed at eliminating the use of toxic chemicals that persist in air, more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Wacker Boosts Its Silicone Presence in Eastern Europe
Wacker Chemie GmbH is expanding its activities in Eastern Europe through a long-term cooperation agreement with Moscow-based Penta-91, which will more
(25 April 2003 20:31)

Market trends: Propylene slides
While most olefins come under downward pressure, naphtha strengthens slightly, propped up by stable crude-oil prices more
(25 April 2003 12:32)

Reliance, DuPont link up to develop new products
Reliance Industries Ltd and DuPont have launched a strategic alliance for developing new polyester products more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Reliance results fail to impress
Reliance Industries Ltd's financial performance for the year ended 31 March 2003, which was declared last week, failed to impress many analysts more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

To build or not to build?
That is the question as Europe's mature chemicals industry continues to debottleneck 40-year-old crackers. Hilfra Tandy looks at why a European build.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

The way ahead for Asahimas
Asahimas Chemical's new president director, Takuya Shimamura, has taken over at a difficult time more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Nissho Iwai rebuts claims of financial trouble
Nissho Iwai's posting of an extraordinary consolidated loss of about Yen820m (US$6.94m) for the fiscal year ending March 2003 does not mean the.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Rescue plan for JG Summit put into action
A rescue plan of sorts for JG Summit Petrochemical has been put into action, an industry source told ACN more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Asian chems watch USMTBE
Some petrochemical producers in Asia are watching the MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) situation in California, the US, very closely more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Toray to form R&D centre focusing on biotech and nanotech
Toray Industries is to set up a research institute that will focus on biotechnology and nanotechnology more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

A future driven by bumper growth...
Butadiene producers and their downstream colleagues will be keeping an anxious eye on the fate of the global automobile industry for, as Prema.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Who'll gain from tight market?
With steadily strengthening prices and improved profits, butadiene producers would appear to have plenty to be cheerful about. But as Malini.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Global roundup
China sacked its health minister and Beijing's mayor over the Sars scandal, India's polyester producers were hit by strikes, US Marines left.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Rates stay steady or fall slightly
Freight rates in Asia held steady or decreased slightly over the past month, as winter ended and petrochemical demand in China was less strong than.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Shipping report: Europe opens for C2
Liquids trade out of NEA is practically nil, with confusion as to how Sars will affect shipping activity. For gases, much movement is observed for.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Sars may cause freight rates to rise
Fear of Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) may force an increase in freight rates to some Asian ports in the coming months more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Cheil to expand ABS
Cheil Industries will bring an extra 70 000 tonne/year of ABS onstream in Yosu, South Korea, in early June more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Shell Chems ships US phenol to Asia
Shell Chemicals has, for the first time, started shipping phenol from the US to Asia, industry sources told ACN last week more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

PET makers plan to run plants at 30%
Many Chinese and Taiwanese producers of polyethylene terephthalate fibre chips are planning to cut their operating rates to about 30% from 50% more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Iciic delays n-paraffin, LAB startups
Iran Chemical Industries Investment Co (Iciic) has delayed the startup of its expanded normal-paraffin and linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plants more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Market trends: Phenol slide cushioned
Tight supply in SEA eases price fall caused by the arrival of 30kt of deep-sea cargoes from Europe and the US. Benzene plunges by $40 due to weak.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Market trends: Naphtha still volatile
Naphtha prices continue to fluctuate as producers await an announcement on oil output from Opec. Meanwhile, butadiene prices remain firm on tight.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

New projects summary
As reported in ACN 21-27 April 2003 more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Zhongsan EPS expansion of 50 ktpa planned
Taita Chemical plans to expand its 100 000 tonne/year expandable PS (EPS) plant in Zhongsan, Guangdong, to 150 000 tonne/ year more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

IG Petchems studies DOP/DINP unit in Taloja, Maharashtra
IG Petrochemicals is conducting a study on the construction of a dioctyl phthalate (DOP)/di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) swing plant in Taloja, Raigad more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Taita Chem targets Tianjin EPS
Taita Chemical plans to produce 200 000 tonne/year of expandable PS (EPS) in Tianjin, China, in two stages more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

LGI and Oman Oil lead in race for TOC's EG project
LG International (LGI) and Oman Oil have emerged as the favourites to partner Thai Olefins Co (TOC) in the latter's ethylene glycol (EG) project more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

IPCL plans C2 debottlenecking and first PIB unit in Baroda
Indian Petrochemicals Corp Ltd (IPCL) plans to raise the capacity of its naphtha cracker in Baroda, Gujarat, India more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Kyowa mulls solvents jv and expansions
Kyowa Yuka is considering building a solvents plant in China and expanding its solvents capacity in Yokkaichi, Japan more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

LCY plans IPA, TPE expansions
Lee Chang Yung Chemical (LCY) is planning to debottleneck its 60 000 tonne/year isopropyl alcohol (IPA) plant in Linyuan, Taiwan more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Qilu to raise lldPE, styrene capacities
Qilu Petrochemical has decided to expand its lldPE and styrene plants in Zibo, Shandong, China more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Rohm and Haas: Different strokes
A quick glance at the position Rohm and Haas occupies in the product chain might leave one with the impression that the Philadelphia-based US major.... more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Rohm and Haas: Poised for a bigger role
Eight years after its return to India, Rohm & Haas is poised to ramp up its presence in the country more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Rohm and Haas: Changing with the times
One of the key ingredients in Rohm and Haas' recipe for success is its ability to re-invent itself when occasion demands more
(25 April 2003 16:18)

Rohm and Haas: A strong focus on Asia
When Rohm and Haas acquired Acima, a Swiss biocides company, in 2000, no one would have foreseen that its customer base would very soon extend to Asia more
(25 April 2003 16:18)