ICIS - Search Articles by Date : June 21 2004 - June 27 2004

BASF stays on track for streamlining plastics arm
BASF is continuing to streamline its plastics operations towards the group target of earning capital costs in all businesses, John Feldmann, managing.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Blackstone offers sweeter deal
US private equity group Blackstone has sweetened the deal for Celanese shareholders who have not yet tendered their shares. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Sigma-Aldrich Buys Tetrionics
Sigma-Aldrich Corp. has acquired Tetrionics, a Madison, Wis.-based manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). more
(25 June 2004 18:15)

Lanxess Prepared to Meet Changing Market
At a recent meeting of the Chemi-cal Marketing and Economics Group at the Chemists’ Club in New York, Elie Saad, director of functional chemicals for.... more
(25 June 2004 18:15)

Specialties Pricing
BASF will increase its off-list selling prices in the US for dimethylaminopropylamine by 3c. per pound and for polyetheramine products by 10c. per.... more
(25 June 2004 18:15)

Petrochemicals in Brief
BTX US spot benzene prices surged to record highs last week on the back of a run-up in European pricing. June spot deals were completed as high as.... more
(25 June 2004 18:15)

Reliance buys fibres firm
German speciality polyester fibres maker Trevira, spun off from Hoechst in 1998, is being sold by Deutsche Bank-backed private equity group DB.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Thermphos in top league
Thermphos, which announced last week a definitive agreement with Rhodia to buy its European speciality phosphates activities, will move into the.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Workforce cut in restructure
Symrise, the new German fragrances and flavours company, is to shed another 420 to 500 jobs and close some production sites in Germany and North.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

PKN Orlen joins Unipetrol board
Two delegates from Polish oil refining and petrochemicals company PKN Orlen have been elected to the supervisory board of Unipetrol, the Czech energy.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Business in brief
Raised profits US-based Kerr-McGee, the world’s third largest maker of titanium dioxide, has raised its second quarter profit guidance from.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

DDE settles price-fixing suit
US synthetic rubber supplier DuPont Dow Elastomers (DDE) has settled a civil suit brought against it over alleged price-fixing in the polychloroprene.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Cracker plan for Qatar
ExxonMobil’s chemicals sub­sidiary has agreed with Qatar Petroleum to explore the feasibility of building a world-scale ethane cracker and.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Fungicides on slide
Crop protection chemicals sales in France fell in 2003 for the third year running as the industry battled with bad weather, low investment and.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Huntsman refinances bank debt
The struggling US chemicals group Huntsman has completed a $400m bond issue aimed at re-financing its bank debt. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Israeli firm has big growth plan
The Israel-based agrochemicals manufacturer Makhteshim-Agan has announced plans to grow by almost 9% a year for the next five years, taking turnover.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Raisio increases dividend payout
The Finnish firm Raisio has announced it cleared a profit of €220m from the sale of its paper chemicals arm to Ciba. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Biotechnology sites to expand
Roche has announced plans for a massive expansion to its biotech manufacturing capability. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Sanofi buy-out delayed again
Sanofi-Synthélabo has again postponed the closing date of its €54bn bid for Franco-German drugs firm Aventis. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Finnish group unveils growth strategy
Finnish chemicals group Kemira is nearing the end of a reorganisation and divestment phase and plans to accelerate the pace of growth in its four.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Are EU petchems in the doldrums?
Some news is good news, at least. The European Commission’s decision to allow individual state subsidies for the much-needed propylene pipeline.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

People on the move
BASF   Barry Stickings Barry Stickings, chairman of BASF, has been appointed a Commander of the British.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

25 years ago
ECN 25 June 1979 more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

BASF aids fund to reduce emissions
BASF says it is participating in the World Bank’s Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF). more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

GM protesters are nabbed by UK police
Greenpeace protesters who forced their way on board a ship which they believed was carrying GM cargo have been arrested by UK police. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Report highlights ‘orphan’ chemicals in HPV challenge
Around 10% of eligible chemicals in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s high production volume (HPV) challenge have not been sponsored by their.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Environment in brief
Trading emissions An independent study commissioned by consultancy group LogicaCMG has found that 36% of European companies affected by the.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Univar adds EU layering
John Baker talks to Paul Symmons about the latest initiatives at Univar in its efforts to become more service-focused along the supply chain and to.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

ECN Innovate for growth: Last chance to enter!
The end of June is the official deadline for the ECN ‘Innovate for Growth’ award more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Campaign: How reinvention helps Dow Corning
Celebrating 60 years of key developments in the chemical industry, Dow Corning attributes its longevity to its special attitude towards product.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Safe and simpler
Reach and road safety were high on the list of topics discussed at the FECC annual meeting. Michael Gordon reports on how delegates also highlighted.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Sigma-Aldrich buys Tetrionics
US-based fine chemicals company Sigma-Aldrich has acquired compatriot firm Tetrionics, a manufacturer of high potency active ingredients based in.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Hovione in pharma deal
  Portuguese pharmaceutical fine chemicals firm Hovione (key facility in Loures pictured right) and US.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Report sees market growth
US demand for pesticide active ingredients is expected to grow by about 1.3%/year to $8.1bn in 2008, according to a report issued by The Freedonia.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Xenova gains UK approval
UK-based Xenova Group has received a key authorisation for its clinical trials manufacturing facility (CTMF) in Cambridge. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Fine chemicals in brief
Biopharma audit German biopharma company Evotec OAI has announced a successful combined general GMP audit and FDA pre-­approval.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Polymer hub opens
SpecialChem has relaunched the failed Omnexus polymer industry e-business hub as an innovations and solutions website for the plastics and rubber.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

SNTG alters structure to sharpen competitive edge
Newly appointed chief executive officer of Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group (SNTG), Otto Fritzner, has announced organisational changes to the.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

ISPS deadline may be missed
The IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos has said he expects the majority of vessels liable to the International Ship and Port Facility.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Logistics in brief
Flame retardants Speciality chemicals manufacturer Albemarle is to market antimony trioxide from China Antimony Chemicals in the US. .... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Players chase price hikes
Severe feedstock cost pressures are pushing adipic acid producers to seek higher European prices from July onwards. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Volatility/supply head concerns
Raw materials are currently a key issue for phenol and acetone markets. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Squeeze is on
Styrene markets remain under intense pressure from surges in feedstock costs. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

ECH contract hike for Q3
Increases of up to €100/tonne are being targeted for third quarter (Q3) epichlorohydrin (ECH) contracts, despite buyers claiming that supply/demand.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Research reveals growth aids
Cost, performance, recycling and environmental issues have become the main drivers of the flexible polymers market and must be harnessed by companies.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Asia Monitor: Crude surge makes market soar
Record crude prices pushed benzene to new heights of over $700/tonne fob Korea. This in turn boosted styrene and toluene prices. Paraxylene remained.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

TDI price given hopeful push
Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) producers are struggling to lift prices in Europe. more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Markets in brief
Resins prices up DSM Coating Resins is aiming to increase the prices of its liquid polyester coating resins by 5-7% from 15 July. This is due.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Market Trends: Benzene rockets on tight supply
Benzene numbers soared $120/tonne to $1020-1050/tonne as production issues tightened availability. Paraxylene prices slipped due to low demand for.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)

Port seeks investors
Brazil’s Port of Suape is seeking to attract petrochemicals investment to a new 1200 ha complex located alongside a new refinery being built in the.... more
(25 June 2004 15:37)