ICIS - Search Articles by Date : September 23 2002 - September 29 2002

2001: the industry's worst year yet?
It may be hard to recall, but chemical producers enjoyed exceptionally strong sales growth in 2000 more
(23 September 2002 17:27)

Route to success
UK methacrylates producer Lucite aims to expand its interests in acrylic resins and polymers and has focused on improving the manufacture of MMA..... more
(23 September 2002 17:27)

Budget rule is hard to swallow
France's pharmaceutical industry has criticised government plans to reduce the country's social security deficit by cutting the cost of medicines more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

MOL extends option to buy
Hungary's MOL has extended an option to buy an 8.02% stake in its petrochemical subsidiary TVK from the Hungarian Foreign Trade Bank more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Oman Oil looks out for partner
Oman Oil is seeking a partner for a new ethylene cracker and associated polyethylene plant in Sohar more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Saudis may go solo
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Saudi Arabia's gas initiative, the kingdom would be prepared to go it alone to get the petrochemical projects off.... more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Construction plans penned in for 2003
The building of Shell Chemicals' joint venture petrochemical complex in China is likely to start early next year, according to local reports more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Board management is tightened
Great Lakes Chemical is tightening up its governance measures in advance of new regulations designed to avert corporate accounting scandals more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Bayer expects sale this year
Bayer remains on track to divest its household insecticides business by the end of the year more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Dow pre-empts peak with second PET line build
Dow Europe is planning to build a 175 000 tonne/year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production facility at its integrated site in Schkopau, Germany more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

EVC foresees consolidation
Europe's largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer EVC predicts the PVC market is ripe for further consolidation - and that this will come over the.... more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

News in brief
Top man resigns Oxford GlycoScience's chief financial officer has resigned amid soaring first half losses. The UK biotechnology firm reported.... more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Tighter supply could lift prices
European oxo-alcohol producers continue to push for higher prices into the export markets for October more
(27 September 2002 13:30)

Producers struggle in low profitability scenario
Consultant James Mills asked delegates at Tecnon Orbichem's Petchem 2002 conference: 'Why make glycols?' more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Synetix buy will make Johnson Matthey No 2
ICI is selling its catalyst business, Synetix, to Johnson Matthey for £260m ($404m) in cash, netting £210m after tax and other costs are taken out more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Clariant divests emulsions
Clariant, the Swiss speciality and fine chemicals company, is to sell its European emulsions and global emulsion powders business to Germany's.... more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Poor upkeep blamed for fire
A report by French consultancy Cidecos-Conseil claims the Atofina subsidiary Grande Paroisse contributed to last September's fatal explosion at its.... more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Polish PKN moves on rival refinery
Polish oil and chemicals group PKN Orlen says it is ready to purchase a 25% stake in state-owned refining rival Rafineria Gdanska more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

Lovochemie is afloat
Czech fertiliser producer Lovochemie predicts it will end the year with similar results to last year, despite the effects of the country's recent.... more
(27 September 2002 16:59)

The New Cambrex Umbrella
Cambrex, having added an impressive list of US and European fine chemicals and biologics companies during the last decade, is ready to integrate more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

BASF Launches SM/PO Venture
BASF South East Asia, a subsidiary of BASF AG, and Shell Eastern Petroleum Ltd. last week officially launched its 50/50 joint venture styrene more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

LG and Honam to Bid Jointly on Hyundai
Two South Korean companies, LG Chem Ltd., a leading chemical manufacturer, and Honam Petro-chemical Corp., have agreed to form a consortium to more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

BASF Declares Force Majeure Following Caprolactam Outage
BASF Corp. has declared force majeure to its nylon customers in North America as a result of a railcar explosion and fire that damaged a more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Business In Brief
Rohm and Haas to Build Lab Rohm and Haas Automotive Coatings broke ground on a $12 million to $15 million technical research center in Lansing, more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Petrochemicals In Brief
Acetone The epoxy products and intermediates business of Dow Chemical Company will increase the list and off-list price of acetone by 6c. per more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Cambrex Transformation to Pure-Play Life Science Company on Track
Well on its way to becoming a pure-play life science manufacturer, Cambrex Corp. is busy adding platforms and technologies to fill out its new more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Celanese Moves Its Acetyls Downstream
Celanese has moved its acetyls business further downstream with an agreement to acquire Clariant's Euro-pean emulsions and global emulsion powders more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Breaking News Roundup
Bayer Starts Spanish PHBS Production Bayer AG has officially launched its new production unit for p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBS) manufacture at its more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Ciba Aims for Leadership in the UV Skin Care Market
Jockeying to become a leading player in the skin care sector for ultra-violet (UV) sun-protection products only a few years after entering the more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Polyethylene Market Begins to Level Off As Price Increase Is Split Over Two Months
The market for polyethylene is slowing after a very strong first half. Producers and analysts still predict robust growth for 2002 that should more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Fine Chemical Producers React To Slowing Market Conditions
This year and next are expected to be transition years as the top custom players wait for market conditions to improve. Cynthia Challener reports. more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Pricing Challenges for Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals
The traditional supplier-customer relationship between pharmaceutical and fine chemical/custom manufacturers is altered by a more competitive pricing.... more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

EC Detergents Proposal Draws a Mixed Response
The European detergents industry has given a mixed response to a Euro-pean Commission (EC) proposal for a new regulation on detergents that more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Dow Chemical Wins Favorable Ruling From Minnesota Jury
Dow Chemical Company has won a favorable decision in a Minnesota court in an asbestos-related lawsuit. Its subsidiary Union Carbide was being sued more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Dow Europe to Build 385 MM Pound PET Train
Dow Europe GmbH plans to build a second world-scale PET production train at its Buna Sow Leuna Olefinver-bund site in Schkopau, Germany. more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

EVC International Reports Profit
EVC International, the European market leader in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), reported improved results in the first half of this year with the help more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

New FDA Commissioner Nominated
President George W. Bush last week nominated a health care economist, Mark McClellan, to become commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Chemical Stocks Take Their Lumps As Wall Street Tempers Optimism
Warning from Rohm and Haas darkens mood and stocks tumble across the board. Joseph Chang reports. more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Generics Makers React to Brand-Name Pharma Campaign
Generics drugmakers are calling on the brand-name pharmaceutical industry to halt its campaign opposing legislation that is designed to reduce more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

API Manufacturing for Generics Rises to the Top
Strong demand and European legislative reform top the generics agenda. Patricia Van Arnum reports. more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

DuPont Settles Asbestos; Carbide to Fight
DuPont said last Tuesday that it would continue defending against pending asbestos liability lawsuits despite settling a major combined suit in a more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Low Returns Send Soda Ash Prices Up
Occasional periods of tightness have added variety to a generally balanced North American soda ash market, though the situation could change more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Gas Prices Go Up Despite Low Operating Rates
Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Praxair and other major players in the industrial gas industry have been pushing through significant price more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Barr to Fight FDA Nolvadex Ruling
Barr Laboratories Inc. has encountered a hurdle in its race to market a generic version of AstraZeneca PLC (AZ)'s breast cancer drug Nolvadex more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Valsynthese Chooses ISC and Invests in Chemfinet
Valsynthese, the custom manufacturing subsidiary of the Societe Suisse des Explosifs (SSE), has appointed International Specialty Chemicals (ISC) more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Watch
AVENTIS SA reports that a district court in Michigan has granted preliminary approval to a $110 million settlement in multidistrict antitrust more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Lonza Supports Its Strategic Shift With More Investments
Lonza Group Ltd.'s mammoth invest-ment of roughly SFr 550 million ($330 million) in the life sciences arena serves a number of needs. On the more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Multibase/Dow Corning Debut New Elastomers
A new series of high performance thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are being introduced to the market by Multibase. Trademarked TPSiV (an acronym for more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

Biodiesel Legislation Could Trigger A Major Expansion for Glycerine
European glycerine producers are trying to stop the European Union (EU) from subsidizing glycerine production by tax using incentives to encourage more
(27 September 2002 21:34)

News In Brief
Plants Close on Isidore Fears Chemical and industrial plants in St. Charles Parish, La., went into a precautionary shutdown in advance of more
(27 September 2002 21:34)