ICIS - Search Articles by Date : April 25 2005 - May 01 2005

The good times are here
Chemical industry profits this year and next look set to break all records on the back of the current upcycle. However, now is the time to plan for.... more
(26 April 2005 12:40)

The dukes of hazard
With fresh ADR regulations about to come into effect, many firms dealing with hazardous chemicals have been concerned. Enter The Hazchem Network,.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Jobs and People
Lou Gayo more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Genzyme is upbeat on Myozyme data
Genzyme’s corner on the niche market for drugs to treat lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) appears to be strengthening. Last week, the company.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Schering-Plough in turnaround
Schering-Plough Corp. enjoyed its second consecutive quarter of sales growth after a protracted period of decline. First-quarter net income came in.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Richard Falkenrath pushes for security legislation
Voluntary efforts by the chemical industry to enhance the security of its facilities are a step in the right direction, but comprehensive federal.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

PotashCorp posts record earnings
Continued growth in potash prices and margins has resulted in record earnings for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. The company posted a quarterly.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Price movements
Price changes by company more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Chemical profile: Polychloroprene
US ProducerCapacity*DuPont Dow, Laplace, La.45DuPont Dow, Louisville, Ky.55Totall00 more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

US, EU seek to reconcile accounting rules
Move opens door for more cross-border filings. Patricia Van Arnum reports more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 raises concerns
The cost of compliance to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is a major concern among the CEOs of US-based companies, and business leaders are.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

NAM pushes for asbestos trust fund
US manufacturers told a Senate panel last week that a trust fund-based solution to the ongoing “asbestos litigation scandal” would help spur.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

R&D tax credit bill introduced
A member of the House tax writing committee has introduced bipartisan legislation to extend and make permanent the research and development (R&D) tax.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Industry welcomes House energy bill
Chemical industry officials are welcoming House passage of comprehensive energy legislation as a needed step toward enacting a balanced energy.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Greenwood asks industry to lead policy development
Calling biotechnology the “single most transformational human endeavor in our history,” James Greenwood, the new president of the Biotechnology.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

Genentech sees upside on Herceptin results
Shares of Genentech Inc. were up as much as 8 percent last week after the company said new data suggest its drug Herceptin(trastuzumab) lowers the.... more
(29 April 2005 20:38)

New porjects summary
Reported in ACN 25 April-1 May 2005 more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Yangzi prefers new cracker to expansion
Yangzi Petrochemical would rather build a new 600 000 tonne/year cracker than expand its 650 000 tonne/year cracker in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

LG ‘to keep battery business’
Even though it suffered a significant loss in its battery business in the final quarter of 2004, LG Chem is unlikely to give up the business more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Guarniflon to set up subsidiary in India
Italian engineering plastics major Guarniflon SPA is to set up a wholly owned subsidiary in India. The subsidiary, Guarniflon India (GI), will set up.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Taiwan PVC up, MEG down
Taiwan’s monoethylene glycol (MEG) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producers look headed in opposite directions in terms of profitability more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Specialities Roundup
Clariant has signed a joint-venture deal to produce high-performance organic pigments at a new plant in Hangzhou, near Shanghai, China. However,.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Hitachi: demand to rise in October
Hitachi Chemical expects demand for its electronic chemicals to start increasing around the beginning of the second half of the 2005 financial year.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Making the same old mistake?
THE language might be different, but the end result could well turn out to be exactly the same: petrochemical oversupply leading to a price slump.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Building for the future?
In a bid to boost competitiveness, South Korean companies are planning cracker expansions. Malini Hariharan finds out if the projects are justified more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Jiutai relocates methanol project
Shandong Jiutai Chemical Co has relocated its integrated methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) project to Erdos, Inner Mongolia, China more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Siam Cement to decide on C2 at year-end
Siam Cement will decide on its next phase of investment at the end of this year, according to a source close to the company more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Jindal to double BOPP capacity
Jindal Poly Films is to build a 45 000 tonne/year biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film unit in Khanvel, in the Union Territory of Dadra &.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Indian spot ammonia markets hit deadlock
Indian spot ammonia markets had come to a standstill last week, as customers were awaiting the outcome of ongoing phosphoric acid contract.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Is history repeating itself?
Learning from past mistakes is not a virtue with which the petrochemical industry is overly endowed more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

EPS prices fall steeply in China
Asian producers were expecting Chinese demand for expandable polystyrene (EPS) to remain weak in the coming weeks owing to volatile feedstock costs.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

MDI producers target $100 price increase
Asian methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate (MDI) producers were last week optimistic that an anticipated increase in Chinese demand during mid-Q2 2005.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Styrene crashes
Styrene falls steeply, while toluene and benzene fluctuate wildly. Paraxylene slips on lacklustre Chinese demand, while phenol continues to soften more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Ethylene weakens
Mexican C2 cargoes and oversupply in China weaken market sentiment. Propylene, butadiene, and methanol also soften. But MTBE is stable more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Global Roundup
China issued a trade warning to the EU, and BASF said it agreed to sell its North American polystyrene business to Ineos in the week 22–28 April..... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Fresh offensive dims peace hopes
HOPES of an early settlement of the ownership struggle at Reliance Industries are fast fading after an outburst by Anil Ambani, the vice-chairman of.... more
(28 April 2005 14:13)

Orthoxylene
Prices have been high due to strong energy costs but demand remains lacklustre in a low growth market more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

A taxing subject
Biodiesel does not pay – so governments do. Even with crude oil prices sky high, biodiesel costs about half again as much to produce as mineral.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

20 years ago
ECN 6 May 1985 more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

People on the move
Celanese Celanese has made three key appointments to its senior management team in Dallas, Texas, US. These include Curtis Shaw as corporate.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

New projects summary
As reported in on ECN 21 and 28 March 2005 more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Producers unable to bolster prices
Polymer sellers have been unable to achieve higher prices; consumers are not accepting sellers’ need for increases due to feedstock price hikes..... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Number one gas
Hydrogen is seen as a major driver to growth in the thriving industrial gases sector throughout this year and into the next. John Raquet and Keith.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

SIA proposes additional product steward courses
The UK Solvents Industry Association (SIA) has completed a second ‘product stewardship for sales’ training course and is set to offer its members a.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Emissions reductions
Textile Finishers Association members in the UK have been testing a product stewardship programme aimed at reducing emissions of the flame retardant,.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Clearing up product stewardship issues
The campaign has provoked a response from the Chemical Industries Association more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Logistics’ role is increasing
Logistics will play a central role in improving competitivity, according to David Garman, chief executive officer of TDG. more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

European road tolls for HGVs
European transport ministers have finally managed to reach agreement on road tolls for heavy goods vehicles (ECN 7 February). more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Logistics in brief
Rotterdam bulk up Throughput of liquid bulk (mostly basic chemicals and edible oils) in the port of Rotterdam was up 11% in the first quarter of.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)

Univar signs deal with Aarhus
Netherlands-based Univar has signed a deal with Aarhus United UK to market and supply its refined oils to European personal care and pharmaceutical.... more
(29 April 2005 12:35)