ICIS - Search Articles by Date : July 28 2003 - August 03 2003

Product profile: Butadiene
Butadiene is seen as the cracker's poor relation and this is unlikely to change. Limited spending will keep future supply trailing demand more
(28 July 2003 11:20)

Market trends: Benzene drifts down on lower crude
Benzene felt the effects of weakening crude oil numbers and dipped to $375-$380/tonne fob NWE. Olefins numbers lost ground on the back of slow.... more
(28 July 2003 11:26)

Agribusiness Majors Report Slight Improvement in Oilseed Margins
Despite continued weak oilseed processing margins in North America and Europe, agribusiness majors Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company and Bunge more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Lecithin Market Remains Stable Despite GMO Concerns
Declining export demand for soybean-based lecithin due to concerns over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is one of the major challenges facing more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Olefins Markets Split as Propylene Shows Some Strength
Following a difficult second quarter in which demand fell off considerably, the olefins market appears to be stabilizing. However, the level at more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Petro in Brief
BTX August contract nominations for benzene have come in at $1.40 per gallon. Although no settlement has been agreed upon, industry observers more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Vitamin B3 Pricing Firms Up on Robust Demand
The market for nicotinates (vitamin B3) is improving as stronger demand and a more balanced market help to firm up product prices. The industry is more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Financial Insights: Multiple Choice for the Chemical Industry
Although a new McKinsey & Company study shows that more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

IT In Brief
CIDX Releases Draft The Chemical Industry Data Exchange (CIDX) and the Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Information Sharing Forum have released more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Specialty Chemicals Profits Fall Across the Board on Weak Volumes
Sluggish volume and spotty success in raising prices has resulted in a sour second quarter for the specialty chemicals sector. Earnings for many more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Producers Unveil New Products at SemiCon West
While SemiCon West 2003 served as a forum to gauge the direction of the semiconductors market, it also provided an opportunity for suppliers of more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Specialties Pricing
Apollo Technologies International Corp. has, as of July 21, implemented a 10.5 percent price increase for its combustion and air pollution control more
(01 August 2003 22:14)

Market trends: Phenol shoots up
Most other aromatics also surge on tight supply and strong demand. Benzene rises $20 while toluene is up about the same amount. Mixed xylenes soar by.... more
(28 July 2003 11:35)

Market trends: Methanol tumbles
Hopes for higher ethylene prices are dashed while high naphtha prices squeeze cracker margins. Ammonia, meanwhile, surges by $13 more
(28 July 2003 11:34)

India's VAT not likely till '05
Value-added tax (VAT) is not likely to be introduced in Indiauntil 2005 at the earliest as a result of pressure from chemical and other traders and.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Peni strategy under spotlight
The success of the strategy of the new owners of Peni will hinge upon their ability to source competitively priced ethylene and whether the domestic.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Union stalls CPC privatisation
Union negotiators are demanding guarantees that salaries will not be reduced and no jobs lost if an investor buys a stake in Taiwan's Chinese.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

More functional polyolefins for Mitsui Chem
Mitsui Chemicals is moving towards increased production of functional polyolefins and away from bulk and differentiated polyolefins, a company source.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Vinmar in China offtake talks
Vinmar International is in negotiations with the proponents of a project in China for an offtake arrangement, the company's president Hemant Goradia.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

A balancing act
Increasingly erratic swings in the chlorine-caustic cycle in recent years have meant volatile profitability for the chlor alkali industry, especially.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

** Import Warning ** results of us and european
Free reuse BOXTEXT: Eastman Chemical reported a 20% decline in Q2 2003 net income to US$35m on sales of US$1.5bn. Those figures compare with more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Asahi nominates above $800
Asahi Kasei has nominated an August contract price of above US$800/tonne cfr Asia for acrylonitrile, at least US$20-40/ tonne above its July prices more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Demand lifts methanol, MTBE prices
Methanol prices strengthened last week by US$10-15/tonne in China from the previous week, to US$230-235/tonne cfr China, on improved demand from.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

MMA players push for hikes
Asian methyl methacrylate (MMA) producers were pushing for September price hikes last week on estimates of continued strong demand growth,.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Showa, Daicel up Q3 acetic acid by $50
Showa Denko and Daicel Chemical raised their acetic acid contract nominations for Q3 2003 last week by US$50/tonne on high feedstock costs, strong.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Tight vessel space foils bid to ship phenol to China
European producers were last week unsuccessful in their efforts to step up their phenol exports to China to take advantage of higher Chinese prices,.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Spot PX prices surge to $600 as PTA demand picks up
Paraxylene (PX) prices strengthened last week, on improved demand from purified terephthalic acid (PTA) producers, increasing tightness and high.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Market trends: Phenol surges to $850
Phenol prices leap by $110-120/tonne after China extended antidumping measures on product. Benzene prices also gain momentum, rising to $430-440 more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

New projects summary
As reported in ACN 28 July - 3 August more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Market trends: Naphtha on the rise
Ethylene buying ideas edge up, while butadiene markets remain fixed on the West. Methanol, meanwhile, strengthens $10-15 in China but falls $20 in.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

LG Chem to license new PC tech
LG Chem plans to license its newly developed non-phosgene polycarbonate (PC) technology before using the process itself, the company told ACN more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Thai producers to boost PX
Paraxylene (PX) producers in Thailand plan to boost capacities to meet demand from the domestic market, ACN was told more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

September restart of TPPI aroms construction in doubt
The first instalment of a US$400m loan that would revive Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama's (TPPI) stalled aromatics project is expected to be.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Liuzhou Chem plans methanol
Liuzhou Chemical Industry Corp plans to build a 300 000 tonne/year methanol plant in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China, a company source told ACN more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Detailed engg work begins on methanol
Detailed engineering work has started on a 5000 tonne/day (1.65m tonne/year) methanol project in Sohar, Oman, a source close to the project told ACN more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Thasco likely to pick Rayong for caustic
Thasco Chemical is likely to choose Rayong, Thailand, instead of Bangkok as the site for its new caustic soda line should it decide to go ahead with.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Singpu considers PVC production
Singpu Chemicals is conducting an internal feasibility study on diversifying into PVC production from caustic soda, chlorine and aniline in China, more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Aroms M'sia studies feedstock supplies
Aromatics Malaysia is studying feedstock availability to determine how much its paraxylene (PX) and benzene plants in Kerteh, Malaysia, should be.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Study on Bahrain's 1st naphtha cracker
CMAI and Purvin & Gertz are conducting a feasibility study on the construction of Bahrain's first naphtha cracker for Bahrain Petroleum Co (Bapco),.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

DCM to up chlor-alkali capacity
DCM Shriram Consolidated (DCM) plans to double the capacity of its chlor-alkali plant in Jhagadia, Gujarat, India, ACN was told more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Endgame for Burrup methanol
Methanex's board of directors may have given a conditional green light for its US$500m methanol project to proceed on the Burrup Peninsula in Western.... more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

China PE, PP disappoint but hdPE, lldPE edge up
The Chinese PE and PP markets continued to disappoint producers last week despite a slight edging up in hdPE and lldPE prices more
(01 August 2003 17:38)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: Edition of 25 July Basic and Fine Chemicals Aromatics Malaysia has started expanding its output capacity of.... more
(28 July 2003 04:49)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: Edition of 28 July Basic and Fine Chemicals Mitsubishi Rayon will supply its new inhouse-developed.... more
(29 July 2003 03:38)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: Edition of 29 July Basic and Fine Chemicals Mitsui Chemicals is to expand its polypropylene (PP) compound.... more
(30 July 2003 04:39)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: Edition of 30 July Basic and Fine Chemicals Based on their strategic partnership Shoko Co is scheduled to.... more
(31 July 2003 09:41)

Chem-wire Express Japan
Chem-wire Express Japan: Edition of 31 July Basic and Fine Chemicals Toray Fine Chemicals plans to install a plant to recover/refine ten.... more
(01 August 2003 04:47)

New Project Summary
As reported in ECN on 21 and 28 July more
(01 August 2003 17:56)

News in brief
A clean supply Eastman has entered into a multi-year agreement to supply Procter & Gamble (P&G) with nonanoyloxybenzenesulphonate bleach.... more
(01 August 2003 17:56)