Phenol/Acetone '02: Facing up to excess capacity problems

21 May 2002 11:56  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--The phenol industry should see a return to steady growth in demand following a disastrous 2001 when consumption slumped badly. This growth will be fuelled by the strong polycarbonate (PC) market which is predicted to grow at 9-10%/year.

However, the phenol industry has been adding too much capacity and restructuring may be needed to improve margins. A problem of an increasing acetone surplus will also have to be dealt with.

These will be some of the messages coming out of the 2nd ICIS-LOR World Phenol/Acetone Conference being held in Madrid on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The conference is organised by the chemicals price reporting service ICIS-LOR.

Speakers will be discussing the changes and challenges facing the phenol/acetone industry, the dynamics of the PC and methacrylate markets, and the outlook for feedstocks.

Papers will also cover regulatory and environmental issues, sustainable development and the adoption of e-commerce in the phenol/acetone business. A perspective on the Indian phenol/acetone industry will be included.

ICIS-LOR is a sister company to CNI.

By: Peter Taffe
+44 20 8652 3214

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