ICIS Training has been all round the world this month. In the last two weeks, the trainers have been in
Photos: 1 and 2 Petchems Training in
October 2011 Archives
We are back in Budapest for ICIS Training. It is barely a year since we were here for EPCA 2010, and this time the training is in the Marriott Hotel in a big airy room overlooking the Danube and across the river up the hill to Buda. It is by far the best view we have ever had from the training room itself - although the hotel view of Table Mountain when we took ICIS Training to Capetown was pretty good too.
Our students in Budapest are from petchem companies in 10 different countries including Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the Netherlands. The three days pass in a flash, everyone puts on lots of weight, and we agree that Budapest will have a regular slot on the training calendar.
Out of season, the hotel is empty, service is over-the-top attentive, and outside it is chilly but sunny. The hotel's lunch buffet includes four types of strudel (curd cheese, cherry, poppyseed and apple). What more can you say?
Our Hungarian reporter Janos recommends a great restaurant on the Buda side of the river, and we enjoy it so much we go back on two evenings. Roll on EPCA 2012 in Budapest.
Photos
1 ICIS Training in Marriott Budapest
2 View from the window of training room
3 A delegate consults Nigel after Day One
Wouldn't it be great to go to South By Southwest (SXSW), the music festival in Austin, Texas, right before NPRA? Can it be coincidence that every year the major US petchems meeting in San Antonio is timed right after the world's biggest urban music festival?
The dates for 2012 are already fixed for SXSW on 9-18 March, I read in the BA in-flight magazine on the early flight to Budapest today, and NPRA is on 1-3 April.
The Blog family has talked about this before but never quite managed to pull it off, what with exam timetables and peak Easter holiday airfares.
The appeal of SXSW is indisputable: a well-organised US event, good music, comfortable places to stay, pretty Austin, sunshine, easy travel, and American food. No-one needs to draw the obvious comparison with UK summer festivals.
The reason it is so quick passing through the iris recognition immigration system (IRIS) lane on returning to London's Heathrow Terminal 5 is that not many people are able to use the lane. Why not? For the last four months - at least - the airport authorities have kept the office shut, where travellers could have their scans taken and put on record.
The Blog sails through the IRIS lane each time, but then has to wait for family and friends to pass through the regular queue. For months, the office in Terminal 5 has had a rough note stuck to the locked door saying it would be open at 7.30 am, no matter what time of day it was.
Now the airport has finally admitted that it has given up. A printed note is on the door to say it is shut until further notice. If you haven't had it done by now, you've missed your chance.
Dog raincoats are in high demand in
Sales of the doggy coats, made from nylon or PVC, have soared by as much as 50% compared to a year ago.
Vets have warned that because dogs are closer to the ground, and tend to forage in foliage and sand, they are especially susceptible to airborne radiation, which concentrates in places where rainwater collects.
Looking at Japanese website photos of pups in plastic raincoats, the Blog's eye was caught by this dog kimono, which would have been a good gift to bring back from APIC in
Raincoat photo: Dogbreeds UK
Kimono photo: Gramercy Pets
It's good to see the official photos from the Kolmar brunch on the Sunday of EPCA in Berlin, via a photographer's link which David C has forwarded to Nel today.
The event was again in the Charlottenburg Palace, and that is a beautiful location with very fine food. The Blog has idled away too much time this lunchtime browsing through the photos, with assistance from Nel, to pick out some favourites from the massive album of 200 shots. Blog readers will recognise some familiar faces from the aromatics and olefins crowd.
I like the way the photographer has captured how sunny the day was, with the guests strolling across the palace courtyard and sitting in shafts of sunlight at the tables.
Continue reading PHOTOS: Kolmar brunch at EPCA Berlin 2011.
The promotional video for the forthcoming second ICIS-MRC Russian Polymers Conference in Moscow in November has some entertaining video footage of Linda and me, dubbed into Russian.
The photos and video are from last year's event, which had some really good papers and a remarkable level of audience participation.
Is everyone jumping on the Lego bandwagon? Here JP Morgan illustrates the euro crisis with the use of some cute Lego figures and some blatant national stereotyping.
The Spanish are toreadors, the Germans are men in helmets and the French are artists.
The original graphic is from Michael Cembalest's research note, buried in JP Morgan's "Eye on the Market" of 6 September (which explains the key), picked up by Reuters and spotted by fellow blogger Paul Hodges.
Petri Mäkelä, formerly with Oy Finnco Trading and Nizhex Scandinavia, has joined Fred Holmberg & Co Oy, he informed the Blog on Wednesday.
Mäkelä will be based at the office in Hamina, Finland.
Mäkelä and Fred Holmberg are old companions from their days on styrene at Nizhex.
The Blog had the pleasure of catching up with Fred and his son Max at EPCA in Berlin, where Max revealed that he was an alumnus of ICIS Training in Amsterdam this year.
It goes for any line of business: manufacturing, consultancy or price reporting ... Customers want it fast and cheap, but if you want to produce good work it is going to take longer or cost more. You can't keep everyone happy, and that's the age old truth.
Photo via Eyebeam, spotted by Larry T
Invitations to the CIA Dinner are arriving in the ICIS office, as the speakers are announced as Andrew Neil and the Right Hon. John Denham MP.
Andrew Neil once spoke at the EPL dinner in Brussels and delegates remember it as a contentious affair. The Blog recalls that he was quite offensive in response to a fairly harmless question from Bernado H.
The glittering event will be on Thursday 17 November 2011 at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, and looking at the website there is a charming photo of our friend, trader Peter G at last year's CIA Dinner.
Click here for Nigel's article on Peter Mandelson's speech at the 2009 CIA Dinner
Driving home from the airport around the Heathrow perimeter road, I caught sight of these little pods ferrying people around the Terminal 5 long-stay carparks.
As a London resident, I don't have much call to frequent the long-stay carparks, which is a pity because these four-seater pods look like an ideal alternative to the dreary carpark shuttle buses.
Powered by battery, the Personal Rapid Transit System pods travel at 40 km/hour, are automated and travel on demand.
This BBC Click video definitely makes me want to take the car to the airport for the next trip.
I caught this debate on shale gas on the radio this morning as I drove in to work. In an indication of how topical the subject is in the wider media, BBC Radio 4's flagship Today news programme had two slots on UK shale gas exploration - one at 7.15 and one at 8.15.
First there was an interview with Tim Considine, professor of energy economics at the University of Wyoming and former lead analyst for natural gas deregulation on the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, who analysed whether the UK could have a US-style shale gas revolution.
Click here to see the Today schedule for Tuesday 18 October 2011-10-18
Click here to hear the Considine interview
South Africa's Blombos Cave has revealed early paint and adhesive production, according to a report published on Thursday in the journal Science and picked up by the New York Times.
Cavemen used stones to pound and grind earth containing a kind of iron oxide to a powder, known as ochre. This was then blended with fat from animal bone marrow and charcoal, to create paint for human adornment and cave painting.
The Cave, 200 miles east of Capetown on a coastal cliff, dates back to 100,000 years ago, according to archaeologists.
The Sun newspaper has gone Lego mad today.
Look out for strong localised demand for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), as the UK's biggest circulation red-top paper, heads its Thursday 13 October 2011 issue with a banner headline: FREE LEGO TOYS ARE BACK: CONTINUES THIS WEEK IN THE SUN.
The page is also emblazoned with a raft of Lego related stories:
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Hunk Johnny Depp to be a toyboy actor.
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Don't Lego of the gong, Colin Firth
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Fried L-egg-o for breakfast
Click here for a free trial of the ICIS ABS report.
Ish Medeles, formerly of INEOS Phenol, has joined TPC in Houston in the role of National Account Manager for the C4 business. He will manage TPC's customer interface for the C4 business with emphasis on Butadiene and Butene 1, a company source confirmed to the Blog.
Medeles started in his new role on 10 October 2011.
Wrapping babies in plastic? This picture in an old DuPont advert makes the Blog feel decidedly queasy, which is probably why reader Regan forwarded it on.
"I know how you love a good chemical related advert of yesteryear, even if maybe not so pc in today's world," he writes.
Patience is a virtue, but investing six months in building a 30,000-piece Lego Death Star diorama from Return of the Jedi must be more than a little boring.
Teacher Jay Hoff spent $2,300 on this display of the adorable little acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) bricks, according to this article spotted by Truong.
ICIS editor John Baker was out and about at EPCA in Berlin, recording video interviews with EPCA president Tom Crotty and EPCA committee members.
You can hear views on sustainable feedstocks and development, Europe's role in tackling mega-trends, the IYC video that EPCA has just produced and the need for the industry to improve its public communication and recognition. All in the ICIS Interactive Review of EPCA 2011.
A guest posting from Caroline Murray, blogging for ICIS on her way to a symposium on PET in
This time last week I donned my trendiest shades to protect my eyes from the garish orange hue that is Easyjet, on a non-business flight to London.
Once jostled into position I was forced to fold my body, origami style, into the seat I fought tooth and nail for. I was understandably horrified when a midriff belonging to the gentleman next to me in 26B happily moulded itself around what should have been MY armrest.
I closed my eyes to the horrors around me.
Shortly after takeoff, my ears were subjected to the hounding of a string of sales pitches screeching out over the tannoy. What happened to a single trolley, softly rustling down the aisle?
I eventually became oblivious to the incessant racket and was growing rather fond of my new friend the midriff, so I dosed off.
As I dreamt of all the exciting things one could do with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Susie, the surly stewardess, poured a cup of nuclear hot chocolate over my head, jacket and trousers. Her first reaction (which was slow by the way) was to offer me a single cocktail napkin; her second was to start patting my head with it; her third was to take cover as I started flapping my arms around while I jumped up and down trying to blow out the flames.
Continue reading No-frills travel liable to offend senses.
A guest posting from Linda Naylor, blogging for ICIS from Paris ...
Last night I had the privilege of seeing the magnificent Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez in concert at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.
His third and final encore, Pour mon ame, from Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment, which has a series of high Cs that propelled Pavarotti to fame, was so wonderful I could hardly fight back the tears. The auditorium was on its feet and everybody finally, grudgingly, left feeling uplifted.
What has this self-indulgent rambling got to do with chemicals, I hear you say.
Well, on the way home I began to ponder about different aspects of the show. For example, what does he do during the interval when we are all people-watching and sipping our glasses of La Doucette Pouilly Fume? If he lies down, and I am sure this is what he will do, will he take off his superbly cut dress suit, to avoid creasing, or will it contain just a tiny amount of Lycra, to withstand crumpling? No, it must be pure Italian fine wool, and a number of lackeys will be there to press it before he comes back on stage.
And what about those heavenly patent leather shoes, so obviously hand-made, even from a distance? How does he keep them so shiny and elegant? Well I can't say how Juan Diego keeps his shoes looking so good, but I did read that a naphtha-based cleaner can help keep patent leather shoes in tip-top condition. And his hair- what chemicals would he... no stop... this is going too far. I have been doing this job for too long.
Photo: jmomusique
David Cunningham, formerly with INEOS Nova, has officially started today in the new role of vice president styrene at Styrolution, he told the Blog this afternoon on the phone at
See Nigel's article today on Styrolution's plans to be the global leader in styrene.
Some jokes going around in Berlin ...
Sausage
Last time I flew back from EPCA in Berlin, sausages exploded in my luggage. It was a wurst case scenario.
From Richard
A man goes to see his dentist.
"I think I'm a moth," he says.
"You need to see a doctor, not a dentist. Why did you come here?" asks the dentist.
"Well, the light was on."
From Ilana (referencing the sunny weather during EPCA)
All the Germans are so fed up with Greece that they have threatened:
"Sort out your economy or we won't give you back your weather."
Hugh's forthright statement in Friday's ICIS styrene report about wanting a single styrene Europe contract price certainly put the cat among the pigeons, on the sidelines at EPCA in Berlin.
One producer called it a "bold statement" - reminiscent of Yes Minister's discouraging "That's a bold move, Minister."
All parties to the contracts were keen to point out how much they too would like a single contract price, before enumerating all the reasons why this was not going to work.
One delegate was so incensed at having the barcode on his EPCA name badge scanned on entry to every conference event that he cut the barcode off, he told the Blog on Monday afternoon in the ICIS suite.
Having swipe cards tracking your movements within a company is legitimate for security reasons he said, but not here where it is just for commercial reasons.
The constant scanning made him feel like a pig on its way through the slaughterhouse.
It is a breach of privacy, he protested, but admitted that one of his friends had called him "the last hippy" in the industry.
With Berlin bathed in glorious sunshine for four straight days, there wasn't much for delegates to moan about with regard to the location. Journeys were cheap and easy hotels in any price band were available only a few minutes' walk away, and getting between the hotels for meetings was a short sunny stroll on the flat with not much traffic to contend with.
Queuing for taxis outside the Interconti was a bit chaotic on the Sunday as we tried to get to the Kolmar Brunch at the Charlottenburg Palace, but eventually we managed to barge our way through the disorganised mass of people. Some enterprising Dutch guys borrowed bikes from the hotel and cycled the 4 km there.
People were constantly saying they wished that the conference would go back to Monaco. One trader close to the organisers said that his company had wanted to have T-shirts printed with "We heart EPCA" on the front, and "Monaco" on the back. However, there was some recognition that in these difficult economic times, it would not be politically possible.
Buying has slowed down but there won't be a crash like in 2008. That sums up the mood of the conference. Everyone is watching inventory levels and just buying hand to mouth.
That said, it seems like the highlight of EPCA 2011 in Berlin was Queen Noor's speech at the luncheon on Tuesday, which the Blog was sorry to miss. Lunch guests said she was insightful and collaborative, and various grown men had expressed some weakness for her ahead of the event.
We also hear from Barry H that the Monday evening speaker, of whom Paul Hodges is a great admirer, was hilariously outrageous. His outlook for the future was pure Armageddon, Barry related when we bumped into him in the lobby.
It was full of wildly inflammatory statements like "Greece is only good for olive oil," and "The Middle East is going up in flames." He recommended his audience to move to the countryside and build deep bunkers to survive the coming onslaught.
A special mention among the Monday night parties goes to the Vopak and Gaschem events, of which more later ... I wonder if anyone who went to Gaschem has a photo of the hosts in their Lederhosen.
The summer EPL will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria in June 2012, we hear from Nel on Sunday night at EPCA in Berlin.
She has heard it from two members of the European Petrochemical Luncheon (EPL) committee. The summer event had been expected to take place in Istanbul, but news of the move to Sofia was greeted with enthusiasm.
Relive the excitement of Sunday afternoon in the ICIS suite at EPCA 2011 in Berlin.
Our own Stephen Burns took this video of the ICIS team at work welcoming throngs of visitors for the so-called drinks reception, at which no-one drinks anything much apart from coffee and soft drinks.
In a sea of grey suits in the Intercontinental lobby at EPCA, one lone independent dresser was making a fashion statement of his own. Marco H, with the individual style for which the Dutch are famed, was snapped here in the ICIS suite on Monday afternoon.
Richard Long has taken over as interim MD of Gantrade, he confirmed to the Blog on Monday at EPCA in Berlin.
The Blog remembers his recent retirement from Gantrade, after which he remained on a consultancy basis with the company.
Long's appointment follows the departure of former managing director Neil Dudman, who has moved to Solventis.
The Solventis team travelled to EPCA on David Lubbock's private jet, we hear from a close friend of the company.
Trammochem AG is moving into the city of Zurich at the end of October, from the Swiss town of Altendorf, Ashok tells me at the Mitsubishi party on Saturday at EPCA.
The offices are in the Prime Tower, which is the tallest building in Switzerland, and the new location will be more convenient for visitors as it is only 10 minutes from the airport, he adds.
Budapest will be the location of the 46th Annual Meeting of EPCA on 6 to 10 October 2012, according to the EPCA handbook in the delegate pack today.
The hottest October days on record in England are forecast for this weekend, with temperatures around 30 deg C (86 F) but forsaking these pleasures I am heading for the airport for the 8.00 flight to Berlin.
Around forty schoolgirls in navy blue sweatshirts marked "Berlin 2011" are boarding the plane ahead of me, and they certainly enjoy that flight.
The descent into Berlin is very scenic with blue waterways filled with sailing boats and miles of green forest. We spend a couple of hours walking around in the sun and having lunch outside before getting down to work.
Later in the evening, I walk down to the Mitsubishi party at the Palace Hotel with Sim, Ilona and Dejan. It is already in full swing with the customary lavish metres of sushi on display, but the heat takes its toll and a few less committed suit-wearers are seen discarding their jackets or moving out to the lobby to escape the heat. The Houston crowd say this is nothing to the summer they've just had.
Memorable topics of gossip: the heat; vaccinations for Equatorial New Guinea; the male/female ratio at board level; comparisons of life in Zug and Ludwigshafen; and we hear from the DeWitt guys that their conference yesterday had 50 delegates.
A picture is worth a hundred words, and today's graphics in the FT today of a golden bull on a trampoline is a particular delight. A helpful footnote tells us it is an "FT montage," in case we were worried that the bull might have been mistreated during the photo shoot.
The article "More bounce per ounce," explains in detail how gold and silver have not proved to be a safe refuge from the stock market, but could still bounce back.
Nestle's new advertising campaign is aimed at one of the most resilient segments of the consumer market - dogs.
The TV ads have "squeaks, high-frequency tones and high-pitched pings, which are designed to send doges into such a frenzy that indulgent owners rush out and buy Nestle's Beneful dog food," I read on the plane in today's FT Weekend.
Spending on pets has been largely recession proof. The US pet food market is three times the size of the baby food market. Several countries boast more pets than children.
If the ageing baby boomers so often cited by my fellow blogger Paul Hodges have stopped spending on big ticket items like homes and cars, and petchem companies are focusing on more niche markets, perhaps the pets sector is one to look out for. I for one am agog to see the new iPad games for cats.
