Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 29 July.

Solvay raises 2022 guidance on strong Q2, inflationary pressures expected to continue
LONDON (ICIS)–Solvay is looking to flex its pricing muscle in the third quarter, in a bid to sustain strong growth for the rest of the year.

Clariant to focus on boosting negative cashflow in H2 after record EBITDA margins in first half
Clariant will focus on getting cash flow back into the black after achieving strong sales growth in the first half of 2022, according to the Swiss firm’s executives.

BASF expects to continue Ludwigshafen production in gas emergency
BASF expects to be able to maintain operations at it’s Ludwigshafen site and other key facilities in Germany in the event of the federal government activating the “emergency” phase of its response plan to natural gas shortages, CEO Martin Brudermuller said on Wednesday.

PODCAST: Messy supply chains complicate Europe chemicals gas rationing plans
Cuts in downstream production, an economic downturn, and snarled logistics may complicate efforts by Europe-based chemical companies to plan for winter gas rationing disruption.

Fresh cuts in German gas flows point to further pain for industrials – ICIS analyst
Additional reductions to Russian flows of natural gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany expected this week could lead to fresh pain for European chemicals players as governments seek to further cut consumption, according to an ICIS gas analyst.