ECN-European Chemical News articles from August 2005

ECN-European Chemical News archives from August 2005

Revelling in revaluation: China's transformation into an industrial powerhouse is reminiscent of the UK's industrial revolution, and has had a similar effect on the currency.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... HISTORY HOLDS a mirror up to today, and with the news last week that China has revalued the renminbi we can see a measure of the growing economic strength of the world's most populous country. The revaluation points to parallels with the...

Change of climate for Kyoto Agreement.(COMMENT)
August 1, 2005... CHINA, INDIA, the US, Australia, South Korea and Japan announced a new approach to tackling climate change last week. All the counties have decided that the Kyoto Agreement is not for them, instead they are pursuing a technological approach to...

Strong Q2 results for US firms.(chemical industry)
August 1, 2005... NORTH AMERICAN chemical firms are putting up decent numbers in the second quarter (Q2), particularly the speciality chemical players. DuPont more than doubled its net income but earnings were affected by high energy costs and flat sales...

DSM reports healthy Q2 ...(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... DSM DISPELLED any idea of a slowdown in its markets by returning a strong second quarter (Q2) performance for 2005. Sales were ahead 9% to 2.03bn [euro], while operating profit was up no less than 43% to 217m [euro]. All divisions contributed...

... As does Innovene.(British Petroleum Company PLC's second quarter profits)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... INNOVENE, THE BP olefins and derivatives business, achieved a second quarter (Q2) replacement cost profit before interest and tax of $270m through higher margins and volumes, compared with an $11m loss in Q2 2004. Production of petrochemicals...

Shell does well in the first half.(Results roundup)
August 1, 2005... Half year earnings from Shell's chemicals segment were up 18.9% to $708m on sales that were 27% higher at $10.7bn. The UK/Netherlands energy and petrochemicals group said: 'Average price realisations were up 26% from a year ago offset by higher...

Syngenta's seeds blossom.(Syngenta AG's earnings)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta reported a 16% hike in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the first half to $1.6bn. The company benefited from seeds acquisitions--Garst and Golden Harvest were bought in the...

Kemira marches on.(Results roundup)
August 1, 2005... Kemira announced a 35% increase to 69.9m [euro] in first half operating profits on sales 9% ahead at 929.9m [euro]. These numbers were driven by the acquisition in April of Finnish Chemicals and the Verdugt speciality chemicals business. The...

Octel hit by customer withdrawal.(Octel Associates)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Octel has reported a loss of $104m for the second quarter (Q2) due to the departure of a major tetraethyl lead (TEL) customer. This contrasts with a $3.2m profit in Q4 2004. Net sales at the TEL and speciality chemicals producer were $129m, up...

Elementis sees profits leap.(Results roundup)
August 1, 2005... Speciality chemicals company Elements announced a 44.6% leap to 81m [pounds sterling] (12m [euro]/$14m) in first half operating profits. Higher costs and lower sales in pigments were outweighed by earnings from the recently acquired Sasol Servo...

20 years ago: 29 July 1985.(Monsanto Co. to acquire G.D. Searle and Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Monsanto could finally secure a major position in the US drug market if the agreed acquisition of G.D. Searle for $2.7bn closes. Monsanto is known to have expressed interest in Searle's drug business last year but negotiations appeared to have...

Agfa Photo to trade for now.(Agfa Photo GmbH files bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... AGFA PHOTO will continue to trade despite the start of insolvency proceedings scheduled for 1 August, according to the court-appointed receiver Andreas Ringstmeier. Ringstmeier said talks with 'potential buyers' for at least part of the...

Electricity consortium is on.(BUSINESS Headlines)
August 1, 2005... HIGH VOLUME electricity users in France are already in the process of forming a buyers' consortium to negotiate long-term favourable prices with power producers, ECN was told last week. A round table organised by the government, with...

Sasol embraces future with Fakude.(BUSINESS Headlines)
August 1, 2005... SASOL HAS appointed Nolitha Fakude as its first black executive director, a key move by the firm's new chief executive Pat Davies to deflect sharp government criticism that the firm had failed to make itself more racially representative. ...

Norsk Hydro fails to divest chemicals.(Norsk Hydro Group)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... NORSK HYDRO has tried to divest its chemicals operations but has been 'unable to achieve reasonable terms', chief financial officer John Ottestad said last week. He confirmed these are 'non-core businesses. When we have an approach we will...

Chinese revaluation likely to impact global markets.
August 1, 2005... WHILE A small move in absolute terms, the Chinese government's upward revaluation of the renminbi could be a step on a long journey that could have major reverberations throughout the world. The Chinese government on 21 July removed the...

Revaluation could boost US exports.(RENMINBI SPECIAL)
August 1, 2005... "THIS PROBABLY won't cause an immediate impact on overall trade with China, but opens the door to further strengthening of the renminbi,' says Kevin Swift, senior director of economics and statistics, American Chemistry Council (ACC). The...

Teva: generics giant.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
August 1, 2005... Teva Pharmaceutical is to acquire Ivax for $7.4bn, creating the world's largest generic drug manufacturing firm, says Teva. Ivax shareholders will receive either $26.00 or 0.8471 American depositary receipts/share. As a result of the deal,...

Sydsvenska suffers.(Sydsvenska Kemi's second quarter earnings)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Lower margins on base products due to raw material price increases have been blamed by Sydsvenska for a 3% drop in adjusted Q2 earnings before interest tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda). Swedish speciality chemicals group Sydsvenska,...

Pergo to save costs.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
August 1, 2005... Last week Swedish flooring group Pergo outlined plans to save SKr100m (10.6m [euro]/$12.8m) in costs after unveiling a small Q2 operating loss. Tony Sturrus, Pergo ceo, said that the savings would be made in four areas: materials and services...

Business as usual.(United Steelworkers Union )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The United Steelworkers Union (USW), which represents thousands of workers in the US chemical sector, said a schism within the umbrella AFLCIO will not affect the way the USW does business. The Teamsters and the Service Employees International...

Acordis keeps trading.(BUSINESS: Global roundup)
August 1, 2005... Creditors of Acordis, the UK acrylics fibre producer placed into administration in May, have approved plans for the business to continue trading for a limited period while a buyer is sought. A spokeswoman for administrators Deloitte & Touche...

BASF winds up coil coatings JV.(News Watch)
August 1, 2005... BASF Coatings is ending its joint venture (jv) with Valencia, Spain-based Naber and going it alone in the Spanish coil coatings market. BASF said in future it will supply its customers directly from its own precoatings production in...

Rompetrol takes on Romanian government.(News Watch)
August 1, 2005... Romania's second-biggest oil refiner, Rompetrol Group, is preparing to launch legal proceedings against the Romanian government to claw back 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in damages it claims to have suffered from an alleged concerted...

Henkel buys major stake in UAE firm.(Polybit Industries)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Henkel has bought a 49% stake and management rights in Polybit Industries, a United Arab Emirates-based firm that makes waterproofing materials for the construction industry. Henkel declined to disclose financial terms of the deal which was...

Asbestos subpoena on the cards.(News Watch)
August 1, 2005... A US Senate committee may subpoena asbestos manufacturers to discover their potential contributions to a proposed $140bn asbestos compensation fund. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter and senior committee Democrat Patrick Leahy...

Phosphorit ramps up production.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Russian fertiliser producer Phosphorit boosted output by 2.5% to 290 700 tonne in the first six months of this year in response to growing domestic and overseas demand, parent company Eurochem said. Phosphorit, which has production facilities...

MEG moves up again.(mono ethylene glycol)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... EUROPEAN MONO ethylene glycol (MEG) prices look set to firm further as players enter negotiations for the August contract price. The July contract of 737 [euro]/tonne FD, up 27 [euro]/tonne on June, was at the lower end of the expected price...

Styrene prices firm while benzene falls.(MARKETS: Report)
August 1, 2005... AUGUST STYRENE contract prices could loosen their link with benzene in August as a result of healthy downstream demand, tighter supply and strong spot numbers relative to benzene. As players awaited the August benzene settlement last week...

Caustic soda loses its fizz.(MARKETS: Report)
August 1, 2005... EUROPEAN CAUSTIC soda inventories have slumped to their lowest ever levels, falling 9.8% from May to June. The 26 637 tonne drop to just over 244 000 tonne ends the first half of the year, which has seen stocks in decline almost every...

LME adds grades.(MARKETS: Report)
August 1, 2005... THE LONDON Metal Exchange (LME) has approved two more warehouses in the US for its plastics contracts. The two Baton Rouge, Louisiana, warehouses brings the total to 11. There are additional brand listings for polypropylene (PP) and linear...

Acrylic acid demand dulls.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A 'LACKLUSTRE' acrylic acid market is unlikely to change significantly over the next few months, warn European producers. Demand is slack after a weaker-than-expected second quarter (Q2) and sellers say they are preparing themselves for an...

Producers hope for PIA price hikes.(purified isophthalic acid)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... WITH THIRD quarter (Q3) European contract discussions about to conclude, purified isophthalic acid (PIA) producers admit they are less than optimistic about reaching their targeted price increases. Despite consistently high feedstock costs,...

Sabic PP deal.(Markets Watch)
August 1, 2005... Sabic has concluded an initial agreement with Alujain to market 200 000 tonne of its polypropylene each year. This does not include Sabic taking a share of Alujain's capital or investment of SR421m in Alujain's plant.

Summer lull for ING.(Markets Watch)
August 1, 2005... ING Chemical's volume proxy has turned down from an unimpressive peak in June. Asia has fallen from its June peak and continues to drop. This, says ING, will lead to a 'summer lull' and Q3 2005 volume comparators will be down on an...

Brazilian ethanol exports increase.(Markets Watch)
August 1, 2005... Brazilian ethanol exports increased 14% during the first half of 2005, according to the Sao Paulo Sugar Producer's Association (Unica). During the first half of the year, Brazil exported 1.16bn litre of ethanol, up from 1.01bn litre during the...

China paints growth.(Markets Watch)
August 1, 2005... Paint production in China has grown to 3.6m tonne/year, while demand stands at 3.75m tonne/ year or 2.8kglhead. Domestic demand accounts for 90% of production, driven by the growth in real estate development, expansion of the automotive sector...

Commission coordinates.(European Commission appointed six coordinators to progress major transport projects)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... THE EUROPEAN Commission has appointed six coordinators to boost the progress of major transport projects in Europe. Loyola de Palacio, Karel Van Miert, Etienne Davignon, Peter Balazs, Pavel Telicka and Karel Vinck have been appointed for an...

Brenntag still at the top.(chemical industry ranking)
August 1, 2005... THERE HAS been no change in the top ranking of European chemical distribution companies in 2004. According to Marc Fermont, senior partner at distribution consultancy DistriConsult, Brenntag remains the leader, registering sales in Europe last...

Intertanko sets Poseidon Challenge.(International Association of Independent Tanker Owners)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... TRADE ASSOCIATION Intertanko has launched a new initiative for those involved in energy and chemical shipping. Named the Poseidon Challenge, it is an attempt to bring together all participants in the tanker sector and take practical steps...

CDI inks audit deal with ACC.(Chemical Distribution Institute, American Chemistry Council )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI) has signed a three-year deal with the American Chemistry Council (ACC) to promote health, safety, the environment and security in North America. CDI will give ACC companies the option of using the...

Akzo Nobel and Asahi Kasei collaborate.(Akzo Nobel Base Chemicals)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Akzo Nobel Base Chemicals and Japan's Asahi Kasei Chemicals have signed a collaboration agreement for membrane process technology and ion-exchange membranes, which will run until 2010. Under the agreement, Akzo Nobel's chlorine plant that is...

Shell's LNG budget set to double to $20bn.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
August 1, 2005... Shell has stated that the total capital investment it budgeted for the oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on Sakhalin Island, Russia, could double to $20bn. The first LNG deliveries will be delayed by six months to the summer of 2008....

Chematur Engineering wins Czech project.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Chematur Engineering has signed an agreement on engineering work for a Biostil plant in the Czech Republic. Using grain as the raw material the plant will produce 200 000 litre/ day of dehydrated ethanol to be used as fuel. Chematur...

Repsol and Irving Oil complete design.(Repsol YPF S.A. (Madrid, Spain) and Irving Oil Ltd. to construct liquefied natural gas project in Canada )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Repsol YPF and Irving Oil have completed the front end engineering design of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Canada (ECN 19 June). Under the joint venture (jv) name of Canaport LNG the pair will request proposals from engineering,...

Linde to supply gas plant in Sverdlovsk.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
August 1, 2005... Linde has signed a 17-year agreement with the Russian Maksi Group to supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon to a steelworks in Berezovsky in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia. To guarantee an uninterrupted supply of gas Linde will build an air...

Nova Chemicals jv with Grupo Idesa.(Nova Chemicals Corp. (Calgary, Canada), Grupo IDESA S.A. de C.V.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Canada's Nova Chemicals is forming a 50:50 styrenic polymers joint venture (jv) in Mexico called Novidesa with privately held Grupo Idesa. Nova says the jv, which should commence operations in September, plans to convert solid polystyrene...

NB Europe to open pet plant in Lithuania.(Nemuno Banga Europe)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Nemuno Banga Europe's (NB Europe) second line at its new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Klaipeda, Lithuania, will be ready to open on schedule in the second half of September. The first line, which has a capacity of around 150000...

Growth in chemical orders in Europe.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... New orders for chemicals and chemical products in the European Union rose 4.7% in May compared with the same period last year, according to Eurostat. Growth in chemicals orders in the 12-member eurozone was even stronger--up 5.8% on Hay last...

Acetone contract follows spot.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
August 1, 2005... The European July acetone contract price was settled between a key producer and consumer at 707-747 [euro]/tonne free delivered, down 88 [euro]/tonne on June. Buyers and sellers confirmed that this number was open to some renegotiation in...

Criterion to boost catalyst supply.(Criterion Catalysts and Technologies )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Criterion Catalysts & Technologies is increasing its capacity for the supply of catalysts to the refining markets. Its hydroprocessin8 plant at Michigan City, Indiana in the US, is due to restart during the third quarter. Project work has also...

Dyno bears costs for Plenty.(Dyno Nobel, Plenty River)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... DYNO NOBEL has agreed to carry Plenty River's expenditure obligations relating to an ammonia plant on the Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia (ECN 25 April 2004). Plenty River, Dampier Nitrogen, Thiess and Dyno Nobel have modified the...

Aker Kvaerner to lead polyolefin jv in Yanbu.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... SABIC HAS signed a letter of intent with Norway's Aker Kvaerner and Chinas Sinopec for the engineering, procurement and construction of polyolefins units at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Aker Kvaerner will lead the construction joint venture and...

Gail India to develop LNG terminal.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... GAIL INDIA has approved an equity contribution of Rupee 5000m (95m [euro]/$115m) in its 50:50 joint venture (jv) with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to develop a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal and a power plant in India. ...

Akzo Nobel confirms expansion plans.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... AKZO NOBEL is planning capacity expansions in monochloroacetic acid (MCAA) and sodium monochloroacetate (SMCA) in Skoghall, Sweden and Le Moyne in the US. Akzo Nobel confirmed that the construction of a 60 000 tonne/year MCAA facility in...

300m contract for Linde.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... LINDE AND Samsung Engineering have won a 1bn [euro] turnkey contract to build a 1.3m tonne/year cracker at Al Jubail for a privately owned Saudi Arabian consortium led by Tasnee Petrochemicals. Germany's Linde will receive 300m [euro] for...

Jv to design LNG plant for Gorgon plan.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... A JOINT venture (jv) led by Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) has been awarded the front end engineering design (FEED) for a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in western Australia. The jv, called the Kellogg Joint Venture--Greater Gorgon, which...

Arvand picks Pidec to build Olefin No 8.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... ARVAND PETROCHEMICAL Company, a subsidiary of the National Petrochemical Company of Iran, has awarded the construction contract for its Olefin No. 8 project to Petrochemical Industries Design and Engineering Company (Pidec). The 1m...

Kazan units to be expanded.(NEW PROJECTS)
August 1, 2005... TECHNIP HAS won a contract from Kazanorgsintez to upgrade and expand its three ethylene plants at Kazan in Tatarstan, Russia. The combined capacity of the plants will be increased from 400 000 tonne/year to 605 000 tonne/year through...

Green light for Biopaliwa.(Biopaliwa SA to construct bioethanol plant )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... POLAND'S LARGEST bioethanol plant is to be constructed at a cost of Zloty250m (60.6m [euro]/$73.1m). Biopaliwa SA, a company owned by Poland's Polskie Mlyny group, said the 110 000 tonne/year plant should outstrip the capacity of Poland's...

Simply the best: ECN reveals the top ten entries in this year's Innovation Awards--and there are a few surprises.(2005 INNOVATION AWARDS)(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... THE SHORTLIST for the ICIS Publications Innovation Awards 2005, sponsored by Dow Corning, is finally revealed this week. Ten companies have caught the judges' eyes and will be going though into the final round. Each has a chance of picking up...

On the move: emerging countries will create half the world's GDP growth within ten years, led by China.(FEATURE: Globalisation)
August 1, 2005... AFTER THE collapse of the e-commerce boom a couple of years ago, it seemed everyone started to jump on to the next hot topic--globalisation. In the midst of this discussion, I would like to share this basic insight: although there is an obvious...

Is R&D driving value creation? Jonathan Bourne reflects on the chemical sector's challenge to win back investor confidence, as analysts call for greater quality of disclosure around R&D.(FEATURE: R&D)
August 1, 2005... THE CHEMICALS sector is facing a big challenge--how can it effectively balance cost cutting and investment as R&D spend declines in relation to sales? Innovation is key to growth, but the sector remains unsure about communicating R&D...

UK Chemical sector meets climate targets.(News Watch)
August 1, 2005... According to the UK's Chemical Industries Association (CIA) the chemical sector has achieved and exceeded its 2004 climate change agreement target. Energy efficiency has improved by 19.5% since 1998, equivalent to an annual saving of around...

EU gets tough on law infringements.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The European Commission has formally asked seven member states--Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg and Spain--to transpose into their national law a European Union law aimed at giving the public better access to environmental...

Call for lobby rules.(News Watch)
August 1, 2005... A coalition of European NGOs is calling for rules concerning lobbying to curb the influence of business on EU environmental, social and consumer policy. The coalition wants to see mandatory reporting of funding sources for all lobbying groups,...

Reach sets an example for future legislation.(Registration Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ACCORDING TO Willy Bach, UK government minister with responsibility for chemicals, Reach is fast becoming a model for future legislation and an example of a better regulation agenda. His comments were made at a meeting hosted by the UK...

Bayer emissions stay on an even keel.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2005... BAYER HAS said that its levels of emissions and waste in 2004 have remained consistent with those of 2003 despite 'considerable increases in production volumes'. These rose by 22% during 2004. The company said that its target had been...

French court allows GM tests to continue.(genetically modified plants)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The French seeds and crop protection industry has welcomed a decision by the Toulouse Administrative Court that rejected requests from a number of anti-GMO associations for a suspension of field tests. The industry group said that the court...

Italy infringes more environmental laws.(Environment Watch)
August 1, 2005... The European Commission has announced 13 more legal challenges against Italy over environmental law infringements, including breeches of the end of life vehicle directive. Italy already has four infringements announced on 5 July.

Germany, France and Italy lead PET recycling.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2005... PETCORE HAS announced that European post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) collection rates reached 665 000 tonne in 2004, an 8.5% increase over 2003. While Germany, France and Italy continued to deliver the largest volumes, with a...

Waste cuts earn praise.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2005... ACCORDING TO the UK Environment Agency's Spotlight report on business environmental performance, the chemical industry has scored well. The Chemical Industries Association (CIA) responded by saying it was encouraged to see that all its...

Less lead in children, but mercury is still a worry.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2005... THE US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published its third national report on human exposure to environmental chemicals. CDC analysed blood and urine samples from 2400 people for 148 chemicals, over the period...

UK's first GM superweed.(genetically modified oilseed )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ON THE same day a UK government study reported the discovery of the UK's 'first GM superweed', Friends of the Earth claims to have learned that Bayer CropScience (BCS) has withdrawn its applications to grow genetically modified (GM) oilseed...

Statins fight pneumonia.(INNOVATION)
August 1, 2005... A BIG new market for statins has potentially opened up with the finding by US researchers that the cholesterol-lowering drugs also help prevent deaths from pneumonia. University of Texas Health Centre at San Antonio researchers discovered...

Nanotechnology gets make up call.(INNOVATION)
August 1, 2005... RECENT MEDIA attention over the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics has reignited interest in earlier calls by the UK's Royal Society for cosmetic companies to make their testing procedures public. In July last year the Royal Society published a...

2m [euro] on Kleve Centre.(Innovation Watch)
August 1, 2005... ICI's National Adhesives has announced plans to build a new Customer Application and Process Simulation Centre at its site in Kleve, Germany. Scheduled for completion at the end of this year, the company is investing over 2m [euro] in the...

Indena development.(Innovation Watch)
August 1, 2005... Italian company Indena has developed an HPLC method for identifying and quantifying all of the anthocyanins present in bilberries, extracts of which are widely used in dietary botanicals and in pharma products for treating vascular and vision...

RNAi research.(Innovation Watch)
August 1, 2005... US based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has granted Sigma-Aldrich a non-exclusive licence to provide research products and services in RNA interference (RNAi) under the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family Owned by Alnylam, this patent family covers short...

Compound library synthesis deal.(Innovation Watch)
August 1, 2005... Spanish multinational Almirall Prodesfarma and Germany's Evotec have entered into a two-year agreement over compound library synthesis, valued at over 2.5m [euro] Evotec said. Under the agreement, Evotec will design and synthesise several...

Pay higher price or there's no supply.(plastic markets )
August 1, 2005... EUROPEAN PRODUCERS managed to turn commodity plastic markets in July by instigating a series of price hikes. After the first week of July, converters' resistance crumbled as they realised if they wanted to secure material, they would have to...

Tight supply bolsters olefins.(MARKETS: Trends)
August 1, 2005... Naphtha prices have risen to $460-475/tonne cif NWE in what is described as a quiet market. Prices have been supported by crude oil numbers. Players talk of bearish sentiment in the market, despite relatively healthy demand from European...

Terra Nitrogen.(People on the move)
August 1, 2005... COLEMAN BAILEY has been elected to the board of directors at Terra Nitrogen, a nitrogen fertiliser manufacturer. He is a former chief executive officer (ceo) and chairman of the board at Mississippi Chemical. He became ceo of Mississippi...

Total Petrochemicals UK.(People on the move)
August 1, 2005... ANDREW RITCHIE is to replace David Gresham as managing director at Total Petrochemicals UK. Gresham is retiring after 25 years with Total. Ritchie is currently commercial vice president of Total Petrochemicals China. Ritchie was most recently...