ECN-European Chemical News articles from October 2005

ECN-European Chemical News archives from October 2005

Will China learn to go it alone in petrochemicals? As China sees a number of joint venture cracker projects come to fruition, it is learning the technical and business skills to compete with the rest of the world on its own behalf.(COMMENT)
October 3, 2005... OPENING A plant means a lot to a company. It is the most concrete way of showing its faith in the future. To open your first really serious site in China, as BASF has done this week with its Verbund site in Nanjing, is truly a great leap...

Al-Mady outlines Sabic future.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
October 3, 2005... SABIC IS considering participation in refinery investments in Saudi Arabia to enhance and diversify its feedstock availability in the kingdom, the company's vice chairman and chief executive officer Mohamed Al-Mady told ECN and sister...

Litjens to head EPCA.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
October 3, 2005... Sabic Europe's chief operating officer Boy Litjens has been appointed head of the European Petrochemical Association (EPCA)in a clear sign of the Saudi petrochemical giant's growing influence in Europe. Retiring president Walter Thunker,...

Cartel clash over German gas terms.(Business headlines)
October 3, 2005... GERMANY'S CARTEL authority, Bundeskartellamt, and the country's largest gas transmission company, Eon Ruhrgas, continue to clash over the authority's proposals for creating more competition in the market. Blaming Eon Ruhrgas for blocking a...

Trading sustained at Johnson Matthey.(Business headlines)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... UK SPECIALITY chemicals and metals group Johnson Matthey confirmed first half trading remained in line with expectations, with sustained profit growth. Speaking ahead of its closed reporting period it said: 'The catalysts division's profits are...

JM Huber purchase under EU scrutiny.(News Watch)
October 3, 2005... Swiss mineral firm Omya's intention to buy the on-site paper mineral business of JM Huber has come under scrutiny from competition officials at the European Commission. The commission said it will roach a decision on whether to allow the merger...

Lanxess' spandex business negotiations.(News Watch)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Lanxess chairman Axel Heitmann has confirmed to a German news agency that the company is negotiating with 'several' strategic and financial investors, including 'at least one Japanese firm', about a sale of its spandex business. In April, the...

Dow Chemical deciding on China venture.(News Watch)
October 3, 2005... Dow Chemical says it has yet to make a decision on whether it will participate in a coal-to-olefins plant in China. Dow and China's biggest coal producer Shenhua Group agreed last December to evaluate the feasibility of coal-to-olefins projects...

PetroChina agrees elastomer plant contracts.(News Watch)
October 3, 2005... PetroChina has signed a 50m [euro] agreement with Eni subsidiaries Polimeri Europa and Snamprogetti for the granting of licences and services for elastomer plants to be built in Dushanzi in the northwest of Xinjiang province in China. Eni said...

CECA stearates division sold to Peter Greven.(News Watch)
October 3, 2005... German soaps maker Peter Greven Fett-Chemie has acquired the stearates business of CECA. CECA will stop production and the products from CECA will be integrated into Peter Greven's production units in Germany and the Netherlands. CECA's solid...

Disaster summit.(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... ECN's parent, ICIS, is launching a disaster summit on 20 October in Houston to debate lessons to be learned from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. What is the real impact on future supply and demand? A percentage of the...

30 September 1985.(20 YEARS AGO)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... The plan to merge EMP's three petrochemical subsidiaries, Alcudia, Calatrava and Paular, has been approved by the board of the Instituto Nacional de Hydrocarburos. The new company will be the largest chemical company in Spain with expected...

Bayer chair is elected new VCI president.(BUSINESS)
October 3, 2005... BAYER CHAIRMAN Werner Wenning has been elected as the new president of the German chemicals industry association VCI. He takes over the position from BASF chairman Jurgen Hambrecht, who becomes a vice president. Also elected as vice...

BASF ups Asia investment.(BUSINESS)
October 3, 2005... BASF IS investing a further 1bn [euro] in Asia until 2009 in an effort to achieve 10% of its global chemical sales and earnings in China by 2010, the company said in China last week. BASF hopes to establish a leading position among the five...

Degussa finds partner in Dongdian.(BUSINESS)
October 3, 2005... BASF WAS not the only German chemical company to hold inauguration ceremonies in China this week. Speciality chemicals group Degussa kicked off a 70:30 joint venture with Dongdian No 4 Company to produce hmbtad, an intermediate used as an UV...

Cytec quantifies storm loss.(Business)
October 3, 2005... US SPECIALITY chemicals maker Cytec Industries said it expects to lose about $1m in pre-tax earnings as a result of Hurricane Rita and about $10m from disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina. Rita did not cause direct damage to facilities...

Polyone films unit buy out.(Business)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... POLYONE SAYS it plans to sell most of its engineered films business unit to members of the unit's management team and a Matrix Capital Markets investor group. PolyOne, a global polymer compounding and North American distribution company,...

Perfect pricing or Holy Grail?(MARKETS: Report)
October 3, 2005... IT'S A debate common to EPCA meetings--quarterly or monthly ethylene pricing. This year, with Innovene's monthly settlement out in the open, there is at least some action behind the words. But the market is still a long way off the perfect...

Wolf cries global message.(MARKETS: Report)(Martin Wolf)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... EXPECT VOLATILITY and be prepared for a weakening dollar, were the messages from economist Martin Wolf at the European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) meeting last Monday. The US trade deficit is unsustainable and a sudden devaluation of...

Methanor searches for saviour.(MARKETS: Report)
October 3, 2005... DUTCH METHANOL producer Methanor has begun talks with rival producers and suppliers in an attempt to weather soaring feedstock costs and poor margins. General manager Willem van den Bos, speaking on the sidelines of the European...

Rising costs force acid price increases.(Markets Watch)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... BASF is increasing prices for propionic acid and 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid immediately or as contracts allow. Rising costs and poor margins mean propionic acid prices will rise by 120 [euro]/ tonne in Europe, with 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid moving up...

DuPont assesses damage from Katrina.(Markets Watch)
October 3, 2005... Preliminary assessments of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina at DuPont's titanium dioxide plant in DeLisle, Mississippi, suggest that production could restart in three months. Sam Severance, vice president and general manager of DuPont...

Ticona to raise us prices in October.(Markets Watch)
October 3, 2005... Ticona is raising US prices for its acetal, polyester and long fibre products. Standard grades of Celcon and Hostaform acetal copolymer, Celanex polybutylene terephthalate, Impet polyethylene terephthalate, Vandar thermoplastic polyester...

Tessenderlo suffers from weak margins.(Markets Watch)
October 3, 2005... Tessenderlo is to stop production of sodium sulphate at its Tessenderlo plant in Belgium from 1 January 2006 due to weak margins. Wauthier d'Aspremont, sales manager for sulphur derivatives, says Tessenderlo is unable to compete with other...

Asian benzene is on the up.(MARKETS: Report)
October 3, 2005... BY 2010, a fundamental shift in benzene's global trade pattern will be in place and Asia will become the world's largest benzene importer. Speaking at DeWitt & Company's aromatics conference in Paris last month, Chuck Venezia, vice...

Petrobras eyes up ethanol expansion.(MARKETS: Report)
October 3, 2005... BRAZIL'S STATE-owned oil and petrochemicals group Petrobras is expanding its logistics network in preparation for a sharp rise in ethanol exports. The group, which intends to become Brazil's largest ethanol exporter, commenced exports to...

Green building is transforming the construction market: in this dialogue Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council and Bob Hansen, former Global Industry Executive Director for the Construction Industry and now Vice President and General Manager of the Core Products Business Unit, Dow Corning, discuss the importance of sustainable construction.(Interview)
October 3, 2005... How do you define "green," or sustainable, construction? RF: In the United States, buildings are responsible for one-third of our total energy use, raw materials use, waste output, and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy utilization in...

Skaugen enters Chinese shipbuilding alliance.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)
October 3, 2005... NORWEGIAN SHIPPER IM Skaugen has entered into an alliance with an undisclosed Chinese shipyard to build three specialised combination carriers. The 10 200 dwt vessels, to be delivered in 2007-08, will be capable of handling both LPG/ ethylene...

Ecodock to develop green yard in UK.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... NETHERLANDS-BASED Ecodock has signed a memorandum of understanding with Swan Hunter to develop a 'green' ship recycling yard in the UK. The venture could be operational early next year if necessary planning permissions are obtained. ...

European group will drive priorities.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)(freight transportation)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... FORMER EUROPEAN Commission vice president, Loyola de Palacio, has been appointed to chair a high-level group to identify and develop priority connections between major trans-European transport axes and neighbouring regions. The group...

Texas open again for business.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... DUTCH LOGISTICS group Vopak was reopening its Texas, US, terminals last week following closures in advance of Hurricane Rita. Facilities at Deer Park and Galena Park suffered no damage and full operations were expected by the end of last week....

Kuehne & Nagel expansion.(LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION)
October 3, 2005... GERMANY'S KUEHNE & Nagel has opened its expanded logistics centre in Grosslehna, Leipzig. Around 9m [euro] was invested in the project. The facility provides 15 000[m.sup.2] of warehousing and handling space. Kuehne & Nagel said that new...

Technip and Chiyoda jump on the LNG train.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
October 3, 2005... Technip of France and Chiyoda of Japan have signed a contract worth about $4bn to build two of the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains at Ras Laffan, Qatar. The engineering, procurement and construction contract has been signed...

$1m takes the bad smell away at Lanxess plant.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
October 3, 2005... Lanxess plans to spend $1m at its Addyston, Ohio, US, plant to improve air quality. The synthetic rubber and engineered plastics manufacturer said the investment would surpass local air compliance standards and reduce odours. Lanxess said it...

Zagros completes first stage of DME project.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
October 3, 2005... Zagros Petrochemical has completed the basic engineering work on its 800 000 tonne/year dimethyl ether (DME) project. The subsidiary of Iran's state-owned National Petrochemical Company (NPC) is building the plant in Assaluyeh, downstream of...

KBR pulls off cracker deal with LG Daesan.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
October 3, 2005... LG Daesan has appointed Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) and GS Engineering & Construction as contractors for its $200m cracker expansion project in South Korea (ECN 25 September). Ethylene capacity at the cracker will be raised by 200 000 tonne/year...

Work starts on $75m Maryazot facility.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Construction has begun on a new 400 000 tonne/year urea facility at the Maryazot plant in Turkmenistan (ECN 7 July 2002). The $75m project is expected to be completed by February 2008. A 450 000 tonne/year ammonium nitrate facility will also be...

Abbreviations and currency notes.(NEW PROJECTS: Roundup)
October 3, 2005... Prices contained in this magazine are obtained by ECN through consultation with producers, consumers and merchants across Europe. They are intended as a guide to price levels of recent business in Europe and reflect medium to large tonnage...

ITC continues anti-dumping duty on Korean pet.(Markets Watch)
October 3, 2005... The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to protect domestic US producers and continue a 14-year anti-dumping duty on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film from South Korea. The ITC says that if it revoked the duty there could be...

Tight supply means Lanxess hikes resin prices.(Markets Watch)
October 3, 2005... Lanxess is increasing its European prices for Novodur ABS, Lustran ABS and Lustran SAN from 1 October. The 150 [euro]/tonne hike is needed because of the tight supply situation affecting base products and the rising costs of raw materials,...

Reliance to hike OX output at Jamnagar.(New Projects Watch)(orthoxylene)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Reliance Industries will hike the orthoxylene (OX) capacity at its Jamnagar complex in Gujarat state by 66% in November The plant will be shut mid-October for a 45-day debottlenecking, which will increase its capacity from 219 000 tonne/year to...

Dow close to ether location decision.(New Projects Watch)
October 3, 2005... Dow Chemical is close to choosing a location for its new p-series glycol ethers plant in Asia. 'We need it, and we need it quickly, said Martin Sutcliffe, global business director, glycol ethers. The plant is expected to have a similar capacity...

GHCL will double Sutrapada capacity.(New Projects Watch)(Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... India's GHCL will double the capacity of its Sutrapada soda ash plant in Junagadh district, Gujarat state, in two phases. The plant's capacity will be raised by some 200 000 tonne/year to 800 000 tonne/year in the next 15-18 months. In phase...

BASF evaluates cracker expansion in Nanjing.(NEW PROJECTS)
October 3, 2005... CHINA'S BASF-YPC is evaluating the expansion of its cracker from 600 000 tonne/year to 750 000 tonne/year and is considering hiking capacity of its downstream plants, according to Werner Pratorius, president of BASF's petrochemical division....

Sabic furthers plans for China.(NEW PROJECTS)
October 3, 2005... SABIC MAY use crude oil and naphtha supplies to win participation in Chinese petrochemical projects, according the vice chairman and chief executive officer Mohamed Al-Mady. 'China has a big oil deficit, which gives us a potential...

Masso feed plant smells good at 3m [euro].(NEW PROJECTS)
October 3, 2005... SPANISH CHEMICALS firm Masso Y Carol is to invest 3m [euro] in building a cosmetics feed plant in Huesca, Spain. The Spanish plant will manufacture a range of chemical compounds that will be used in the production of soap and cosmetic...

BP's big ideas for Chinese PTA.(New projects)
October 3, 2005... BP IS PLANNING to build a 900 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant at its BP Zhuhai complex in Guangdong Province, China. Industry sources say the venture could cost around $300m. BP Zhuhai, a joint venture between BP...

Perstorp's plant pick-up.(New projects)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... PERSTORP WILL invest SKr60m (6.4m [euro]/$7.8m) to convert its Perstorp, Sweden, and Ghent, Belgium, production facilities to be able to produce a total of 55 000 tonne/year of potassium formate. The conversion will be based on Perstorp's...

More PGE for Lyondell.(New projects)(propylene glycol ether)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... LYONDELL CHEMICAL will increase its annual propylene glycol ether (PGE) capacity by 50 000 tonne/year by the beginning of 2007 with the construction of a plant in Taiwan. The decision to expand is the result of a long-term agreement with...

A market that depends on resourcefulness: engineering thermoplastics and other high-performance polymers are becoming increasingly important in a wide range of new applications. Cath O'Driscoll takes a closer look.(Polymers: Overview)
October 3, 2005... TODAY'S POLYMER technologists are having to be increasingly resourceful, says Frost & Sullivan senior research analyst, Don Rosato. With so few new engineering and high performance polymers appearing on the scene in recent decades, the current...

Biopolymers on the way up: there is no doubt that biopolymers offer numerous advantages over conventional plastics. But price isn't one of them ... yet.(Polymers: Biopolymers)
October 3, 2005... BETWEEN 1999 and 2004, the worldwide production capacity for biopolymers grew significantly, to about 250 000 tonne/year. The rise in capacity clearly shows how they are emerging from being a niche market and moving to mass production scale....

Russia beckons: the region's vast feedstock reserves and potential for increased polymer consumption present an attractive opportunity for commodity polymer producers.(POLYMERS: Russia)
October 3, 2005... RUSSIA AND the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) present an intriguing opportunity for commodity polymer producers, both local and international. With a population comparable to that of western Europe, Russia and the CIS can be seen to...

Taking a PEEK into China: Degussa is an established niche player in polymers and is embarking on start-ups and joint ventures in Asia to keep ahead.(Polymers: Degussa)
October 3, 2005... ON A list of the world's top players in terms of overall market presence, you will not see the name Degussa. With speciality polymer sales of 1.42bn [euro], the Dusseldorf-based chemical group is definitely a niche player --although it plays in...

Web-based businesses prove value, spur growth in chemical industry.(Interview)
October 3, 2005... Phil Allen has 30 years of hands-on sales, marketing, and key account management experience supporting a wide range of multi-national corporations. Since 1997, he has run his own marketing excellence practice, MarketAbility. Mr. Allen was...

The Brazilian blend: M&G is looking to Brazil as its base for polymer production in the South American region.(Polymers: M&G)
October 3, 2005... SCHEDULED TO come onstream at the end of next year, Italy-based M&G Group's new South American polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant will produce 450 000 tonnes of the polymer every year, overtaking the company's other facility in Altamira,...

Polymer foams challenged: in spite of skyrocketing raw material costs, polymer foam demand continues to grow.(POLYMERS: Foams)
October 3, 2005... VALUED AT 4.70bn [euro] in 2004, the European polymer foams market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.2%/year to reach 6.71bn [euro] in 2011, according to industry consultancy Frost & Sullivan. Nevertheless, skyrocketing...

Objection points Reach Brussels.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
October 3, 2005... THE EUROPEAN Action Alliance (EAA), bringing together SMEs under the Objection campaign, has put together a 'comprehensive catalogue of demands' which they say are needed to protect SMEs from the impact of Reach. Known as the 'Brussels...

BP will pay $21.3m fine after March explosion.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
October 3, 2005... IN AN agreement with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) BP Products North America is to pay a fine of $21.3m in relation to the Texas City refinery explosion, which occurred on 23 March. The agreement resolves more than...

SAICM makes progress, US fears a global policy.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)(Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management)(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... THE FINAL day of last month's meeting on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) saw progress made on the high-level declaration, an over-arching policy strategy and the global plan of action. But financial issues...

Greenpeace calls for a cull of toxic chemicals.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
October 3, 2005... GREENPEACE IS urging Europe's decisionmakers to follow the lead of a number of consumer goods producers, which are taking 'active steps to eliminate hazardous substances and end chemical contamination'. According to Greenpeace, companies...

Germany rallies against GM.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
October 3, 2005... GERMAN FARMERS demonstrated last week at the Bonn headquarters of the national agricultural association, Deutscher Raiffeisenverband (DRV), to protest at the organisations pro-genetic crops stance. Holding posters reading 'We want...

Defra proposes waste recovery.(ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS)
October 3, 2005... THE UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has set out proposals for changes to existing waste management licensing exemptions involving hazardous waste. The revised exemptions include waste from solvents...

Hikes hit markets following storms.(MARKETS: Plastics monitor)
October 3, 2005... POLYMER SELLERS say increased cost pressure has stiffened their resolve to push through large increases. Producers point to crude oil prices hovering around $65/ bbl and new record high European naphtha prices of $594/tonne cif NWE. Initial...

Sellers pushing prices after storms.(Market trends)
October 3, 2005... STRONG DEMAND boosted naphtha prices which rose to $586-594/tonne cif NWE towards the end of last week after easing earlier. November Brent crude levels were at $64.10/bbl. Propylene too has moved up, to spot levels just above the fourth...

European Q4 2004-Q4 2005 contract prices, [euro]/tonne.(MARKETS: Bulk trends)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 3, 2005... EUROPEAN Q4 2004-Q4 2005 CONTRACT PRICES, [euro]/TONNE 2004 2005 QUARTERLY Q4 Q1 Q2 Ethylene 700 740 750 Propylene ...

CMC: 3-9 October 2005.(CHEMICAL PROFILE)(Carboxymethyl cellulose)
October 3, 2005... CMC: 3-9 October 2005 WEST EUROPEAN CMC CAPACITY (2005), '000 TONNE/YEAR Company Country Capacity Aciselsan Turkey 3.5 Akzo Nobel Italy 12 ...

Dow Corning Life Sciences.(People on the move)
October 3, 2005... ERIKO SAKURAI has been named as the global industry director for marketing for Dow Corning Life Sciences, where she will be a member of the life sciences team. Most recently, Sakurai was executive director of marketing at Avon Japan.

CEL International.(People on the move)
October 3, 2005... TOM KELLY has joined process engineering contractor CEL International as business manager for Ireland. Based in Cork, Kelly will focus on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He joins from FMC Biopolymer where he was key account...

Vermont Composites.(People on the move)
October 3, 2005... PATRICK WHEELER has become chief executive and president of Vermont Composites, the US designer and manufacturer of advanced carbon fibre composite structures for Conferences aeroplanes and automobiles and other commercial uses. Wheeler has...

Schering.(People on the move)
October 3, 2005... RAINER METTERNICH has joined the board of executive directors at pharmaceutical firm Schering. He is currently head of Schering's European research centre. He has held senior positions in Sandoz and Novartis.

Reported in ECN 26 September 2005.(DIARY)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 3, 2005... REPORTED IN ECN 26 SEPTEMBER 2005 Company Product Capacity Borealis Porvoo, Finland phenol (x)190 000T acetone (x)115 000T Stenungsung, xIPE ...

Calendar: October-December 2005.(Conferences)(Calendar)
October 3, 2005... IFEAT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: THE INDUSTRY IN INDIA 12-20 October Cochin, India Tel +44 20 7729 5904 Fax +44 20 7814 8383 Website www.ifeat.org 10TH WORLD FIBRES AND FEEDSTOCKS 20-21 October Singapore...

Getting the right mix: Anton Putter--president and managing director Sasol Olefins & Surfactants--believes the company has the right mix of expertise and personnel for global success in the olefins and surfactants market.(SASOL OLEFINS & SURFACTANTS: Overview)
October 3, 2005... THE OLEFINS and surfactants division of Sasol Ltd is organised in four business units--alcohols and surfactants, alkylates and surfactants, inorganic specialties and monomers. The business has operations around the globe, principally in Europe,...

Lean and mean is the key to success: Tom O'Brien says expertise allied to cost reduction will lead to success for alcohol and surfactant businesses in the market of tomorrow.(SASOL OLEFINS & SURFACTANTS: Alcohols and Surfactants)
October 3, 2005... JUST UNDER half of the turnover of Sasol Olefins & Surfactants is in its alcohols and surfactants unit, at about 1bn [euro] annually. Of this, over half of the unit's sales are in Europe, with about 30% in North America and the remaining sales...

Alkylates forge global outlook: Guido Safran says the way to profit in alkylates and surfactants is in going global and praying for oil price stability.(SASOL OLEFINS & SURFACTANTS: Alkylates and Surfactants)
October 3, 2005... THE ALKYLATES and surfactants unit of Sasol Olefins & Surfactants has an annual turnover of around 650m [euro], representing around 28-30% of the olefins and surfactants business. It produces 600 000 tonne/year of paraffin, used mainly in the...

Specialise for success: alumina and zeolite production must adapt to new speciality markets and in doing so will remain buoyant.(SASOL OLEFINS & SURFACTANTS: Inorganic Specialty Chemicals)
October 3, 2005... SASOL'S OLEFINS & Surfactants inorganic speciality chemicals business unit produces alumina and zeolites at four locations around the world. High purity aluminas are produced as a co-product of the Ziegler process at Brunsbuttel in Germany and...

Technology is the key: Sasol Olefins & Surfactants is focused on processes and products keeping the company the number one producer of 1-octene in the World.(SASOL OLEFINS & SURFACTANTS: Monomers)
October 3, 2005... THE MONOMERS business at Sasol Olefins & Surfactants is comprised of two distinct product lines. The first consists of ethylene and related coproducts produced by an ethane cracking unit at the company's Lake Charles, Louisiana, US, plant. The...

Reach for silver linings of cohesion and trust: proposals for a new EU chemicals policy have become one of the largest, longest running and most controversial pieces of EU legislation. But it has brought the industry together and given SMEs a voice.(COMMENT)
October 10, 2005... IT ALL sounded so straightforward. Producers would be asked to register all the chemical products they make and provide a package of information covering health and environmental impacts. Those chemicals with data indicating possible concerns...

Degussa sends out warnings.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
October 10, 2005... DEGUSSA, NOT for the first time, warned it will take an impairment charge of hundreds of millions of euros because of reduced prospects in its fine chemicals activities. The German speciality chemicals firm says it is taking a charge of...

DSM reveals strategy.(strengthening through growth and acquisitions)
October 10, 2005... DSM, THE Dutch life sciences and chemical firm, unveiled its strategy for the next five years, Vision 2010-Building on Strengths, not as a radical transformation but as a period of consolidation. 'Vision 2005 was a major transformation strategy...

BASF looks towards European growth.(BUSINESS: Headlines)
October 10, 2005... BASF REMAINS firmly committed to Europe, despite lower growth rates compared with Asia, the German energy and chemical group's deputy chairman told journalists last week. The region, which accounts for 21m [euro] or 56% of group sales and...

Celanese to sell Topas.(selling German copolymer business to Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 10, 2005... IN A deal expected to be completed at the end of this year, Celanese plans to sell the loss-making Topas cycloolefin copolymer (COC) business of German subsidiary Ticona to Japan-based Daicel Chemical Industries and Polyplastics. Daicel...

BorsodChem buys Polish ethylbenzene firm.(News Watch)
October 10, 2005... Hungary's BorsodChem has agreed to buy Polish high-purity ethylbenzene (EB) maker Petrochemia Blachownia. As well as being Poland's only producer of high-purity ethylbenzene, which accounts for roughly half of its total revenues,...

Shell falls foul of us courts over patents.(News Watch)
October 10, 2005... A US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld a patent infringement verdict against Shell Oil in a case filed by Dow Chemical subsidiary Union Carbide. The court also said a lower court should consider increasing the damage award...