Chemical Week articles from June 2009

Chemical Week archives from June 2009

Enabling recovery.(chemical industry economic conditions)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Chemical makers have moved beyond the shock of the sharp demand declines that have cut profits and sales since late 2008. Conditions are no longer getting worse in most regions, and attention is turning to how to manage recovery. Two features...

Huck wins CW SFO Award.(Paul Huck)(senior financial officer)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Air Products CFO Paul Huck was named CW's Senior Financial Officer (SFO) of the Year at the 14th Annual SFO Conference held earlier this month in New York. "The role of a CFO, along with the CEO, is to define the future and take control of it,"...

Fuller earnings down.(H.B. Fuller Co.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... H.B. Fuller reported net income of $17.6 million, or 36 cts/share, for the second quarter ended May 30, down 18% the year-ago period. The company saw revenues drop 16.1% from the year-ago period, to $299.2 million. Higher selling prices were...

Cytec cuts outlook.(Cytec Industries Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Cytec reduced its full-year earnings guidance by about 50%, to 60 cts-90 cts/share, from $1.35-$1.70/ share last week. The company cited continued weak demand as a reason for the cut. Cytec will release its second-quarter results on July 16.

Dow Corning solar plan.(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Representatives from Dow Corning and other firms met with members of Congress and the Obama administration last week to lobby for federal policies to encourage the growth of a domestic solar energy industry. The group advocates a federal...

SNF confirms Louisiana acrylamide plant.(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... SNF Group (Andrezieux, France) has confirmed reports that it plans to build a water-soluble polymers manufacturing facility at Plaquemine, LA (CW, May 18/25, 2009, p. 7). The facility, which will produce acrylamide monomer and polyacrylamide...

ACC: output way down, but economy stabilizing.(American Chemistry Council)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 22, 2009... The economy is beginning to stabilize in the U.S. and worldwide, according to ACC's mid-year economic outlook. However, U.S. chemical industry output is expected to fall 11.6% in 2009, before rebounding in 2010. ACC's mid year forecast reflects...

BASF to close PS plant at Ludwigshafen.(polystyrene)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... BASF says it will permanently close a polystyrene (PS) plant at the company's Ludwigshafen site by June 30, due to weak demand. This move will reduce BASF's production capacity for PS in Europe by 80,000 m.t./year, to 540,000 m.t./ year. The...

Monsanto earnings fall on glyphosate weakness.
June 22, 2009... Monsanto reported third-quarter net income of $694 million, down 14% from the year-ago quarter. Sales decreased 11%, to $3.2 billion. The company reported earnings of $1.25/share, beating an analyst consensus of $1.17/share as reported by...

Arkema closes MMA plant.(methyl methacrylate )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Arkema says it plans to cease methyl methacrylate (MMA) production at Carl, France and reduce production of polymethyl methacrylate at Bernouville, France in an effort to secure the long-term viability of its methacrylics business. The company...

Invista enters nylon-6,6 plastic market.(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Koch Industries' Invista unit has confirmed plans to enter the nylon-6,6 engineering polymers business. Resin production will be added at existing Invista production sites in North America and Europe, and the company plans to build polymer...

Petrochina negotiates to invest in Ineos U.K. refining and petchem complex.(PetroChina Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... PetroChina is among several companies talking to Ineos about a possible investment in Ineos's Grangemouth, U.K. refinery and petrochemical complex, press reports say. Local politician Angus Macdonald, quoted in the reports, says that an Ineos...

Aramco awards contracts for Saudi petchem JVs.(Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and TOTAL S.A. signed a deal with Samsung Engineering and Construction Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Saudi Aramco and Total have awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to Samsung Engineering for Aramco and Total's previously announced paraxylene project at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The p-xylene plant forms part of a...

BASF to close EPS plant at site in Spain.(expandable polystyrene)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... BASF says it will close permanently an expandable polystyrene (EPS) plant at Tarragena, Spain with the loss of 85 jobs. The plant has become uneconomical due to its relatively small capacity and poor cost structure, BASF says. The closure is...

Saudi Arabia's NCC forms tanker JV with Odfjell.
June 22, 2009... National Chemical Carriers (NCC; Riyadh) has agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture with Odfjell (Bergen, Norway) that will operate the largest chemical tankers in the partners' respective fleets. NCC and Odfjell will pool their tankers with an...

Clariant cuts more jobs.(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Clariant says it will cut 500 more jobs worldwide by year-end and that further reductions are likely in 2009-10. The announcement confirms a recent report in Swiss Sunday newspaper SonntagsBlick. The 500 job losses are in addition to 1,350 job...

Evonik ups methionine.(Evonik Industries AG )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Evonik Industries says that its previously announced expansions of methionine capacity will increase the company's overall total to 430,000 m.t./year. Evonik said last December that it had 350,000 m.t./year of methionine capacity worldwide. The...

DyStar buys business.(DyStar Textilfarben GmbH acquired with Rhodia)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... DyStar (Frankfurt) says it has acquired Rhodia's sodium amide business, for an undisclosed amount. The acquired assets consist of sodium amide formulating technology and the related customer base. Formulation of sodium amide will be relocated...

Output falls in France.(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Chemical output fell 16.5% in France in the first quarter of 2009, compared with the year-ago quarter, industry association UIC (Paris) says. UIC predicts a 7.5% drop in 2009 output compared with 2008, and a 2% rise in 2010 compared with 2009.

Huntsman reaches $1.7-billion settlement with banks.(TOP OF THE WEEK)
June 22, 2009... Huntsman reached an agreement last week with Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank that provides $1.73 billion in cash and financing to settle Huntsman's claim that the banks interfered to scuttle Huntsman's merger agreements with Basell and Hexion...

Dow's Dutch refinery stake goes to Lukoil.(TOP OF THE WEEK)
June 22, 2009... Energy company Lukoil (Moscow) says it has agreed to buy Dow Chemical's 45% stake in Dow and Total's refinery joint venture at Vlissingen, the Netherlands. The value of the proposed transaction is about $725 million, including inventory, and it...

PET demand stays volatile.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(polyethylene terephthalate)
June 22, 2009... The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market continues to grapple with weak demand growth and overcapacity, producers told CW at the National Plastics Exposition, held in Chicago earlier this month. Demand will rebound eventually, but it will be...

Private equity firm to acquire Ashland's Drew Marine unit.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(J.F. Lehman & Co. acquired Fifth Third Bancorp.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Ashland has reached a definitive agreement to sell its global marine services business to private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Co. (New York) for $120 million. "This reflects our strategy to strengthen our core specialty chemical businesses...

Terra to idle ammonia production.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Terra Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Terra Industries says it will temporarily idle ammonia production at its Donaldsonvilie, LA facility on July 1, due to weak demand. Terra says it will restart the facility when market conditions improve. The Donaldsonville plant has the capacity...

Venezuela finalizes petchem plan.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
June 22, 2009... Venezuela's National Assembly has finalized a law that will require petrochemical firms to sign joint ventures with state petchem firm Pequiven, which would take at least a 50% stake.The law is not expected to affect many private companies...

Canada expands phthalates ban.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Canada's environmental regulatory body Health Canada (Ottawa) has proposed banning phthalates in toys and other child care articles. Canada has had a ban in place since 1998 prohibiting phthalates in items intended to be mouthed by young...

DOE details FutureGen restart.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Department of Energy )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has outlined the Obama Administration's plans for reviving the FutureGen Alliance, a public-private partnership featuring a power plant with a process for converting coal into syngas. The power plant, to be built...

Nova-IPIC deal close nears; Nova eyes Mideast.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
June 22, 2009... Nova Chemicals says its acquisition by International Petroleum Investment Co. (IPIC; Abu Dhabi) is on schedule to close by the end of June. "We have a pretty good shot at delivering on that expectation," Nova CEO Chris Pappas told attendees at...

Omnova records profit in second quarter.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Omnova Solutions Inc. )(Financial report)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Omnova Solutions reported profits of $5.1 million, or 12 cts/share, in its fiscal second quarter ended May 31. The company reported a net loss of $3.1 million in the same year-ago period. The 2009 quarter included restructuring and other charges...

House panel passes plant security bill, alters IST clause.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(inherently safer technologies)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... The House Committee on Homeland Security has passed a chemical plant security bill that would require facilities to consider inherently safer technologies (IST) and allow for citizen suits against facilities that are out of compliance. The...

P&G and Eastman win EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Procter & Gamble Co.)(Eastman Chemical Co.)(Environmental Protection Agency )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Proctor & Gamble (P&G) and Eastman Chemical were among the 2009 recipients of EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. The award recognizes technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design,...

Sibur confirms project delays; MBO 'no longer on the agenda'.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(management buyout)
June 22, 2009... Sibur, Russia's biggest producer of petrochemicals, has delayed or shelved all of its expansion projects due to the economic and financial crisis, Sibur president Dmitry Konov says. "We have not cancelled any of our largest projects, but we have...

Chemspec: fine and specialty chemical outlook mixed.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... The outlook for fine and specialty chemicals is mixed, according to exhibitors and visitors interviewed by CW at the Chemspec Europe conference and exposition, held recently in Barcelona. The general consensus is that demand for agchem...

Japan criticized over 2020 emission-reduction target.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)
June 22, 2009... Japanese prime minister Taro Aso announced earlier this month that Japan would aim to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 15% by 2020 compared with 2005 levels, or 8% by 2020 compared with 1990 levels. Other nations and environmental...

Jubilant eyes divestment of performance polymers business.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Jubilant Organosys Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Jubilant Organosys (Noida, India), one of India's largest pharmaceutical custom research and manufacturing services companies, says it is evaluating plans to divest its performance polymers business. The company says it intends to focus on its...

Para-xylene plans take shape in Korea.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)
June 22, 2009... Hyundai Oilbank (HDO; Daesan, Korea) and S-Oil (Seoul) have announced progress on separate projects to build world-scale para-xylene plants in Korea. The projects will add a combined 1.7 million m.t./year of p-xylene capacity. HDO has signed...

Uhde Inventa-Fischer awarded contract for Sabic PET plant.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(polyethylene terephthalate)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Uhde Inventa-Fischer says it has been awarded a contract by Sabic to supply technology and provide the complete basic engineering package for an expansion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) capacity at Sabic's Arabian Industrial Fiber Co. (Ibn...

Air Liquide to build air separation unit for electronics firms in China.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Air Liquide America L.P.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Air Liquide says it will invest 25 million [euro] ($35 million) to build an air separation unit at Chengdu, China. Air Liquide has signed a long-term supply agreement with Beijing Oriental Electronics Technology Group (BOE) for BOE's new...

German companies form jv to build C[O.sub.2] liquefaction unit.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(CropEnergies and Tyczka Energie jointly plans to build liquefaction plant)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... CropEnergies (Mannheim, Germany) and Tyczka Energie (Geretsried, Germany) say they are jointly planning to build a plant for the liquefaction, purification, and recovery of food-quality carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]). The plant will be constructed...

Qafco awards Cogen contract to U.S. contractor.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Qatar Fertiliser Company SAQ)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Proplant (Houston) says it has been awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction contract by Qatar Fertiliser Co. (Qafco) for a cogeneration steam production plant at Qafco's Mesaieed, Qatar manufacturing complex. The scope of the...

Electronic chemicals: system set to reboot?(Cover story)
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The semiconductor industry has not yet been able to recover from last year's sales tumble that brought electronic chemical manufacturers with it. Analysts do not expect a major recovery any time soon but forecast a...

Polysilicon suppliers relish a place in the sun, despite lower prices.
June 22, 2009... The market for polysilicon and other advanced chemicals and materials used in photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and modules is contracting, largely due to the recession. Firms that make solar modules from solar cell materials face a tough credit...

Managing specialties: surviving the downturn.(Company overview)
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Specialty chemical makers have worked to wring out costs, reduce headcount, and re-size manufacturing in response to the sharp global downturn and resulting lower volumes. Suppliers say they must act now, before an...

Rising standard of living drives up agchem demand.(CONFERENCES)
June 22, 2009... The market for contract manufacturing of agchems will grow for, at least, the next two years, according to speakers at Chemspec Europe, a specialty chemical conference and exposition, held recently in Barcelona. "The opportunities are out...

Dr. Reddy's and GSK form alliance in emerging markets.(EXPANSION)(GlaxoSmithKline PLC)(Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (Hyderabad, India) says it has entered into an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK; London) to develop and market select products in several emerging markets, excluding India. Financial terms of the deal were not...

Lonza signs manufacturing deal with biopharma firm.(PHARMACEUTICALS & FINE CHEMICALS)(EluSys Therapeutics Inc.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Lonza says it has signed a deal to produce therapeutic monoclonal antibody Anthim for biopharmaceutical company Elusys Therapeutics (Pine Brook, NJ). Anthim, which is in late-stage development, can be used to treat anthrax infection. Lonza says...

Gedeon Richter to license KV Pharmaceutical technology.(PHARMACEUTICALS & FINE CHEMICALS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Gedeon Richter (Budapest), a major pharmaceutical manufacturer serving Central and Eastern Europe, says it has entered an agreement to license some of KV Pharmaceutical's (St. Louis) technologies and products in women's health. Terms were not...

Dow, BASF move up in plastics additives market.(MARKETS)(Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Michigan))
June 22, 2009... The recent combinations of Dow Chemical and Rohm & Hass (R&H), as well as BASF and Ciba Specialty Chemicals has jostled market leadership positions for several markets, including plastics additives. The $32-billion market for plastics...

Certain resin prices rise; Hexion streamlines unit.(COMPOSITES)(Hexion Specialty Chemical)
June 22, 2009... Prices of unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins used in composites are rising amid increasing costs for raw materials, including dicyclopentadiene, phthalic anhydride, propylene glycol, and styrene, suppliers say. "Crude oil prices have...

Monthly contract pricing is becoming standard in Europe.(OLEFINS)
June 22, 2009... With the settlement last week of July ethylene contracts in Europe at 785 [euro]/m.t., the monthly pricing mechanism has become established, market participants say. The July agreement reflects an increase of 80 [euro]/m.t. from June. Monthly...

Dow Europe boosts prices.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Dow Europe says it increased the price of polycarbonate resin, polycarbonate compounds, and polycarbonate blends by 200 [euro]/m.t. in Africa, Europe, India, and the Mideast, effective June 24 or as contracts allow. The company cites rising raw...

Eastman polyesters certified.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Eastman Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Eastman Chemical says it has received Cradle to Cradle (C2C) silver certification for some of its polyesters, including its ParaStar brand resin, from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. The products met specified sustainability and...

Producers hike prices, again.(MARKETS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 22, 2009... Basic chemical producers have announced another round of price increases to be implemented on July 1 or as contracts allow. They cite rising raw material costs and inadequate margins. Oxea (Oberhausen, Germany) says it will increase list and...

Methanol.(PRODUCT FOCUS)
June 22, 2009... Prices U.S.: 55.25 cts/gal, spot; 60 cts/gal, contract EUROPE: 155 [euro]/m.t. c.i.f., spot; 146.50 [euro]/m.t., contract ASIA: $225/m.t., c.f.r., spot; $230/m.t., contract Outlook Global methanol demand held steady in the first...

Commentary.(CW PRICE REPORT)(Statistical table)
June 22, 2009... Cracker feedstock prices on the U.S. Gulf Coast fell along with crude oil costs last week. Spot ETHANE prices dropped 5 cts/gal, and PROPANE decreased 6 cts/gal, sources say. BUTANE was off by 8 cts/gal. NAPHTHA sank 11 cts/gal in the U.S., but...

Indicator bides time.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)(Statistical table)
June 22, 2009... The leading indicator for the chemical industry rose slightly in June, recouping most of the loss suffered in May. The indicator plunged 18% and chemical production about 10% from last October through January. The indicator has moved in a narrow...

Toray Plastics.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)(appointments of Tonya McBride and Justin Larson )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... quarter. Auto sales have gained 5.6% in April and May. In employment, hours of work is off 1.7% this quarter, compared with a 2.3% drop in the second. Toray Plastics has appointed Tonya McBride national sales manager and Justin Larson sales...

Albany Molecular Research.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Albany Molecular Research has named Rajesh Shenoy managing director/India, Sivakumar Svasubramanian director/general operations, India, and Sridhar Vaddeboina director/analytical services, India.

American Vanguard.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... American Vanguard has announced that Trevor Thorley, currently COO of subsidiary AMVAC Chemical, will also assume responsibility for sales and marketing at AMVAC.

Evonik.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)(resignation of Ulrich Weber )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Evonik has announced that Ulrich Weber will be stepping down from his position as an executive board member and COO/ human resources and labor relations. A replacement has not yet been named.

Valspar.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Valspar has appointed Ian R. Friendly to its board of directors. Friendly is executive v.p. and COO/U.S. Retail at General Mills.

Dishman.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Dishman has appointed Nick Green president/ Dishman Contract Research and Manufacturing.

Uhde.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Uhde has named Michael Thiemann chairman of its executive board.

Ze-gen.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Ze-gen has appointed Susan Tierney to its board of directors. Tierney is a managing principal at Analysis Group.

Accelrys.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Accelrys has named Max Camecchia CEO and president, as well as member of its board of directors. Carnecchia was most recently president at Interwoven.

Huntsman.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... Huntsman has appointed Daniele Ferrari president/performance products. Ferrari was previously v.p./performance products, Europe, Mideast, and Africa.

American Peptide.(LEADING INDICATOR--KEY CHANGES)
June 22, 2009... American Peptide has named Firuz Shakoori director/sales.

CW75 stock performance.(Statistical table)
June 22, 2009... The CW75 index dipped 4.5% for the week ended June 23, lagging the Morgan Stanley global composite and the S&P 500 indexes, which lost 2.1% and 1.8%, respectively. Basic chemical shares fell 7.7%, diversified shares dropped 3.3% and...

Laying the foundations for new initiatives and projects.(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association's partnership with China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association )
June 22, 2009... The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) has laid the foundations for several new initiatives and projects since Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun took charge as Secretary General of the association on April 1, 2009. These include working...

Dear colleagues.
June 22, 2009... Welcome to the eighth edition of Insight, our quarterly newsletter featuring updates on GPCA's activities, and analysis of the major issues impacting the chemical industry. This is the first issue of Insight to be published since my...

GPCA retains Al-Mady as chairman: six new board members.(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association)(Mohamed Al-Mady)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Mohamed Al-Mady has been retained as Chairman of GPCA. Al-Mady, who is also Vice Chairman and CEO of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), will continue to head GPCA until 2011. GPCA has also increased its number of board members from eight, to...

Roy Vardheim, former chairman of the SH&E Committee.(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association's Safety, Health and Environment)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Roy Vardheim was appointed Chairman of GPCA's Safety, Health & Environment (SH&E) Committee in February 2008, succeeding Harri Bucht. Roy held the post until March 2009. Roy played a key role in the SH&E Committee's attainment of...

Focus on fertilizers: the gulf transforms itself into a major production hub.(Focus)
June 22, 2009... A number of factors are contributing to increased global fertilizer consumption. While population growth is the key driver for increased agricultural production, economic growth also makes a significant contribution. Both have resulted in...

Borouge 3 and ChemaWEyaat projects advance: key contracts are awarded to engineering firms.(Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.)
June 22, 2009... Two multibillion-dollar petrochemical projects are moving ahead in Abu Dhabi. Key contracts were awarded to engineering firms recently for both complexes. Borouge, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National oil Co. (ADNOC) and Borealis, has...

Para-xylene project reaches completion at world-scale complex in Kuwait.(Kuwait Paraxylene Production Co. ()(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Kuwait Paraxylene Production Co. (KPPC) plans to start production at a $2-billion aromatics complex at the Shuaiba Industrial Area, Kuwait in the third quarter of 2009, KPPC chairman Mahmoud Al-Qattan says. All construction activities on the...

Integrated supply chain management: a determining factor in market success.(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association)
June 22, 2009... The GPCA general assembly and board of directors recognize the importance of supply chain management in the chemical and petrochemical industries and, as a result, approved the formation of a Supply Chain Management Commit tee within GPCA. The...

GPCA to sign agreement with China's CPCIA.(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association)(China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A delegation from the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association (CPCIA; Beijing), a nonprofit entity that represents chemical and petroleum companies in China, met with GPCA last April in Dubai. The two...

Fertilizer seminar attracts a large turnout.(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association)(Conference notes)
June 22, 2009... GPCA organized the Gulf Fertiliser Seminar on April 7-8, 2009 in Dubai, to familiarize industry executives with the latest developments in the fertilizer sector. More than 40 delegates attended the event, representating six major fertilizer...

Reacting to change.(VIEWPOINT)(Conference news)(Viewpoint essay)
June 8, 2009... The ongoing impact of the global economic slowdown and a more aggressive policy agenda topped discussions at ACC's annual meeting, held last week at Colorado Springs, CO. Dramatic changes since last year's meeting, including the rapid onset...

Sun buys inks firm.(Sun Chemical Corp. acquires Handschy Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... DIC's Sun Chemical says it has agreed to buy certain assets and liabilities of Handschy's (Bellwood, IL) coatings, inks, and varnishes business from Graphic Packaging Holding (Marietta, GA), for an undisclosed sum. Handschy's customer lists,...

Holly adds refinery.(Holly Corp. acquires Sunoco Inc.'s petroleum refineries)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Holly (Dallas) says it has completed its $65-million acquisition of Sunoco's refinery at Tulsa, OK. The 85,000-bbl/day refinery will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary and renamed Holly Refining & Marketing-Tulsa. The facility produces...

Cytec forms five units.
June 8, 2009... Cytec Industries says it is changing its reporting structure from four segments, to five: Coating Resins, Additive Technologies, In Process Separation, Engineered Materials, and Building Block Chemicals. The company has eliminated the...

Diehl expands emulsions.(Diehl Food Ingredients acquires ACH Food Companies Inc.)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Diehl Food Ingredients (Defiance, OH) says it has acquired the emulsified powders and non-dairy creamer business from Associated British Foods subsidiary ACH Food. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition includes assets to...

BASF, Monsanto launch drought-tolerant corn.
June 8, 2009... BASF and Monsanto say they have discovered a naturally occurring gene to help corn plants combat drought conditions. The companies say this could result in the world's first biotechnology-derived, drought-tolerant crop, and they expect the trait...