Plastic petrochemicals biopolymer automotive 13-12-2018 - Arhive
-China – Polyethylene Terephthalate
PET and its chain are assessed mixed.
PET Bottle grade export 1,040/1,090 $/ton – PET Bottle grade domestic market 8,350/8,500 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade SD domestic market 8,050/8,200 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade BR domestic market 8,100/8,250 yuan/ton
PTA Taiwan 855/865 $/ton – PTA domestic market 6,550/6,700 yuan/ton – MEG $ 670/685 $/ton – MEG domestic market 5,700/5,800 yuan/ton – PX Korea 1,030/1,045 $/ton
POY 150D/48F domestic market 8,600/8,750 yuan/ton – DTY 150D/48F domestic market 10,400/10,550 yuan/ton – PSF domestic market 9,000/9,100 yuan/ton
-Bioplastics compostable in Italy
Last year more than 70 thousand tons of biopolymers were transformed, a volume that grew by 86% in the last five years. Bioshopper for the first time exceed illegal bags.
Assobioplastiche presented in Rome the 2018 edition, with data referring to the last year, of the Annual Report on the Italian industry of compostable bioplastics, developed as usual by the consulting company of Milan Plastic Consult
-Polymer processing in Tatarstan has grown 2.5 times in seven years
Polymer processing in Tatarstan has grown 2.5 times in seven years, reports Business Gazette .
Tatarstan produces 12% of all chemistry in the Russian Federation and almost half, 41% of all polymers. Some brands of the enterprise of the Republic produce the only in Russia. Such information was announced by the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan, Alexey Savelchev, at the last “Polymer Day,” informs the republican media.
-PP prices in Southeast Asia are falling
Polypropylene (PP) prices in Southeast Asia have been falling for the sixth week in a row, despite an improvement in buying trends throughout the region, ICIS reports, citing market participants.
PP spot prices remain under pressure from broad supply in December, as suppliers seek to clean up existing warehouses until the end of the year.
-Crude Oil Prices Trend
-Indorama Ventures announces acquisition of UTT
Indorama Ventures (IVL), a leading chemical company, has entered into an agreement to acquire UTT, one of the leading suppliers of airbag fabrics and other highly specialised solutions in the field of technical textiles.
The company has two sites in Germany and Mexico with around 420 employees and produces around 70 million sqm of fabrics.
Subject to regulatory approvals, UTT will be acquired by PHP Fibers, a company owned by Indorama Ventures (80% stake) and Toyobo (20% stake).
The acquisition of UTT by PHP Fibers brings together two pioneers in the airbag market who have worked together closely and trustingly for more than five decades, the company reports.
-Latin America polyethylene prospects down in the short term
Another important factor has been the impact of a strong US dollar in local currencies.
This has been more noticeable in Argentina, where the local currency has had a strong devaluation in 2018.
However, a strong dollar has affected many other Latin American nations, too.
In Mexico, the main problem has been the proliferation of offers from US PE producers.
With all export channels for trade between the two countries firmly established by years of commerce under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico has long been a preferred destination for US PE exports.
-Polypack makes French end-of-line equipment acquisition
Though they shared the same origins and name, Polypack Inc. in the U.S. and Polypack France (Polypack Sarl) were separate entities with no relationship—until now.
Tampa Bay, Fla.-based OEM Polypack, Inc., specializing in end-of-line packaging equipment, announced the acquisition of an established French end-of-line packaging manufacturer, also called Polypack, in December 2018.
“My father Alain Cerf actually started that company, Polypack France or Polypack Sarl, in 1959 and sold it in 1984. And since 1984, we shared nothing but the name,” says Emmanuel Cerf, VP of Sales and Marketing, Polypack, Inc. “They were making end-of-line packaging, including tray erectors, wrap around equipment, and shrink wrappers. But they were selling mainly to European and African markets.”
Integrates and establishes its global business in dyed woven fabrics; Enhances edges of its vertically integrated operations
Texhong Textile Group Limited (“Texhong Textile” or the “Group”; stock code: 2678), one of the world’s largest core spun yarn suppliers, formed a new joint venture company, Texhong Winnitex Holdings Limited (“Texhong Winnitex”), to acquire the entire equity interest in Winnitex Holdings Limited (“Winnitex”), Winnitex Limited (“Winnitex HK”) and Zhejiang Qing Mao Weaving, Dyeing, Printing Co., Ltd. (“Zhejiang Qing Mao”) (collectively “the Winnitex Group”) at a total consideration of about HK$1.35 billion.
-UK chemicals urges calm, supports Brexit deal as vote in Parliament delayed
Following a day of chaos in the UK Parliament on Monday, in which a key vote on the Brexit deal was postponed, the country’s trade group the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) has urged calm and reiterated its support for the government’s deal.
The CIA added however that the delay may introduce more uncertainty for UK and EU chemicals companies and the wider economy.
The UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday delayed a vote on the deal negotiated with the EU over uncertainties expressed by her colleagues surrounding the Northern Irish backstop.
-Carboxyl Group: Definition And Function
In chemistry, carboxyl is a functional group that gets added to numerous compounds. But what is carboxyl, and what is a functional group?
Carboxyl is an organic functional group that is made out of a single carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom, and single bonded to a hydroxyl group. The chemical formula for the carboxyl group is:
R[COOH]
where R refers to the rest of the molecule that the carboxyl group is attached to. Another way to write this formula is:
R[C(=O)OH]
which represents the double bond between the carbon atom and the terminal oxygen atom. One can think of a carboxyl group as a carbonyl group (C=O) whose carbon atom is bonded to a hydroxyl group (OH). The carboxyl group is an important component of organic molecules such as amino acids, fatty acids, and acetic acids, all of which play essential roles in biosynthesis and cellular respiration. An organic compound that binds to a carboxyl group is called a carboxylic acid.
-Neste moves forward with expansion of renewable products in Singapore
Neste Oil’s Singapore renewable refinery Picture: Ismo Henttonen.
Neste Corp. (Espoo, Finland; www.neste.com) has made the final investment decision on additional renewable products production capacity in Singapore. The decision is based on a growing global market demand for low-carbon solutions in transport and cities, aviation, polymers and chemicals.
The investment worth approximately €1.4 billion will extend Neste’s renewable product overall capacity in Singapore by up to 1.3 million metric tons per year (m.t./yr), bringing the total renewable product capacity close to 4.5 million m.t./yr in 2022. The company’s target is to start up the new production line during the first half of 2022.
-Germany’s investor confidence improves in December but still underperforming
Investor confidence in Germany rose in December but remained well below its long-term average as Europe’s largest economy continues to underperform, the country’s ZEW economic research institute said on Tuesday.
The ZEW indicator of economic sentiment for Germany rose by 6.6 points from November to stand at minus 17.5 in December.
The long-term average is 22.5 points.
Meanwhile, in the eurozone, confidence was up only slightly, rising by one point month on month to minus 21.0.
-Magna Reveals New Seating Ecosystem Designed to Offer More Flexible, Collaborative Interior
Magna revealed its vision for a flexible vehicle interior centered around seating reconfigurability and the opportunities new mobility and autonomy will offer passengers in the future. Seat positioning will play an increasingly important role in creating a flexible space where drivers and riders can move cargo, get work done and interact with each other more freely.
The company used rich digital and in-market consumer research in China, Europe and the United States to understand the views of the consumer when it comes to their personal experiences with seats. After observing consumers in their daily lives, Magna created an innovative seating platform focused on delivering the ideal user experience.
