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DSM is to double capacity for its Stanyl high performance, high heat nylon 4.6, and may build the new plant in China. The company has started project engineering for a second plant which it aims to start up in 2007. The preferred location is Geleen in the Netherlands, integrating it with the existing plant. However, an alternative site in China is being evaluated. A final decision for the investment and the location of the plant will be made in the latter half of 2005.
In the meantime DSM is debottlenecking its Geleen plant to expand it by 20 per cent by the end of this year which should bring it to in excess of 30,000 tonnes. It is also debottlenecking its DAB (diaminobutane) plant in Geleen will provide the required additional feedstock - which can be shipped to the new Stanyl 2 plant, wherever it will be built.
Higher film prices or bust, warns PIFA September 23, 2004
The Packaging and Industrial Films Association (PIFA) has warned of 'significant' price increases for film likely to occur this month as producers and converters become no longer able to absorb polymer price increases. Competition has until now forced producers to absorb the increases in the hope that prices will start to move back down, but according to PIFA 'it is now obvious that this is not going to happen and raw material prices will undoubtedly escalate further over the coming months'.
PIFA says that most producers are 'working on non-existent or wafer-thin margins' and with the price of some polymers rising 27 per cent this year, non-recovery of these costs will result in rapid business failures.
Higher plastic prices are not the only problem, and converters of complex packaging products are also having to pay more for paper, solvents, inks and other materials.
Beyond price difficulties are supply difficulties. Production problems have put some plastics materials on allocation, says PIFA, and some grades may already be sold out for September. The association adds that the level of naphtha supply is causing some operations to shut down petrochemical plants completely. When SABIC announced a September 1 increase on polyethylene which pushed it over 'the old psychological barrier of Eur 1,000/tonne' LDPE/LLDPE business unit director Huub Meessen commented that prices of C2 monomer are such that today 'it is more attractive to stop polyethylene production and sell the monomer instead'.
More capacity for LSFOH compounds at Scapa September 23, 2004
Scapa Polymerics has opened its new UK production facility in Ashton-under-Lyne, near Manchester. The plant, which increases capacity for Megolon halogen-free, fire retardant, low smoke and fume compounds, is part of a six-year £22 million investment programme in cable products. The plant will also produce Scapa's Megotape cable wrapping materials and production of self-amalgamating tapes has been moved there. Megolon production also continues at Scapa's other Manchester site.
The new plant has three compounding lines: a laboratory line, a pilot plant and a high volume line. A new 2 m wide coating machine for tape production has also been installed with in-line slitting equipment.
Wellington does well, but home sales dwindle September 22, 2004
Seal manufacturer Wellington Holdings achieved its highest operating profit for six years in the half year to June 2004. It rose 53 per cent on the equivalent 2003 period to hit £2·7 m (£1·8 m last time). This was on sales up 12 per cent to £17·2 m. Even more gratifying was the profitability, with return on sales rising from last year's 11·4 per cent to 15·6 per cent.
Sales rose in North America, Eastern Europe and the Euro zone, with North America now accounting for 47 per cent of turnover (previously 45 per cent), Europe 26 per cent (21 per cent) and Asia Pacific remaining at 14 per cent. Business from the UK market fell from around 18 per cent of group turnover in 2003 to 15 per cent.
From November 1 the company will have a new managing director. David Jones joins from Morgan Crucible where he was most recently president of the Electro Ceramics Division.
Research into hybrid metal/plastic 'printing' process
September 21, 2004
A research project to develop a hybrid manufacturing process had its inaugural meeting today at Delcam in Birmingham. Custom-Fit brings together more than 30 companies from across Europe to research and develop a process in which products will be 'printed' from different materials using new machines capable of varying the grade and type of the material within a single component. A single component may be composed of part plastic and part metal with a graded mixture of material in between.
The Eur 16 m, four and a half year project is focusing upon products that fit the human body such as surgical bone implants, helmets, prosthesis and sports grips.
Extrusian tooling - designed in Austria, built in China September 21, 2004
An Austrian company is linking up with a Chinese toolmaker to build extrusion dies in China. Trinity Technology has joined with Tongling to set up Tongling Trinity Technology Co. The company will design the tooling in Austria, build it in China using European steel (DIN 2316 or M300 - M340), pre-tune it in a new tuning centre being built in Beijing and under the control of an Austrian die tuner, and finally tune it at the customer's site using Austrian technicians.
Supreme combines two packaging divisions September 21, 2004
Supreme Plastics Group has merged two of its divisions, Malpack and Brayford Plastics, to create Supreme Flexibles, selling an enhanced range of packaging products including film on the reel, specialist lidding films, a range of resealable bag products and Joker bag-filling equipment.
Supreme Plastics acquired Brayford Plastics, a manufacturer of custom-made bags and envelopes, in 1997 and Malpack joined the group in 2000, providing printed film and bags for the meat and poultry industries together with lidding and anti-mist films for fresh produce.
The new division handles quick response, short to medium-run work, flexo-printed in up to 10 colours on a newly installed Bielloni gearless press. Products are made from polypropylene, polyethylene, metallised and holographic films for the food industry, textiles, healthcare, publishing and promotion and include resealable packaging.
The division is headed by director David Harrison, who has spent four of his ten years in the packaging industry with the Supreme Plastics group.
Spanish plastomer plant comes on-line for Dow September 21, 2004
A new plant has been started up by Dow Chemical at Tarragona in Spain to make Versify propylene-ethylene copolymers. Versify, which fits in Dow's plastomer/elastomer series, was introduced in February this year. It is described as 'a highly versatile family of polymers designed to improve optics, sealing and hot tack performance, elasticity, flexibility, and softness for flexible and rigid packaging producers, manufacturers of thermoplastic elastomers and olefins, and converters in the consumer products sector'.
It is made with Dow's proprietary Insite technology using new catalysts which give narrow molecular weight distribution and broad crystallinity distribution, resulting in improved temperature performance compared with other metallocene products. The broad crystallinity distribution results in broad melting behaviour; a high melting shoulder is maintained even as the overall crystallinity of the polymer decreases, says Dow, and it is this structure that differentiates the new polymers from typical Ziegler-Natta catalyst-based and metallocene catalyst-based copolymers of propylene.
The Spanish plant has a capacity of 57,000 tonnes.
Novamont adds Eastman's Bio business September 21, 2004
Novamont has expanded its position in vegetable-based polymers by buying Eastman Chemical's Eastar Bio copolyester business and its patent portfolio. Novamont makes a range of bio-sourced materials under the Mater-Bi brand with applications ranging from separate collection of organic waste and composting to agriculture, hygiene, packaging, food service ware and additives for rubber. Eastar Bio copolyester is used commercially in food service ware markets for cutlery and single-use disposable packaging, protective packaging, compost bags and organic waste bin liners.
Eastman says it has sold the business because, while the market for biodegradable materials is expanding, there are limited synergies with the markets in which Eastman currently operates.
Aquafilm becomes MonoSol September 21, 2004
Worcestershire-based PVOH films producer Aquafilm, which was bought by MonoSol of the USA earlier this year has now been renamed MonoSol AF. It will continue to use Aquafilm as its brand name for soluble laundry bags and embroidery products.
To and fro at the top of Borealis September 21, 2004
The new chairman of Borealis is Erling Øverland (of Statoil), who has been vice chairman since 2001. He exchanges roles with Gerhard Roiss (of OMV) under the the company's rules of governance which call for alternation of the chairman and vice chairman.
Consumption growth slows, but recovery is buoyant September 21, 2004
European plastics consumption has continued to edge up while the recovery of plastics from waste has increased even faster according to a report from PlasticsEurope - formerly the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe.
The report - the 14th annual report on consumption and recovery trends from the association - shows that consumption grew by 5·6 per cent between 2001 and 2003, but that the 3·7 per cent growth from 2001 to 2002 was nearly halved to 1·9 per cent between 2002 and 2003. But recycling of plastics increased by 11 per cent between 2011 and 2002 with a similar increase on to 2003. There was an overall increase in the amount of plastics waste recovered across all applications and the amount of plastics going to landfill only increased slightly between 2001 and 2003. In fact, says the report, overall volumes of plastics waste sent to landfill in Western Europe in 2003 are estimated to be at the same level as in 1993.
Humberside EVOH plant on stream September 21, 2004
The 15,000 tonnes Soarnol EVOH plant announced three years ago by Nippon Gohsei has now been opened at Saltend near Hull. It is sited within the BP Chemicals complex at Saltend, next door to BP's vinyl acetate monomer plant - VAM is the main raw material feed-stock for EVOH, and BP is one of the biggest producers in the world. The plant feeds VAM directly to the Nippon Gohsei site. The other main feed-stock in the production of EVOH is ethylene and a newly completed extension to the UK's ethylene pipeline now brings ethylene direct to the Saltend site from Grangemouth.
One of the by-products from the manufacture of EVOH is methyl acetate and this will be fed back to BP as a raw material in the production of acetic acid, from which VAM is derived. Nippon Gohsei will also be taking its electricity and steam supplies from BP.
Huntsman to build world scale LPDE plant in Britain September 21, 2004
Huntsman is assuring the future of its ex-ICI ethylene cracker at Wilton on Teesside with the construction of a 400,000 tonnes LDPE plant. The £200 m project - including a £16·5 m government grant - will create 117 permanent jobs and help to sustain a further 747 Huntsman and contractor jobs at the company's aromatics business at North Tees and Wilton. Construction should start in 2005 with the plant coming on stream in the third quarter of 2007.
Output from the plant is expected to meet much of the UK's 500,000 tonnes annual consumption of LDPE and make the country a net exporter.
More sulphone polymer capacity at BASF September 6, 2004
BASF is planning a further expansion of its Ultrason sulphone polymer capacity. In 2002 the company increased capacity at Ludwigshafen, Germany, to 5,000 tonnes. Now it is planning a further 20 per cent expansion by the end of this year.
BASF makes polysulphone (Ultrason S) and polyethersulphone (Ultrason E).
Vita moves upwards, despite what the numbers say September 6, 2004
On paper the year-on-year first half performance by British Vita seems pretty static - sales were £485·5 m against 2003 sales of £485·3 m and pre-tax profits were £30·7 m compared with £30·6 m. But these results were in the face of upwardly moving prices and downwardly moving Euro and Dollar values, and the group actually achieved a 5 per cent increase in volume.
Eastman to invest in new PET process September 5, 2004
Eastman Chemical has made what it terms a 'breakthrough' in PET manufacture. It plans to build a $100 million 350,000 tonnes plant using the new IntegRex technology, and to retrofit its existing purefied terephthalic acid plants with aspects of the technology to supply the new facility.
IntegRex 'completely redefines the PX (paraxylene) to PET manufacturing process' says Eastman, which expects to be granted patents on more than 100 process and product innovations.
The new plant will be built at Eastman's existing site at Columbia, South Carolina, USA with production expected to start towards the end of 2006.
The date is set for BASF/Dow HPPO production September 3, 2004
BASF and Dow have hardened up details for their hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide joint venture. They are planning to build a plant at BASF's site in Antwerp, Belgium. Construction is scheduled to start in 2006, and the plant is expected to come on stream in 2008. It will have an initial capacity of 300,000 tonnes.
The process, which has been under development for the past couple of years, creates no by-products other than water. Plants using the process are smaller, need less infrastructure and require a significantly lower investment compared with conventional PO production processes.
BASF has already reached agreement with Solvay for the supply of hydrogen peroxide for the plant. The two companies are finalizing plans to set up a large-scale hydrogen peroxide plant on the Antwerp site, based on Solvay's high-yield hydrogen peroxide production process. Ultimately the two companies expact to create a joint venture for this operation.
Bayer posts substantial second quarter profits September 3, 2004
Bayer echoed the growth recorded by other international polymer companies in the second quarter and first half of this year. Second quarter improvements of 12·8 per cent in sales for its MaterialScience division brought a 6·6 per cent improvement for the first half. The to-be-devolved Lanxess Division, which incorporates the lesser stars from Bayer's polymer businesses, saw sales rise 9·7 per cent in the second quarter and 3·7 per cent in the first half.
But Bayer, like - or perhaps ahead of - other companies has been working hard to reduce its costs, and this shows in the dramatic growth in pre-tax earnings for MaterialScience, up 131 per cent in the second quarter and 83 per cent in the first half. The Lanxess businesses jumped from substantial loss into substantial profit.
Apart from the overall trend towards recouping profits, Bayer showed the wisdom of its choice of polymer businesses to retain in MaterialScience. The polycarbonate business increased second quarter sales by 17·3 per cent largely due to strong demand from the optical storage media industry. Polyurethanes sales increased 14·4 per cent.
While at lower actual value, the engineering plastics businesses now part of Lanxess increased sales even more substantially, with a 27·3 per cent increase in sales in the second quarter, largely from the styrenics sector where the company both increased volume and recouped higher raw materials costs in its selling prices. Performance rubber sales also increased, by 9·1 per cent.
BASF to build polyurethane systems plant in China September 3, 2004
BASF is planning to build a polyurethanes specialties site in China, to incorporate systems production, product development and TPU manufacture. The site, at Pudong near Shanghai, will start delivering product for the Chinese market early in 2007. MDI and TDI will come from the Caojing, Shanghai plant being built by BASF, Huntsman and their Chinese partners.
In the coming 10 years, the Chinese polyurethanes market is expected to grow by about 10 per cent per year and is likely to become the world's largest market by 2015, says BASF.
UPM takes on IR dryer manufacture September 3, 2004
The Infrared dryer, originally built by SIAC and earlier this year bought by systems partner Kreyenborg, is now to be built under licence by UK distributor UPM Machinery Sales for PET sheet/thermoforming and PC automotive glazing applications.
The infrared rotary drum crystallises and dries PET in one pass in a time of around 8 minutes. The final moisture content is less than 0·01 per cent and the power consumption is 115 Watts per kilo per hour. UPM says this offers savings of 75 per cent against power costs for conventional dryers plus the advantage that the drying time reduces from 6 hours to 8 minutes allowing fast change over of grades and colours.
Finalist for the 2004 Worshipful Company of Horners Bottle Making Award are Frish Duo-Action Gel for its compact design, technical process achievements and good shelf presence and the Avent Via Baby Feeding Range for a well executed interchangeable systems with good surface finish and disposable/re-use options.
The winner will be announced shortly and the official presentation by the Lord Mayor of London will be made at the Worshipful Company of Horners Annual Banquet in London on October 2.
The Big Recycle September 3, 2004
Plastics recycling organisation Recoup has joined with Alcan, British Glass, Corus and PaperChain in an informal partnership to help boost recycling. One of the first initiatives will be the launch this autumn of a promotional and educational campaign under the name 'the Big Recycle', which will encourage the public to recycle more of their household waste. The Big Recycle is being jointly funded in partnership with producer responsibility scheme Valpak and the government's Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). The organising team also includes international recycling organisation Planet Ark and international re-manufacturer Environmental Business Products.
The campaign, which starts on October 18, will encourage consumers to 'recycle more stuff, more often'.
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When SABIC announced a September 1 increase on polyethylene which pushed it over 'the old psychological barrier of Eur 1,000/tonne' LDPE/LLDPE business unit director Huub Meessen commented that prices of C2 monomer are such that today 'it is more attractive to stop polyethylene production and sell the monomer instead'.
