ARKEMA

Launch of a new bio-sourced polyamide / Rilsan T expands product range

ARKEMA

25% stake in Indian castor oil supplier acquired / Access to bio-polyamide feedstock

KEM ONE

Arkema to take EUR 125m charge for former PVC business / Six-month search for new owner

EDITORIAL

Painful necessities

KEM ONE

Follow-up: PVC producer files for insolvency / Calls for aide from Arkema and Total / Arkema puts blame squarely on Klesch

KEM ONE

PVC producer about to file for insolvency / Five chlorine and PVC plants affected / Tempers run high in Lavera

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics Trend March 2013: Falling costs upstream dash producers' hopes of triple-digit hikes / Polyolefins rise less than costs / Higher input prices added to PVC, PS and EPS / Supply in line with demand

KEM ONE

Locked in PVC squabble, Klesch demands high compensation from Arkema / Swiss feel cheated / French group categorically dismisses all accusations

ARKEMA

Raising "Evatane" EVA copolymer prices

ARKEMA

Medical PA grades available under “MED” designation / Specialty materials distributor Velox appointed in Europe

PMC ORGANOMETALLIX

Price hike for tin stabilisers

PMC

Acquisition of Dow Chemical's tin stabilisers and lubricant business

ITALY

PVC plant at Ravenna near permanent closure / Industrie Generali stumbles over feedstock question

ARKEMA

EMEA price hike for polymer catalysts

KEM ONE

Raising emulsion PVC capacity in Spain / New COO for Vinyls business

YEAR IN REVIEW

Life is a roller coaster ride, the European plastics industry finds again in 2012 / Forces majeures and consolidation / North-South profitability gap grows as the shadow of Middle East and China shrinks

ARKEMA

EUR 70m French PVDF expansion buried / Union strike disrupted production

PEOPLE

New EMEA sales manager for Emerald's “K-flex” plasticisers

ARKEMA

Divestment of PVC heat stabiliser business finalised / Chinese activities to transfer in H1 2013

POLYMER PRICES

Engineering thermoplastics in August 2012: Commodity ABS and PP compounds react to higher feedstock prices / Higher-grade materials mostly roll over / Costs continue to rise / Hopes that new VW Golf 7 will stimulate demand

ARKEMA

Sales rise by 15% to EUR 1.72 bn in Q2 2012 / Operating profit near to record level in 2011 / EBITDA target close to EUR 1 bn for full year

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics Trend August 2012: Market suddenly turns around / Polyolefins, PS and EPS rise significantly / PVC also up / Prolonged phase of price increases likely in store

POLYMER PRICES

Engineering Thermoplastics in July 2012: ABS, PA and PP feel the effect of June's feedstock slide / PC, PBT and POM stable / PMMA up slightly / Back pressure generated by reversal of feedstock notations / August still stable

ARKEMA

Price of EVA copolymers to rise

ARKEMA

Changshu PVDF capacity expansion on stream