POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics in January 2013: Price hikes come to a halt in mid-month / Producers still net reasonable margin gains / Slow start to demand / February likely similar

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics PVC January 2013: Producers manage to lift S-PVC base notations slightly / Matrix component in blends rising / Additives mostly stable / No movement for PVC pastes

INEOS CHLORVINYLS

Raising European suspension PVC list prices

ITALY

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

INEOS

Long-term shipping agreement with Evergas to transport US ethane to Norway

INEOS CHLORVINYLS

Follow-up: Clarifying intentions to shutter some European PVC output / Plans scheduled for completion in H1 2013

INEOS CHLORVINYLS

Plans to cease all PVC and VCM production at Runcorn / Response to slump in European PVC business / UK production to be focused in Newton Aycliffe

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics Trend January 2013: Slight margin improvement for polyolefin producers / No sharp order rise at month's begin / PVC and EPS still weak / PS moving in tandem with costs

ELIX POLYMERS

Mito Polimeri to distribute product range across Italy

INEOS COMPOUNDS

Compounding agreement with Resysta / Selling rice-based hybrid materials in northern Europe

STYROLUTION

Styrenics supplier announces changes to its organisational structure / Appointment of three new members to management board

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Ineos cracker in Lavera is down / Reports of forces majeures for downstream products / So far FM only confirmed for C4 chain

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics in December 2012: PE slide halted / PP follows monomer downward / PS producers recoup cost rises / PVC and EPS prices softer / Polyolefin producers will seek triple-digit hikes in January

INEOS CHLORVINYLS

January PVC list price increase in mainland Europe / UK, Ireland notations stay firm

STANDARD THERMOPLASTICS

Global capacities exceed 252m t/y / PET output spearheads expansions in 2012 / More than half of global output found in Asia / China will continue to extend its lead in the coming years / Sabic still slightly ahead of Sinopec

INEOS ENTERPRISES

Acetic acid agreement with BP for VAM plant in Hull

BASF

Solid AH salt plant starts up in Ludwigshafen / Output earmarked for foreign markets, especially Asia

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Borealis' executive vice president Polyolefins Alfred Stern talks to PIE about the global and European market situation and the company's experiences with “Borstar”

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

PETRONAS

LyondellBasell technology for two new PP lines in Pengerang

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

UK government creates new office to drive shale gas exploitation / End of exploration ban in sight?

NIZHNEKAMSKNEFTEKHIM

License from Ineos for two new PE plants / Commissioning in 2015

SASOL

South African group plans new mega-cracker in the US / Attracted to shale gas light feed

INEOS

Building new ethane tank in Norway / Storage option for North American shale gas

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics in November 2012: Autumn mist softens notations / Producers see fresh margin losses / Supply stabilises / December could see an unusual stabilisation