Coke and AT&T using more PlantBottle resin All conventional 500ml PET bottles for Coca-Cola, Coke Zero and diet Coke sold in the United Kingdom are being replaced by the company’s PlantBottle, which includes materials partly sourced from plants, according to Coca-Cola Great-Britain. In addition, AT&T Inc. announced Sept. 12 that it will use…
DuPont Starts Up $500-Million Kevlar Plant DuPont has started up a $500-million Kevlar para-aramid fiber plant in Cooper River, SC, the company says. The plant will begin supply customers at the end of the year. The plant, combined with a $50 million expansion at an existing Richmond, VA facility, increases global Kevlar capacity…
Polypropylene resin prices drop sharply North American polypropylene resin prices have dropped an average of 14 cents per pound since Oct. 1, while polyethylene prices have takena smaller, 3-cent drop since then as well.The PP price-drop ends a two-month period in which prices were flat. Prices for the material had reduced by a…
Braskem buying Dow’s PP business Brazilian plastics giant Braskem SA has made another big move in the polypropylene market, this time acquiring the PP business of Dow Chemical Co. For $323 million. The deal makes São Paulo-based Braskem the largest PP producer in North America, and includes two U.S. plants and two in…
Plastic park to be set up in Dahej, India Some 30 plastic manufacturers in and around India’s commercial capital Mumbai plan to invest about US$134 million in a plastic park under construction in Dahej, Gujarat. “Gujarat is emerging as a major plastic hub. Currently, about 70 percent of the raw material used in…
Honam Petrochemical Corp to establish PP manufacturing facility in Auburn Honam Petrochemical Corporation is to establish a manufacturing facility for polypropylene resin materials in Auburn, its first US manufacturing operation. HPM Alabama Corporation will initially invest an estimated US$9.25 million dollars and create 30 jobs by next year. HPM will also collaborate with Auburn University…
Sumitomo Chemical and Mitsui Chemicals dissolve joint polyolefins business Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. and Mitsui Chemicals Inc have agreed to dissolve the business arrangementfor their polyolefins joint venture company, Sumitomo Mitsui Polyolefin Co., Ltd. (SMPO), effective October 1, 2003. Accordingly, SMPO will transfer its marketing and research functions back to both companies, and…
Dow to idle 900 million pounds of polyethylene capacity Dow Chemical announced that it had begun the process of idling about 900 million pounds of North American PE capacity due to low polyethylene demand, higher feedstock costs and eroding polyethylene margins. Dow began the idling process Aug. 14, and the company said that…
Hyundai awarded US$169 mln project to build XLPE unit by Borouge Borouge has awarded a US$169 mln contract to Hyundai Engineering and Construction of South Korea to build a cross-linkable polyethylene (XLPE) unit at its petrochemical plant in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. With an annual capacity of 80,000 tonnes, the unit is an added-value…
Former Dow scientist convicted of selling trade secrets A former Dow Chemical Co. scientist has been convicted of selling information on production of Tyrin-brand chlorinated polyethylene to Chinese firms. Wen Chyu Liu–also known as David Liou–was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge on Feb, 6 and now faces…