Plastics News China eWeekly

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

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Massive China PVC plant draws on coal rather than crude
PINGDINGSHAN, HENAN (July 22, 2008) -- Despite rising concern over pollution caused by coal-to-chemical production, China’s first 1 million-metric-ton PVC plant is designed to take advantage of China’s rich coal deposits instead of relying on imported crude oil or natural gas.

Firefighters die in Rexam Shanghai blaze
SHANGHAI (July 22, 2008) -- Three firefighters were killed and nine more are reported to have been injured in a blaze at a Rexam plc plastics packaging plant in Shanghai. The fire started midday July 17, local time, at the site’s warehouse, which contained resin and some semi-finished goods. Production facilities were not affected. The factory makes cosmetics and personal-care packaging such as shampoo bottles.

International plastics mergers, acquisitions on rise

Blaige

AKRON, OHIO (July 22, 2008) -- International players are big on the mergers and acquisitions scene this year, and, in certain plastics sectors, that’s likely to pick up. Spurring the activity are, in part, the weak U.S. dollar and protectionism, as companies in North America and emerging markets compete for global advantage. Several analysts interviewed by Plastics News noted increases in the numbers of plastics mergers and acquisitions deals in the first half of 2008 versus the same period in 2007. For instance, Tom Blaige, president of Blaige & Co. in Chicago predicts pipe, profile and tube extrusion mergers and acquisitions will increase by nearly 60 percent, driven primarily by cross-border sales of privately held niche companies.

Chen Hsong reports sluggish fiscal year-end results
HONG KONG (July 22, 2008) – The year-end financial results of China’s second-largest injection molding machine maker may be an indicator into the state of plastics China. The global economic downturn is putting a chokehold on earnings for Chen Hsong Holdings Ltd. The company pointed to oil prices pushing up costs of commodity resins and the subprime mortgage crisis and economic problems in the United States as factors in its earnings dropping well below its double-digit increases of previous years. The results suggest that China’s plastics industry is seeing slowing growth and faces increasing pressure.

Sipa aims for flexibility in the China market
HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG (July 22, 2008) -- After a whirlwind debut on the Chinese market more than a decade ago, Italian bottle machinery company Sipa SpA has gained a reputation in the region. And with the help of a new China-made injection press and increasing marketing efforts, it’s a reputation the company is looking to expand.

U.S. to impose duties on Chinese PP woven sacks
WASHINGTON (July 22, 2008) -- The U.S. government ruled July 18 that it believes China subsidizes makers of laminated polypropylene woven sacks, and will impose penalties of up to 444 percent on the Chinese-made bags. The decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission was hailed by American bag producers, who said it would help "restore fair competition in the U.S. market."

Sabic Shenzhen, Fujian Refining ink polyolefins deal
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA (July 22, 2008) -- Sabic Shenzhen Trading Co. Ltd. will market 320,000 metric tons a year of polyolefin products from China’s Fujian Refining and Petrochemicals Co. The plant is scheduled to start commercial production in the second quarter of 2009 and will serve customers in China. The companies announced the deal in Dhahran, at the headquarters of Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known as Saudi Aramco. Sabic and Saudi Aramco have a long history of cooperation.

PolyOne to locate plant in Mumbai, India
AVON LAKE, OHIO (July 22, 2008) -- Construction is set to begin in India on a production and lab operation for a newly formed division of U.S.-based compounder and distributor PolyOne Corp. The division, PolyOne Polymers India Pvt., will import, manufacture and sell PolyOne products in India and neighboring markets.

Design Guide: Lord of the Rings and plastics innovation

Lefteri

Designer and materials specialist Chris Lefteri takes a different tack in his regular Design Guide series of stories. This week, Lefteri explores the manufacturing process of a product whose beginnings came about on the set of the popular movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Kaynemaile is a product that challenges conventional injection molding to offer a type of product that is actually hundreds of years old, but until now it has been made very laboriously by hand.

Kraiburg TPE opens Malaysian facility
SELANGOR, MALAYSIA (July 22, 2008) -- Kraiburg TPE GmbH & Co. KG has opened a manufacturing plant in Selangor to supply customers in Asia. The new plant has about 50 employees and annual capacity of 2,000 metric tons of thermoplastic elastomers.

Hoffer buys minority stake in auto molder Intec Group
SOUTH ELGIN, ILLINOIS (July 22, 2008) -- At the request of some of its top customers, Hoffer Plastics Corp. has expanded its global footprint by investing in a minority share of Intec Group Inc. Intec runs three plants in China, and one each in the U.S., Singapore and Mexico. The two firms see it as a complementary marriage since their markets have little overlap. Hoffer’s end markets include packaging and industrial and consumer products, with less than 10 percent automotive, while Intec’s reputation as an auto molder should help Hoffer gain business in that area.

Vinyl Institute stepping out on its own

Bocchi

ARLINGTON, VA. (July 22, 2008) -- The Vinyl Institute is reorganizing itself as an independent trade organization to promote and defend vinyl aggressively. The institute, a longtime affiliate of the American Chemistry Council, needs to establish a stronger identity, said Greg Bocchi, who took over as president and chief executive officer of the Arlington-based association two months ago.

The Plastics News China Blog
China's auto market a safe harbor? (July 21, 2008)
How to sell medical devices in Asia (July 21, 2008)
'Experts' misinterpret bag ban (July 21, 2008)
Indian processors fast for support (July 16, 2008)
700 Chinese laid off by Progressive (July 15, 2008)

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