Material Insights

AKRON, OHIO — A. Schulman Inc.'s bid for Ferro Corp. is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also featured this week are the fines and settlements surrounding Dow Chemical Co., as well as a prediction of higher growth for the biopolymers markets.

AKRON, OHIO — Another North American price hike for polypropylene resin is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also this week, we report recent changes at materials firm Techmer PM, as well as news that materials maker Ascend Performance Materials plans to build a $1.2 billion propylene plant in Alvin, Texas.

AKRON, OHIO — A recent price increase for North American PET resin is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also this week, we report on the American Chemistry Council's 2012 resin sales data, as well as news of a pair of resin capacity expansions.

AKRON, OHIO — An extension of Shell Chemical LP's decision on building a plastic feedstock plant in the Pittsburgh area is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also this week, we report potential golden parachute payments for Spartech Corp. executives, as well as news of a bioplastics deal.

AKRON, OHIO — Plans to build a polyethylene resin plant in West Virginia are featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also this week, we report the challenges facing bioplastics maker Cereplast, as well as with news that Flow Polymers plans to add plastic additive capacity.

AKRON, OHIO — North American price changes for polycarbonate and nylon 6 and 6/6 resins are featured in this week's video. Also, we report on full-year 2012 financial results from four material firms, as well as news that PMC Group has bought a plastic additives business from Dow Chemical Co.

AKRON, OHIO — A 5-cent North American polyethylene price hike is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also this week we report a PET resin expansion from Selenis Canada Inc., as well as news of Advanced Composites Inc. increasing the size of its polypropylene compounding expansion at its plant in Sidney, Ohio.

AKRON, OHIO — A big hike in North American polypropylene prices is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Also this week, we report price changes for polystyrene and PVC, as well as news that Nova Chemicals Corp. has restarted its LDPE plant in Ontario.

The startup of a pair of shale gas-related plastics projects is featured in this week's Material Insights video. In Hahnville, La., Dow Chemical Co. has restarted production of plastic feedstock ethylene at its St. Charles plant. The unit had been offline for almost four years. In Lake Charles, La., Westlake Chemical Corp. has started w...

AKRON, OHIO (Jan. 8, 12:45 p.m. ET) -- Americhem Inc.'s acquisition of Infinity Compounding LLC is featured in this week's Material Insights video. Buying Infinity of Swedesboro, N.J., is a bit of a departure for Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based Americhem. Infinity makes filled and reinforced compounds based on engineering resins, while Americhem to date...