AKRON, OHIO — A fire that injured five workers at the Formosa Plastics Corp. complex in Point Comfort, Texas, is featured in this week's Material Insights video.
The Sept. 13 fire took place in a tower that was out of service at an HDPE unit at the site. One of the workers has been released from a hospital, while the other four remain hospitalized. On May 2, 14 workers were injured in a fire at the site.
Two pending site decisions by Ineos Group also are featured in this week's video. The British firm is considering closing its massive PE and ethylene site in Grangemouth, Scotland, because of high operating and labor costs. Ienos also might have to sell a PVC plant in Schkopau, Germany, in order to win regulatory approval for its vinyls merger with Solvay.
The video wraps up with news of a new report from European consulting firm Ceresana Research. The report predicts that the global engineering plastics will be worth $90 billion by 2020. Demand for nylon, polycarbonate and similar resins will be driven by growing demand for lighter and more efficient materials, according to the report.