Plastics News

P L A S T I C S N E W S A P R I L 2 0 1 33



13...... AIPMA At Work24...... Plastivision India - 2013 Show .......... Preview29...... Company News34...... Features...Bioplastics no threat to food supply, says research

...Global polyethylene demand to grow at 4.6% for next fi ve yearsh

...Mexican molder making roof modules from recycled polypropylene

...“Cooking Platforms in Households Made Up Of High Density Polyethylene Pipes of 630 mm Outer Diameter”

...China remains the growth centre for methanol demand,says IHS study

37...... International News40...... Business News52...... Product News..Dow announces start up of new photovoltaic fi lm

...UOP’ process technology selected by Williams to produce propylene

...HUNTSMAN develops new matt TPU

...Bluestar Silicones bringing liquid silicone rubber materials to US

...Atlas presents ‘next generation’ CW 5000 Series

...Aquapurge launches new purging compound

...Plastic cutlery decorated with photographs

...Pipe manufacturers converge at India’s fi rst ever multiproduct open house of Rajoo

...Teknor Apex developes ROHS-compliant TPEs for wire

& cable

59...... Technology61...... In the News63...... Events

MH/MR/N/200/MBI/12- 14 April 2013Volume 65 No. 4

Chairman - Editorial Board Dr. Asutosh Gor

Hon. Editor Mr. Ajay Desai

Members Mr. A. E. Ladhaboy Dr. Y. B. Vasudeo Ms. Poorvi Desai

Editorial Co-ordination: Padmesh Prabhune, Dhruv Communications,

Mumbai, Tel No: 00-22-2868 5198 / 5049 • Fax No : 00-22-28685495 email: [email protected]

Published by Ms. Uma Gupta on behalf of the owners, The All India Plastics Manufacturers’ AssociationPlot No. A-52, Road No. 1, M.I.D.C., Andheri (E),Mumbai-400 093. Tel: 67778899 • Fax : 00-22-2821 6390E-mail : [email protected] : http://www.aipma.netand printed by her at Dhote Offset Technokrafts Pvt. Ltd., Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai-400 060.

Annual Subscription Rs. 1,000/-

Single issue Rs. 75/-

Views/Reports/Extracts etc. published in Plastics News are those of the

authors and not necessarily of the Editor. Furthermore except for copies of

formal AIPMA communications no other matter in this journal should be

interpreted as views of The All India Plastics Mfgrs. Association.

Mr. Manish DedhiaVice President (West Zone)

Mr. Hiten BhedaHon. Secretary

Mr. Haren SanghaviHon. Jt. Secretary

Mr. Sanju D. DesaiHon. Treasurer

OFFICE BEARERS

The Offi cial Organ of The All India Plastics Manufacturers Association Estd. 1945

Dr. Asutosh GorPresident

Mr. R. K. AggarwalVice President (North Zone)

Mr. Anil BansalVice President (South Zone)

Mr. Ashok AgarwalVice President (East Zone)

IN THIS ISSUE...

CONTENTCONTENT





THE PRESIDENT SAYS

Friends the month of March has seen a lot of activity at AIPMA, fi rst ever Job Fair held by an Association

was organized and it was received well by the industry as well as students graduating from institutions all over India offering plastic related courses.

I am happy to share with you that AIPMA has acquired offi ces in Kolkata and Chennai on ownership basis, this makes it probably the only Plastic Association having own offi ces in all four metro cities. One more step forward in making regional activities more strong and focused.

As President of AIPMA, I have been elected as Member of National Council in CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) and also Member of Managing Committee of FAM (Federation of Associations of Maharashtra). I had the privilege of attending the annual session of CII in Delhi which had the Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh, Mr. Rahul Gandhi addressing the business fraternity. At the fi rst meeting held of newly elected Council Members wherein Mr. S. Gopalakishnan, Executive Co - Chairman of Infosys took over as President CII from Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman of Godrej Industries. The members of the business fraternity from all over India shared the same concern as regards to giving a boost to the industry to increase the GDP growth. Without the active support of the Government by way of industry friendly policies it does seem to be an uphill task.

The possibility of jointly organising the Indo - US Summit during PVI 2013 was discussed with Mr. S. Gopalakrishnan - President CII and Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee - Director General, CII, accordingly a request letter was sent to them.

Likewise FAM has taken up the matter of Local Body Tax (LBT) with the State Government of Maharashtra wherein Octroi is being replaced by LBT but with draconian clauses which will end up in unnecessary harassment and increase in workload of industries.

Plastivision India 2013 is shaping up really well, with support from National as well as International Exhibitors,

P L A S T I C S N E W S A P R I L 2 0 1 3 9

this edition promises to be a bigger and better event.

On the environmental front, regarding polybag ban case and gutka sachet ban case Supreme Court has issued notices to corporations of various metro cities asking them to explain what steps have been taken by them for waste segregation and management. This is a very positive stand taken by Supreme Court which clearly indicates that the onus of waste segregation also lies with the corporations and only manufacturers cannot be held responsible. Issue of waste segregation and subsequent recycling is of prime importance, the Government need to walk extra mile in order to help processors to take up recycling as viable business, Collection Centres need to be provided, subsidy on import of new technology machines, rebate on power, interest subsidy, exemption of VAT, etc. these are some steps which need to be taken up immediately. Giving a green status to the recycling industry would also be welcomed.

AIPMA has fi led an intervention against the PIL fi led by an NGO on PET Bottles Ban in Bombay High Court.

While meeting with Secretary DCPC Mr. Indrajit Pal, AIPMA has submitted a memorandum with various demands for the plastic industry to the Government. He was kind enough to give us a patient hearing wherein he was also keen that recycling needs to be taken up seriously if the image of plastics in society has to be maintained.

AIPMA has come out with a very competitive package for Chinaplas Exhibition as well as K 2013 fair and would request all our members to take maximum advantage of the same and send in your bookings to AIPMA offi ce at the earliest to avoid last minute disappointment.

Dr. Asutosh [email protected]


P L A S T I C S N E W S A P R I L 2 0 1 311P L A S T I C S N E W S 11

FROM THE EDITOR'S PEN

A P R I L 2 0 1 3

It’s time to evaluate ‘Packaging’

Packaging as we know plays a major role in success or failure of the brand. Though there

are many alternative available these days one cannot afford to overlook the nitty-gritty’s involved in it. The case in the point is Nestlé that had been minimizing plastics in packaging for quite some time now .

Swiss giant Nestlé SA has reduced the amount of

plastic materials it uses in packaging by 34 percent

since 1991, an offi cial said at the Renewable Plastics

conference which took place in Amsterdam earlier this

month.

Philippe Roulet, head of global packaging materials

and testing, informed that the use of plastics and

laminates has gone down more than any other material

(the company has reduced its use of glass by 13 percent,

for example), partly because of changes to water bottles.

The bottle for Ozarka, a bottled water brand sold in the

United States, is now made with only 9.3 grams of resin,

he said, showing a slide which demonstrated that bottles

for carbonated drinks were sometimes made with more

than 20 grams of materials.

Nestlé has made concerted efforts to reduce its

packaging materials use over the last two decades,

as food and its packaging is the major contributor to

environmental degradation in Europe, even worse than

transport.

Rationally thinking suggests that use of materials is

not the only thing to consider in terms of making the food

supply chain more sustainable. Also it is advisable to think

about both packaging and product, and not just packaging.

Also it’s known fact that on its

own, plastic has a higher impact

than paper, and according to

Roulet paper results in more

product spoiling, and as such the

overall waste is the same.

In order to achieve holistic

approach, Nestlé uses the packaging eco-design tool

PIQET (Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool). PIQET

is web based business tool used for rapid packaging

environmental impact assessments. PIQET is used to

optimise packaging system design from a sustainability

perspective in all stages of the product development

process.

PIQET looks at all areas of the supply chain, comparing

the environmental impact of all areas of production.

Many bio-materials look great on paper but have limited

applications. For example, PLA is a poor moisture barrier

and PE made from sugar cane has a limited availability.

Then the important question is;

'What is sustainable packaging?' Is it the lightest? or

the most biodegradable?

Well, I am sure most of you would be having their own

say and I leave it to you to decide for, ultimately the goal

is to ensure preserving the contents within...

Hon. Editor

Ajay [email protected]



AIPMA AT WORK

109th Governing Council (G.C.) Meeting of CIPET

The 109th Governing Council Meeting of CIPET was held on 9th March, 2013 at Conference

Hall, CIPET in Hyderabad. Present at the meeting were; Shri Indrajit Pal - Secretary DCPC, Smt. Neelkamal Darbari - Jt. Secretary (PC) DCPC, Shri V.K. Mehta - Director (Fin) DCPC, Prof. (Dr.) G. N. Mathur - IIT Kanpur, Prof. (Dr.) S. N. Maiti - IIT New Delhi, Shri Kailash Murarka - Co-Chairman PVI-2013 (Representing President AIPMA), Dr. E. Sundaresan - VC. IPI, Shri R. A. Lohia - VP. PIF, Shri Shujahar Khan - Principal Director CITD, Prof. (Dr). S. K. Nayak - DG. CIPET, Shri Suneel Sachdeva - Under Secretary (PC) DCPC, Shri R. K. Kureel - Under Secretary (Fin) DCPC.

Dr. S. K. Nayak - DG. CIPET extended a warm hearty welcome to Shri Indrajit Pal - Secretary DCPC and President CIPET Governing Council, all the other members of the Governing Council. He also extended sincere thanks and gratitude to Shri K. Jose Cyriac - Past Secretary (DCPC) and Ex-President – CIPET Governing Council and placed on record the yeoman services rendered by him for the overall growth and development of CIPET.

Smt. Neelkamal Darbari - Jt. Secretary (PC) DCPC informed the Governing Council (GC) that Government of India has appointed Prof. (Dr.) S. K. Nayak as Director General, CIPET for a tenure of six years with effect from 21st December, 2012.

Shri Kailash B Murarka, AIPMA appreciated the excellent performance and tremendous achievements made by CIPET during the last 4-5 years in all spheres of its activities/programs.

He said that under the dynamic leadership of Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Nayak, Director General, CIPET and with the support of the Smt. Neelkamal Darbari, I.A.S., Joint Secretary DCPC could achieve many milestones. He also thanked the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Government of India for extending all the guidance and support to CIPET in all its endeavors. He requested the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals Government of India to continue and extend the assistance and support to CIPET for sustainable growth and development of downstream petrochemicals/polymer industries also. President – G.C.

Mr. Indrajit Pal informed that the offi cials representing from Integrated Finance Division (IFD) of Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals should take a note of the suggestions of Shri Kailash B. Murarka and other G.C. Members for supporting the activities/programs of CIPET.

Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Nayak, DG, CIPET made a detailed presentation about the new initiatives, accomplishments, major milestones achieved by CIPET during XI Five-Year Plan with the support of administrative Ministry and the Members of G.C.

The President and Members of G.C. appreciated the sincere, systematic and excellent efforts made by CIPET Team under the leadership of Prof. (Dr.) S K Nayak, Director General. G.C. placed on record the commendable and laudable performance made by DG CIPET during the XI Plan and for the fi nancial year 2012-13.

Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Nayak, DG, CIPET briefed the action taken by CIPET and the current progress at the administrative Ministry with regards to “Grant of Status of Institute of National Importance (INI) to CIPET”. After detailed deliberations, G.C. unanimously resolved that CIPET must carefully examine and pursue slowly for getting the INI status. And for the same, it was decided to constitute a core-group/committee comprising of the following members to work-out a road map, evaluation and submission of Terms of Reference (ToR), engagement of a Professional Consultant etc.


AIPMA AT WORK

(i) Dr. S.N. Maiti, (Representing Academic Institute)

(ii) Shri Kailash B. Murarka, (Representing Professional Body/Industry)

(iii) A Representative from administrative Ministry;

(iv) Representatives from CIPET (one each from Academics and Administration/

Finance).

Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Nayak, briefed the GC about the of proposal for introduction of (i) Three year B.Sc. (Hons.) course in Polymer Science for 10+2 Science stream students and (ii) Two year M.Sc. in (Polymer Science) course for B.Sc. (Chemistry)/ B. Sc. (Hons.) in Polymer Science course with an intake of 30 students each initially at 02 High Learning Centres of CIPET i.e. at Ahmedabad & Bhubaneswar. He stated that as suggested by the Sub-committee, CIPET has prepared and submitted justifi cation report which include demand and need for introducing of the above two programs, scope for employment, overlapping of the syllabus/curriculum with existing universities and recommendations by the Expert Committee etc. for the kind perusal and approval of G.C.

President – G.C. informed that at present few universities are considering 4 years degree courses. Further, he desired to know the qualifi cation criteria, employability of the students, requirement of faculty, infrastructure etc. for the above programs and advised to adhere to the university norms and guidelines before introduction of the new programs. After a brief discussion, G.C. accorded in-principle approval for introduction of 2 year M.Sc. in (Polymer Science) course at Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar centres.

JS (PC) briefed the set-up, functioning and current status of Petrochemicals Data Service (PDS) at Vadodara (Gujarat). It was informed that since PDS became defunct and both PDS and CIPET are functioning under the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Govt. of India. Ministry is considering to merge PDS with CIPET. Shri V.K. Mehta representing Integrated Finance Division of the Ministry concurred to the merger of PDS with CIPET.

With the above suggestions, the G.C. unanimously passed the following resolution for taking over the PDS by CIPET: Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Nayak also briefed the proposal for introduction of UG & PG programs at CIPET, Hyderabad. Since there are many engineering colleges are available in the State of AP offering UG programs, the demand for Diploma programs is low. In order to attract the students from the State of Andhra Pradesh for the programs in the areas of Polymer Science & Technology, it is proposed to introduce UG & PG programs at CIPET, Hyderabad and take advantage of the course fees reimbursed by the Govt. of AP. for the engineering students. Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Nayak added that these programs may be affi liated with any one of the local Universities such as JNTU/ Osmania University on self-supporting basis in order to satisfy the norms of award of degree and approval from AICTE.

The President – G.C. desired to know the performance of on-going UG & PG programs conducted by CIPET at its 5 High Learning Centres (HLC). He suggested that CIPET should work-out the details such as worthiness of the programs, cost benefi t analysis etc. at each HLC before introduction of UG & PG programs at any other new HLC.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks.

Letter from Mr. Mohan JainMy past leadership role as the President of AIPMA has helped me immensely in dealing with the magnitude

of knowledgeable individuals during my stint as the Trustee and Vice-President of the Managing Committee at Juhu Gymkhana Club.

We organized quite a few landmark events during my presidency at AIPMA and I am fortunate enough to be a part of this wonderful journey of making Juhu Gymkhana one of the best clubs in suburban Mumbai.

AIPMA and Juhu Gymkhana Club, both being honorary institutions, have helped me realize my social responsibility and prepared me to give something back to Society I have been a part of and learned so much from.

I want to whole-heartedly thank each and every member of AIPMA who has helped me during my tenure at AIPMA.


Meetings attended by Dr. Asutosh Gor - President &Mr. Hiten Bheda - Hon. Secretary, AIPMA from

4-5th April, 2013 at New Delhi Dr. Asutosh Gor, President and Mr. Hiten Bheda, Hon.

Secretary, AIPMA visited Delhi earlier in the month on 4-5 April, 2013

Dr. Asutosh Gor, President and Mr. Hiten Bheda, Hon. Secretary, AIPMA, had called on Shri Indrajit Pal, IAS, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) with an offi cial appointment at his chamber on April 04, 2103 at 11.00 am.

President, AIPMA, requested Shri Indrajit Pal to lead AIPMA delegation to Chinaplas 2013 and also handed over a copy of an invitation. Hon'ble Secretary told that as he will on offi cial leave and will be travelling during that time it would not be possible for him to accept the invitation. Instead he will depute an offi cer from the ministry.

In view of Supreme courts direction to explain role played by the municipal corporations in plastic waste management and front page news in leading dailies, the secretary was very much concerned about environmental issues related to plastics. He was of the opinion that innovative solutions only can address the issue and that the whole value chain has to participate for effective management.

He was of the opinion that the ministry can support initiative by the trade bodies for policy direction, legal framework and fi scal incentives for effective recycling and management of plastic waste. He suggested that AIPMA should come with proposals to address the issue.

He also discussed very high cost of medical implants like stents used for coronary disease and why the cost cannot come down to make treatment viable for weaker section of the society.

Dr. Gor also discussed with him about core sector status and handed over a copy of the memorandum. The president appraised him about Plastivision 2013 and requested CIPETS participation to create awareness about its activities to larger cross section of processing industry.

Meeting was very cordial and the Hon’ble secretary extended assurance for support to industry.

After that both the dignitaries of the Association met Ms. Neelkamal Darbari, IAS, Jt. Secretary, DCPC with an offi cial appointment at her chamber at 12.30 pm. President discussed with her about patron member of International Advisory Board of PVI-13 .

She said that permission from the authorities is a long drawn process and that she can always be invited as special invitee for meetings. Therefore, she is unable to accept the request from AIPMA. She was positive about CIPETs Participation to Plastivision 2013 and support to Plastivision event gap funding by DCPC. She suggested the president to forward a detailed request for gap funding for PVI 13 events.

President and Hon .Secretary, AIPMA, next met Mr. Krish Iyengar, Jt. Secretary, NCPAH at his chamber at 3.00 PM. With regard to request to become Chairman of Plastics in Agriculture Pavilion, Mr. Iyengar said that the approval has to come from the ministry and suggested that we write to offi cials sitting in Krishi Bhavan who would then direct him on the subject.

In the evening, President, was invited to attend the fi rst meeting of CII National Council on 4thApril 2013 at New Delhi. He personally called on Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, and discussed with him about INDO-US Summit during PVI-13.

AIPMA AT WORK


On April 05,2013, Coca Cola Company had requested Dr. Asutosh Gor, President, AIPMA for a meeting. They arranged the meeting at their Head quarter, Gurgaon.

The objective of the meeting was to build up relationship with AIPMA in view of environmental concerns as a large user of plastic bottles. Mr. Amit explained about their concern and initiatives taken for sustainability by the company. They would like to become member of the association and are willing to support initiatives towards sustainability.

After that Dr. Asutosh Gor, President and Mr. Hiten Bheda, Hon. Secretary, AIPMA had called on Mr. P. S. Singh, Head-Chemicals, at 3.00 PM at FICCI House, New Delhi. Mr. P S. Singh requested President, AIPMA to kindly block 26th June 2013 in your dairy for Seminar at Chandigarh.

Dr. Asutosh Gor, President and Shri Hiten Bedha, Hon. Secretary, had visited North Zone AIPMA Offi ce where they together spent around one and half hour monitoring activities.

AIPMA AT WORK

An NGO “Global Enviro Solutions” has fi led a PIL in the Bombay High Court challenging the decision of

Maharashtra government to allow sale of liquor in plastic bottles and tetra pak pouches, saying it is hazardous to public health.

Global Enviro Solutions, dedicated to Protection and Conservation of Environment, contended in a PIL that plastic had leaching (to empty or drain) tendency as a result of which liquor, containing alcohol, gets contaminated. Advocate Mrs. Sadhana Mahashabde has fi led the PIL on behalf of “Global Enviro Solutions” before a bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah.

The PIL also says that Tetra Paks made of aluminium foils also has leaching tendency and if the plastic bottles and tetra paks containing liquor were stored in high temperatures or exposed to sunlight for a longer time, liquor becomes harmful for human consumption.

According to Advocate Sandhana referring to the health report the PIL claims that alcohol is acidic in nature and once it comes in contact with plastic surface, carcinogenic compounds may be released posing risk to human lives and if ‘contaminated’ liquor is consumed unknowingly by people who purchase in plastic bottles or tetra pak pouches from liquor shops, then they may contract many harmful diseases which might even result in physical disorders, the NGO contended.

The petitioner urged the court to ban the sale of liquor in plastic bottles and tetra paks in public interest.

The hearing was fi xed on March 13, 2013.

On 14th March, 2013 a meeting was arranged with Advocate Mr. Milind Sathye to discuss about the PIL fi led by an NGO “Global Enviro Solutions” in the Bombay High

Court challenging the decision of Maharashtra Government to allow sale of liquor in Plastic/PET Bottles and Tetra Pak Pouches, saying it is hazardous to public health as it leeches carcinogenic chemicals, etc.

The meeting was held in the presence of the Reliance Members i.e. Mr. Anup Bagchi - Sr. VP. PET Div. - Reliance Industries Limited, Mr. Atanu Biswas - Asst. VP. PET Bus., Reliance Industries Limited, Mr. Rajesh K. Gera – Asst. VP Bus. Devl. PET Div., Reliance Industries Limited, MDP & Partners Advocates & Solicitors - Mr. Rajesh Talekar – Sr. Associate, Mr. Nishit Dhruva – Managing Partner along with Mr. V. Subramanian – Vice President (Marketing), Sunrise Containers Ltd. and Mr. Haren Sanghavi – Hon. Jt. Secretary, AIPMA. The meeting was to discuss on the PIL against the PET Bottles in the State.

The meeting was to discuss about the effects of PET Bottles. Mr. Bagchi clarifi ed that PET Bottles are good mode to store food.

Mr. Milind Sathye requested Mr. Anup Bagchi of Reliance to shed more light on the effects of PET bottles so that a strong case can be fi led in the court.

Mr. Bagchi clarifi ed all the myths of PET Bottles and also the differences of various packaging materials i.e. Plastics, PET, Tetra Pak. He also explained that the PET Bottles are not recycled into bottles but it is recycled into different materials like carpets, curtains, fi bers, etc. PET Bottles are produced from the purest form of PET granules.

It was noticed that the petition fi led in the court states the following 3 items are harmful for packaging liquor:

1. Plastics, 2. PET, 3. Tetra Pak

The PIL file has quoted wrongly and this PIL is misleading public.

AIPMA’s intervention for PIL on PET Bottles Ban


Partial Victory on Delhi ‘Carry Bags’ Ban Dear All,

This is to inform all our Members, Affiliated Associations and readers about the current status of AIPMA and other Affi liated Associations “impleadment in the case against Ban on Plastic Carry Bags in New Delhi” as per information received from our Advocate Mr. Kundan Mishra:

“Notice was issued to State Pollution Control Boards, Central Pollution Control Board and Municipal Corporations of some bigger cities.

All Metros, Jaipur, Bangalore, Agra and direction was issued to them to fi le an Affi davit explaining as to why they have not implemented various Waste Management Rules enunciated and enacted/framed in different Rules and Acts e.g. Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2000 and Latest Plastic Rules of 2011.

Thus our Advocate, AIPMA jointly with various other associations have successfully persuaded Honourable Court that the issue at core is not the nature and character of Plastics (and the same is not hazardous from any angle or any assessment or report) but the issues relating to waste management of the same and

that the issue has to be dealt with in holistic sense i.e. not only Plastic Waste Management but overall Solid Waste Management.”

This Notice is giving us more courage to fi ght the case as we notice that the Honourable Court is thinking positive and looking deeply into core issues of Solid Waste Management, which was also part of an earlier Supreme Court Judgement in March 1999, that laid down some guidelines in its report, on Solid Waste Management in Class 1 cities in India.

Under the guidance of our office bearers, core committee, President Mr. Asutosh Gor and Mr. Arvind Mehta we both (Mr. Akhilesh Bhargava & Mr. Haren Sanghavi) have put in major efforts and accumulated lot of documentation for this cause.

This is a partial victory for the Plastic Industry and AIPMA.

Thank you all for your support.

Akhilesh Bhargava/ Haren Sanghavi Chairman - Environment Committee/ Hon. Jt.

Secretary, AIPMA

AIPMA AT WORK

On 21st March 2013, an intervention against the PIL was fi led in court by AIPMA & OPPI. There were 6 Advocates from the Association side whereas there was only 1 Advocate from Tetra Pak India Limited Company.

The Judge Mr. Mohta asked Advocate Mr. Sathye to explain the case, he explained that the PIL was totally false and it was aimed to malaise the Plastic Industry.

Plastic is a generic term used for all polymers, PE, PP, PET, etc. The PIL fi led has used Plastics to confuse the terms PET & Plastics.

Mr. Sathye clarifi ed that the case was mentioning that PET is not good for all types of Packaging but it latter moved to Liquor Industry. He also clarifi ed that PET is used as containers to store food, pharmacy, liquor, etc. PET does not have any direct chemical reaction or leeching effect on the product.

While BIS has prescribed standards and there are various supportive documents which states PET is not leeching material.

He also clarifi ed that, as per the comparative study globally PET bottles are used to store alcohol.

The shelf life of PET Bottles depends upon the temperature & reactions of the contents. But Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has not prescribed any shelf life for PET Bottles.

The Judge asked about the shelf life of wine in PET Bottles. Mr. Sathye replied that wine ages only till it is left in the wooden drums & once it is bottled the ageing stops. The Judge was impressed by the reply.

While the other Advocate Mrs. Sadhana Mahashabde was negating Mr. Sathye’s discussion.

Judge Mr. Mohta accepted AIPMA and OPPI and Tetra Pak India Pvt. Ltd. as applicants / interveners and said to fi le affi davits relating to this case within 3 weeks.

Global Enviro Solutions shall fi le their response in 2 weeks. The next hearing will be on 2nd May, 2013.


SIDBI Foundation Day MeetMr. Raja M. Shah - Chairman, MSME Committee

was invited as a Special Invitee – as a Chairman of MSME CELL to attend the above Function while Offi ce Bearers were invited to represent AIPMA. Mr. Haren Sanghavi, Hon. Jt. Secretary, AIPMA attended the function.

The Meet was a Surprise for all of us as there was not a single lecture by any speaker. Mr. Ranojoy Chowdhury, Dy. GM, SIDBI-Andheri Branch introduced us to Mr. S. Muhnot, CMD, Other Directors, General Managers, Dy. General Managers and other authorities of SIDBI. Everybody interacted personally with each other discussing their views on problems faced by MSME, and how MSME's can be improved.

Mr. Shah interacted personally with each authority of SIDBI and discussed his views of MSME problems. Mr. Shah presented to Mr. S. Muhnot, Chairman and Managing Director of SIDBI, specially designed portfolio, covering the details of:-

(i) 9th Plastivision PVI-2013 Exhibition,

(ii) MSME CELL Activities,

(iii) Solar Energy Pavilion having an Object to promote Energy Effi cient Technologies.

During the discussion with Mr. Muhnot, Chairman and Managing Director, SIDBI, Mr. Shah submitted the statement covering problems of MSMEs and solutions for the betterment of MSMEs.

Specifically, Mr. Shah also discussed about “Solar Energy Pavilion” with:-

Mr. S. Muhnot, CMD, SIDBI, Mr. N. K. Maini, Dy. MD, SIDBI, Mr. Sanjay Goyal, GM, SIDBI.

During discussions, he explained that Solar Energy Pavilion is to promote “Energy Effi cient Technologies” (EET) leading to Green World. Since SIDBI promotes EET, AIPMA looks forward to SIDBI by way of their logo and fi nancial support.

Mr. S. Muhnot had shown keen interest to meet Mr. Shah for detailed discussion about Solar Energy Pavilion, after appointment in a short period.

Mr. S. Muhnot, CMD, SIDBI with Mr. Raja Shah, Chairman, MSME CELL and Mr. Haren Sanghavi, Hon. Jt. Secretary, AIPMA.

Mr. S. Muhnot, CMD, SIDBI with Mr. Raja Shah, Chairman of Solar Energy Pavilion.

Shri Raja Shah Chairman of MSME CELL, with Shri Chandra Shekhar Thanwi, GM, BO-Andheri, Shri Ranojoy Chowdhury, DGM, SIDBI.

AIPMA AT WORK


AIPMA AT WORK

Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA) Plastic Conference

- MR. ARVIND MEHTACMD Welset Plast Extrusions P. Ltd

Past President AIPMA & Plastindia FoundationChairman Advisory Board Plastivision

Executive Director Asia- CIPAD

A gala event attended by nearly 325 delegates across Gulf Countries which is hub of Petrochemicals of

the world. Three day Conference had best of the Global speakers on variety of subjects.

On behalf of AIPMA, myself and Shri Raju Desai, Chairman Plastivision India 2013 attended the conference. AIPMA was represented at GPCA for the fi rst time as Premier Guest of the Organiser.

Shri Raju Desai made the presentation with PVI fi lm on the second day of the conference which was very well received. It was about a 15 minutes presentation. We can expect good response from the Gulf Petrochemical Companies, though this was the fi rst direct attempt.

About GCC Countries:

The major goal of Gulf countries NOW is Special focus on downstream industries and plastics conversion to be manufactured locally in their own country. They are promoting Plastics Conversion is an opportunity. It gives employment to the locals & leads to consumption of polymers which they are exporting to a great extent, thus creating the value for themselves. This is in line with the regional government strategies to create job opportunities and add value to hydrocarbon resources.

Currently GCC produces 19.9 million tons of polymers out of which 4.5 million ton is converted in GCC. The Annual Growth level rate is around eight percent. Capacity polymer wise is as follows:

1. Polyethylene PE production capacity 11.5 million tons in 2012. Growing at the rate of 13.7%. Saudi Arabia, UAE

Kuwait, Qatar are four PE producing countries.

2. Polypropylene capacity 6.3 million tons.

Producing countries are Saudi Arabia Kuwait, Oman, UAE. Between 2007 &2012 PP growth was nearly 27%.

3. PVC -production capacity only SABIC 436000 Tons and importing 300000 tons, they are net importer now plans of production in pipeline.

4. Polystyrene- only two producers in Gulf 380000 Tons produced per year PS is having a moderate growth of. 4%.

5. PET-total capacity in 2012 was 1.3 million tons three manufacturers growing very fast annually. Out of 19.9 million produced in Gulf only 4.3 million tons in 2012 was converted. Rest of the polymers are exported nearly 15.5 million tons.

6. With continuous diversifi cation of polymers produced in the region the GCC plastic converters will benefi t with automotive, consumer goods, medical sector are yet to be tapped fully. My observation is Game Changer of the century is fi nd of Shale Gas in USA by which USA is self reliant but is having export surplus of polymers. The dependence on crude may come down and gas price being 30% appx lower more stability in supply of polymers and reduction of price can happen.

India is a happening place and big market. People recognize India and we relished that. Many showed their willingness to participate.


Dr. Asutosh Gor - President and Mr. Jayesh Rambhia - Chairman PVA 2014, AIPMA attended a Press Conference

held on 15th April, 2013, in UAE

Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah addressed a Press Conference

along with the Partners - AIPMA and Sponsors of Plastivision Arabia 2014.

On behalf of AIPMA, Dr. Asutosh Gor - President and Mr. Jayesh Rambhia - Chairman PVA 2014 attended the press conference on 15th April, 2013

As in the launch edition, the second Plastivision Arabia (PVA) will be organized by Expo Centre Sharjah and The All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA), the oldest and the largest apex body of the plastic industry in India.

Plastivision Arabia 2014 will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from 7th to 10th April, 2014.

The regional plastics industry offers a relatively hassle-free business model, given that the region enjoys an advantage in two key components — feedstock and logistics. Feedstock cost is lower in the Gulf owing to its rich oil and gas reserves and the GCC’s closeness to demand clusters – specifi cally India and China – offers a significant logistic cost advantage.

“Plastics business is also less technology and capital intensive, which means that any layman can venture into plastics manufacturing with minimal investment and technological know-how. At Plastivision Arabia, experienced consultants from AIPMA wil l

assist young entrepreneurs in establishing their plastic manufacturing units,” said Mr. Jayesh Rambhia. He added that live display of machines at the show will provide fi rst-hand understanding of technology and the necessary know-how to establish the plastic plant.

The launch edition of Plastivision Arabia in 2012 featured 150 exhibitors from 19 countries and attracted 7,000 visitors from 66 countries. It also had the distinction of seeing most live machines on display being sold.

Plastivision Arabia 2014 will be held along with Arabia Mold, in association with DEMAT, the organizer of world-renowned EuroMold, the world’s leading fair for mold-making & tooling, design and application development.

Extensive Media & Press coverage was enjoyed in the Press Conference.

Mr. Jayesh Rambhia - Chairman, Plastivision Arabia 2014, Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa - Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah and Dr. Asutosh Gor - President, AIPMA.

AIPMA AT WORK


AIPMA AT WORK

Vinyl India 2013 held on 11th - 12th April, 2013 at Hotel Grand Hyatt

Elite Plus Business Services (EPBS), jointly with Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturers’

Association (CPMA) organized the 3rd International PVC & Chlor –Alkali Conference, an exciting two-day event, in Mumbai on April 11 & 12, 2013.

The event was jointly supported by The All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA), Chemical & Petrochemicals Manufacturers Association (CPMA) and Plastindia Foundation. This was the 3rd International event after the two successful events already held in 2011 & 2012.

2013 Vinyl India was even bigger than the previous two events, attracting over 630 delegates from 26 countries representing 280 companies.

Mr. Warren Wilder, President-Polymers, Reliance Industries Ltd. in his opening remarks, inaugurated the two-day event; spoke highly about the very bright future for PVC in India. Vinyl Industry registered a growth of 14% over previous year and now stands at annual consumption

of approx. 2.5 MT. This will reach 5 MT in the next 5-7 years. The event represented a packed programme with 8 business sessions including 3 parallel sessions on both days. Industry experts took part in panel discussions which addressed various topics such as Molecules to Marcomolecules, Additives & Compounding, Processing, Piping Systems, Profi les and Films and Sheets.

China the largest manufacturer and user of PVC was represented by speakers from Shanghai Chlor Alkali and CCAON who gave an interesting paper on Chinese PVC industry.

On the fi rst day, the organizers presented the “Life Time Achievement Awards” to great personalities of Vinyl Industry Shri S.V. Kabra of Kolsite Group and Shri Kanhaiyalal Jain of KLJ Group of Industries. In delivering the acceptance speech Shri Kabra and Shri Jain shared with the delegates their long journey of four decades in building the Vinyl Industry.

Day-1 Session:

Dr. Asutosh Gor – President, AIPMA being welcomed by Mr. Kamal Nanavati


Featured speaker was Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik, Chief Belief Offi cer of the Future Group, who spoke about the succession planning and the message to both the older and younger generations.

On the second day pre - lunch session, Mr. Raju Desai - Chairman Plastivision India 2013, was requested to speak on Plastivision’ 2013. He gave a short but to the point speech on Plastivision which was followed by the

promotional fi lm.

After a brief vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Haren Sanghavi - Hon. Jt. Secretary, AIPMA, Vinyl India - 2013 concluded the two-day packed programme and set the course for an accelerated growth as India marches ahead in developing its infrastructure sector where PVC has a very bright future.

Day-1 Session:

Dr. Asutosh Gor

Mr. Arvind Mehta

Mr. Harish Dharamsi

Mr. Hiten Bheda

Day-2 Session:

Mr. Arvind Mehta

Mr. Harish Dharamsi

Mr. Raju Desai

Mr. Haren Sanghavi

AIPMA AT WORK








COMPANY NEWS

Reliance appoints Linde for its Jamanagar facility

Reliance Industr ies have a p p o i n t e d Te c h n o l o g y

company The Linde Group to build several plants to generate and purify gases in Jamnagar.

“We are delighted to have this renewed opportunity to build

upon our long-standing relationship with Reliance,' said Professor Dr Aldo Belloni, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. 'Around twenty years ago, we delivered several large-

scale hydrogen plants for Jamnagar. Now we are committed to contribute to the expansion of one of the world's key refi nery and petrochemical hubs with our air separation and acid gas removal know-how.'

Under the new deal, Linde's Engineering Division will supply four large air separation units (ASUs) for the production of gaseous oxygen. RIL needs massive streams of oxygen for its proposed petroleum coke and

Honeywell's UOP technology selected for petrochemicals complex in Brunei

UO P L L C , a H o n e y w e l l technology has been selected

to produce key petrochemicals in a new complex in Brunei. Brunei Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of China's Zhejiang Hengyi Group Co., will use several of Honeywell's UOP technologies to produce aromatics. "As the demand for aromatics grows in the region, producers are looking for ways to maximize product yields, while reducing production costs and minimizing investment costs," said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit.

"UOP's integrated aromatics technology will provide the lowest energy consumption, cost of production and overall investment cost." Aromatics products derived at the facility will help meet growing demand for plastics

and synthetic fi bers in the region. The project, to be located in Pulau Muara Besar, Brunei Darussalam, is expected to be one of the largest aromatics complexes in the world.

T h e p r o j e c t w i l l c o m b i n e a 2.2 mln metric tons per annum (MMTA) hydrocracking unit, utilizing Honeywell's UOP Unicracking™ process and catalysts; a 3.3 MMTA UOP CCR Platforming™ unit; and a 1.5 MMTA UOP Parex™ unit. Additionally, the complex will license Honeywell's UOP Isomar™ process, UOP Tatoray™ process and UOP ED Sulfolane™ process at its optimized, fully integrated aromatics complex. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywel l 's UOP wi l l prov ide engineering, training and technical services, catalysts, adsorbents, and specialty equipment for the project. Aromatics production is expected to

start-up in 2015. Honeywell's UOP Unicracking process is the most versatile hydrocracking process for upgrading a variety of feedstocks to high-quality distillates such as naptha, kerosene and diesel. As an industry leader in catalytic reforming, Honeywell's UOP CCR Platforming process, combined with its reforming catalysts, selectively converts low-quality naptha to BTX (benzene, toluene and xylene) aromatics for plastics production.

Honeywell's UOP Parex process effectively recovers valuable para-xylene from mixed xylenes, offering proven high product purity, high product recovery and high on-stream effi ciency. Global demand for para-xylene, a building block for the production of water bottles and other products, is expected to grow by nearly 7 percent each year.

coal gasifi cation facilities. To treat the synthesis gas generated during this gasifi cation process, Linde will also deliver two RECTISOL(R) acid gas removal units.

Linde will be supplying the license, process design, detail engineering and procurement services for this project. In addition, Linde will build two additional ASUs to supply high-purity oxygen to RIL's ethylene glycol facilities in Jamnagar


COMPANY NEWS

DSM opens Application Development Technical Center in Japan

DSM has opened i ts f i rst appl icat ion development

technical center for engineering plastics in Japan at the Yokohama Business Park in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The launch of the DSM Engineering Plastics Japan Technical Center is fully in line with DSM’s strategy to support and grow business not only with customers in Japan but also with overseas Japanese Transplants, for which material specifi cations are determined in Japan. DSM recognizes the importance of developing new innovative and more sustainable applications together with its customers in Japan.

Having the new technical center, DSM can provide fast and specific test data for its products, and can

collaborate more closely with existing and new customers.

For establishing the center, DSM Japan Engineering Plastics K.K. is grateful for subsidies received from “Subsidy Program for Projects Promoting Asian Site Location in Japan” by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Japan and from “Targeted Industry Programs” by Yokohama City. The main subjects for examination at the center are highly functional engineering plastics used in automotive, electrical and electronics, and fl exible food packaging industries. Hiroshi Yoshida, Managing Director DSM Japan Engineering Plastics says; “We cover all the engineering plastic product lines of DSM, such as Stanyl®, Stanyl® ForTii™, EcoPaXX®, Akulon®, Arnitel®, Arnite® and Novamid®.

DSM acquired the Novamid portfolio from Mitsubishi Chemicals through the business swap agreement in 2010”. The center possesses a wide variety of equipment for material and application testing including injection molding, physical property testing and thermal and chemical analysis in order for DSM to conduct integrated application development in Japan in close cooperation with its customers.

DSM regards the search for sustainable solutions as a key driver for success and profitabil ity. In addition to reducing the environmental footprint of its own operations by reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, it is also driving sustainability via the engineering plastics it produces and in the applications they are used for.

Mitsubishi in final stages of a petrochemical agreement with Govt of TrinidTwo Japanese companies,

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company and Mitsubishi Corporation are in the fi nal stages of an agreement with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and local partner, Neal & Massy Holdings Limited, to start developing a project for the commercialization of natural gas based petrochemicals. Phase 1 of the project under consideration will produce 1 million tons of methanol

and 100,000 tpa of dimethyl ether. The partners are aiming to reach a fi nal investment decision during the course of the current fi scal year, with commercial operations scheduled to start in fi scal year 2016. Methanol, made mainly from natural gas, is used as a raw material in the manufacture of a wide range of products, including adhesives, agrochemicals, paints and synthetic resins. Dimethyl ether, for its part, has been receiving a

lot of attention as a substitute for LPG and as a next generation clean energy substitute for diesel fuel in automobiles and in power generation. MGC and MC will sell the methanol produced to the global market, while promoting dimethyl ether in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean as an alternative to diesel fuel in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and Neal & Massy.


COMPANY NEWS

Honeywell's UOP technology selected for petrochemicals complex in Brunei

UO P L L C , a H o n e y w e l l technology has been selected

to produce key petrochemicals in a new complex in Brunei. Brunei Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of China's Zhejiang Hengyi Group Co., will use several of Honeywell's UOP technologies to produce aromatics. "As the demand for aromatics grows in the region, producers are looking for ways to maximize product yields, while reducing production costs and minimizing investment costs," said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit.

"UOP's integrated aromatics technology will provide the lowest energy consumption, cost of production and overall investment cost." Aromatics products derived at the facility will help meet growing demand for plastics

and synthetic fi bers in the region. The project, to be located in Pulau Muara Besar, Brunei Darussalam, is expected to be one of the largest aromatics complexes in the world.

T h e p r o j e c t w i l l c o m b i n e a 2.2 mln metric tons per annum (MMTA) hydrocracking unit, utilizing Honeywell's UOP Unicracking™ process and catalysts; a 3.3 MMTA UOP CCR Platforming™ unit; and a 1.5 MMTA UOP Parex™ unit. Additionally, the complex will license Honeywell's UOP Isomar™ process, UOP Tatoray™ process and UOP ED Sulfolane™ process at its optimized, fully integrated aromatics complex. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywel l 's UOP wi l l prov ide engineering, training and technical services, catalysts, adsorbents, and specialty equipment for the project. Aromatics production is expected to

start-up in 2015. Honeywell's UOP Unicracking process is the most versatile hydrocracking process for upgrading a variety of feedstocks to high-quality distillates such as naptha, kerosene and diesel.

As an industry leader in catalytic reforming, Honeywell's UOP CCR Platforming process, combined with its reforming catalysts, selectively converts low-quality naptha to BTX (benzene, toluene and xylene) aromatics for plastics production. Honeywell's UOP Parex process effectively recovers valuable para-xylene from mixed xylenes, offering proven high product purity, high product recovery and high on-stream effi ciency. Global demand for para-xylene, a building block for the production of water bottles and other products, is expected to grow by nearly 7 percent each year.

Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical selects LyondellBasell technologies for polyethylene EVA plant Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical

Co. Ltd. (JSPCL) part of the Jiangsu Shenghong Group; has selected LyondellBasell’s Lupotech T and Lupotech A process technologies for a new plant scheduled to be built in Lianyungang, China. The plant will have a total plant capacity of 300,000 tpa for the production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA). LDPE and EVA

polymers are in high demand driven by an increasing need for consumer items ranging from shoes to specialty fi lms. Zheng Guo Dong, General Manager JSPCL, commented;

“We selected LyondellBasell’s Lupotech platform based on the leading manufacturing cost performance and the capability to produce high-quality LDPE and very high EVA content

LDPE.” Key features of the Lupotech T tubular technology and the Lupotech A autoclave technology include low manufacturing and investment costs, fast start-up and grade changes, and high quality LDPE and copolymers with up to 40 percent EVA covering the entire range of melt flows and densities. Proven single-line capacities of up to 450 KT per year are available with Lupotec.


COMPANY NEWS

Aliaxis Group and Ashirvad Pipes tie up for market expansion in IndiaAliaxis Group S.A., a global

manufacturer and distributor of plastic fl uid handling systems, and Ashirvad Pipes., an Indian uPVC and cPVC pipes and fi ttings manufacturer, have announced a joint venture that will expand the product offering of Ashirvad in the building and sanitary segments in India. Combining Ashirvad’s strong manufacturing setup and market presence and Aliaxis’s portfolio and technical know-how, the joint venture

will allow Ashirvad to further strengthen its offering and market position across India, whilst it represents a major step forward for Aliaxis in the growing Indian market. The Aliaxis Group will own the majority of the joint venture with a signifi cant shareholding retained by the Poddars, the founders of Ashirvad Pipes. The joint venture will be led and run by the Poddars together with its existing strong and experienced management team and will continue

BASF and Toyo tie up as Asia-Pacific engineering partner for petrochemicalsToyo Eng ineer ing has

reached a comprehensive engineering partnership agreement with BASF for the Asia-Pacific region. The three-year agreement covers basic engineering, detailed eng inee r i ng , p rocu remen t , construction management, and other project-related services in the region's petrochemical and chemical sectors.

Toyo said the deal was struck

based on the confi dence BASF has in Toyo through projects managed by BASF and its affi l iates in Malaysia and China for 15 years. In addition, BASF said it appreciated Toyo's "engineering competence and cost competitiveness exhibited in projects carried out in Southeast Asia". Toyo, with affi liates such as Toyo-China, Toyo-India and Toyo-Malaysia, will provide BASF with customized services.

to do business in India under the Ashirvad brand. The deal is subject to various conditions, including regulatory approvals and is expected to close before the end of the fi rst quarter of 2013. Ashirvad has a strong network of 1,200 distributors and 14,000 dealers and is expected to achieve gross sales of INR 1,000 crores, or an estimated EUR140 million for the fi nancial year ending March 31, 2013.

Milacron completes acquisition of Mold MastersMilacron LLC, a global plastics

industry leader and provider of premium metal working fluids has announced the completion of its acquisition of hot runner systems manufacturer, Mold Masters.Under the terms of the transaction, Milacron LLC, backed by affi liates of private equity fi rm CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC, acquired 100% of the shares of Mold-Masters for an enterprise value of CAN$975 million (US$950 million).

The newly formed entity comprised of fi ve businesses: Milacron Plastics Machinery (Injection, Extrusion and Blow-Moulding); Mold-Masters (Hot Runners); DME Company (Mould Technologies); Aftermarket (Parts and Service); and CIMCOOL Fluid Technology (Metalworking Fluids and Services)Tom Goeke, CEO of Milacron LLC said that the acquisition brings a wide range of plastics

processing equipment, technologies and services globally, supported by a team of experts with the engineering, product development and application-specifi c expertise. Goeke, will lead the combined entity with the support of an

outstanding management group and a talented, global team of employees. Leadership of Milacron LLC's individual businesses, including Mold-Masters, will remain.


Toyo wins contract to build 400,000 tpa PE plant in Egypt

Japan's Toyo Engineering Corp and Egypt's Engineering for

Petroleum and Process Industries will jointly construct a 400,000 tpa polyethylene plant in Alexandria. The joint contract is for US$400 mln and Egyptian construction company Petrojet is a subcontractor for the project. The plant, scheduled for a startup in early 2015, will be owned and run by Egyptian Ethylene and

Derivatives Company (Ethydco). This will be the largest polyethylene plant in Egypt, and is a 100% Egyptian local investment. The plant will be part of a larger petrochemicals complex being built by Ethydco in Alexandria. Toyo is constructing a 460,000 m tpa steam cracker and a 20,000 tpa butadiene extraction unit for Ethydco at the complex.

SABIC planning to build a new cracker in USA

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) is planning

to build a new cracker in the US to capitalize on its shale gas boom. Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC’s CEO, said the fi rm is in talks with partners to invest in at least one or two projects in the US shale gas business to seize the shale revolution. “We are talking about a cracker, building a new cracker,” Reuters quoted Al-Mady as saying on the sidelines of a forum in south China. “We are looking at least at one or two investments.” He ruled out venture capital as a source of fi nancing.

Toyo wins contract to build 400,000 tpa PE plant in Egypt

Japan's Toyo Engineering Corp and Egypt's Engineering for

Petroleum and Process Industries will jointly construct a 400,000 tpa polyethylene plant in Alexandria. The joint contract is for US$400 mln and Egyptian construction company Petrojet is a subcontractor for the project. The plant, scheduled for a

startup in early 2015, will be owned and run by Egyptian Ethylene and Derivatives Company (Ethydco). This will be the largest polyethylene plant in Egypt, and is a 100% Egyptian local investment. The plant will be part of a larger petrochemicals complex being built by Ethydco in Alexandria.

COMPANY NEWS

Sadara Chemical raises US$2 bln from sale of Islamic bond Sadara Chemical Co, a joint

ven ture be tween Saud i Aramco and Dow Chemical, raised SAR7.5 billion (US$2 bln) from the sale of an Islamic bond to fund a large petrochemical complex. The Islamic bond (sukuk) which has a lifespan of 16 years, was priced at 95 basis points over the six-month Saudi interbank offered rate (Saibor). The sale is part of a US$12.5 bln debt to

fund the construction of the project, which will produce more than 3 mln tons of petrochemicals each year when completed in 2016. The US$19.3 bln facility, located at Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, will be the world’s largest chemical complex ever built in a single phase.Strong demand from investors in Saudi Arabia resulted in an increase in size of sukuk from the original target of

Toyo is constructing a 460,000 m tpa steam cracker and a 20,000 tpa butadiene extraction unit for Ethydco at the complex. The Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. is the principal shareholder in Engineering for Petroleum and Process Industries, or Enppi, owning 97% of its total shares.

SAR5.25 billion, which was covered 2.6-times. Deutsche Bank, Riyad Bank, Alinma Bank and Bank Al Bilad arranged the sukuk.


FEATURES

Global polyethylene demand is set to grow for next fi ve

years. Annual growth of 4.6% in that fi ve-year span will have global demand at just over 216 bln lbs by 2017. "That growth exceeds the current level of North American demand. That's like growing another North America in the next fi ve years.

The market has mass and momentum”. That's the outlook of market veteran Nick Vafiadis, who spoke at the IHS World Petrochemical Conference. Vafiadis serves as senior director of global polyolefi ns and plastics for Houston-based IHS Chemical.

In North America, that momentum is coming from newfound supplies of natural gas, mainly from shale rock formations. These new supplies can be used to make ethane and then et hylene feedstock. The discoveries have led to a wave of expansion announcements, including around 11 bln pounds of new PE capacity that's set to hit North America toward the end of that 5 year forecast period. Vafi adis pointed out that those projections don't even include new capacity from Ineos Group and Dow Chemical Co. that just were announced in late March.

"Strong margins are leading to capacity increases," he said. Much of

the new North American PE capacity will be targeted at export markets, which are expected to grow by 5% over the forecast period. Domestic demand also is expected to improve toward the end of that period.

One positive impact of the new North American PE capacity should be a resurgence for the region's PE processors, especially makers of fi lm and bags. Vafiadis explained, "As North America gets new production capacity, there will be an increase in processor capacity in the U.S.," he said. "The domestic market will become more competitive.

Some big U.S. processors will expand to take advantage of the new [PE] capacity in North America. We're starting to hear about repatriating processor capacity. We're going to see increased exports of [PE] fi nished goods."

Globally, PE capacity additions in that span are expected to exceed 57 bln lbs. But some regions will benefi t more than others. Growth in the Middle East will continue to move forward as countries there invest in infrastructure and a growing population drives consumer markets.

Europe's PE market, however, is expected to struggle, he added, with demand down and imports on the rise.

More than 2 bln lbs, about 7.5% of Europe's PE capacity, is expected to be shut down by 2017, Vafi adis said. In China, PE capacity and demand are headed up, but operating rates are expected to remain low.

The challenge for that country's PE market is to rationalize higher-cost plants and to move away from commodity products. No new PE capacity is slated for Latin America through 2017, which will improve that region's operating rates.

Globally, new PE capacity should lower global operating rates almost 1%, from 84.2% in 2007-12 to 83.4% in 2012-17, according to Vafi adis. North America's PE operating rates will be the highest in the world in that 2012-17 period, ranging from 85-90%.

"U.S. producers [from 2012-17] will have the luxury of being able to export and get healthy returns to every region in world. That will keep operating rates high. Post-2015, U.S. producers will have to rely on export sales outside of South America.

China's influence will leverage down export prices and the domestic price as we move to global price parity. When the new PE capacity arrives in North America, some producers "will put an emphasis on domestic supply," Vafi adis added.

Global polyethylene demand to grow at 4.6% for next five yearsh


FEATURES

Family-owned BMI Plásticos SA de CV is expecting delivery of

a KraussMaffei 420 injection molding press this spring with which it plans to launch an environment-friendly venture that's been five years in preparation.Employing technology licensed from LiveRoof LLC, of Spring Lake, Michigan, the Mexico City processor will manufacture modules from recycled polypropylene caps used on PET bottles.

"We've been developing this project over the past five years," Ernesto González Carrillo, BMI Plásticos' managing director and a chemical engineering graduate of Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM).Outside the United States, we're the only ones making modules for LiveRoof. They even gave me the tools to make the modules."

When installed in suffi cient numbers on rooftops, the modules, which feature a so-called soil elevator or substratum covered with specially prepared humus and sedum plants, can help reduce the temperature inside a building by 10 percent, according to González.

His company, which employs 25, including two of his sons, operates out of a 7,500 square ft factory close to the Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) headquarters in the Mexican capital.

González, a former managing

director of Embotelladora Mundet, an iconic Mexican soft drink now owned by the Coca-Cola Company, said the 2009 global economic crisis hit BMI's business hard. "We were looking for new business, one using recycled plastic and oriented to the environment."

He described the day he heard about LiveRoof as "divine intervention." He traveled to Spring Lake, where he talked to LiveRoof's president Dave MacKenzie, a horticulturalist, and others about his Mexico project. Today BMI Plásticos, which already operates several KraussMaffei presses, ranging in clamping force between 65 and 420 tons, has an installed capacity for producing 1,000 23.6 x 11.8- inch modules a day. The new machine will change that. "Our goal this year is to sell about $150,000 worth of modules per month," said González. "Longer term, the goal is $250,000 a month."

The company's sales in 2012 amounted to $1 million, González said. BMI Plásticos also makes spoons sold with the milk for infants produced by its main client, Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. of Glenview, Ill., retail display tie hooks for major Mexican clothing stores and powder packs for the cosmetics industry.

It processes between four and fi ve tons of resins, including polypropylene

and polystyrene but mostly high density polyethylene, per month. Much of its attention this year will be focused on the green roof project.

"It's an ambitious program," said González, pointing out that he's been heavily promoting the technology with city governments and builders across Mexico. "But it's also noble because it'll take care of a lot of the rubbish on our streets. The technology guarantees the existence of the modules for years" — 20 years, to be exact.

Mexican molder making roof modules from recycled polypropylene

Stephen Downer

SERVICES AVAILABLE IN AIPMA HOUSE

• Elegant Auditorium

• Board Room

• Business Centre & Ground Floor Hall

at very nominal tariff for

your business purpose

• Library - Free use of books

and reports available


FEATURES

China remains the growth centre for methanol demand,says IHS study

Accord ing to a new IHS Chemical global market study,

global methanol demand, which will be driven by Chinese demand growth, has increased 23% during the two-year period of 2010 to 2012, and annual demand for the product is expected to increase by more than 8% from 61 million metric tonnes MMT in 2012, to an unprecedented level of 137 MMT in 2022. These rapid demand increases are signifi cant, particularly when the numbers are compared to the economic downturn of 2008 to 2009, when annual global methanol demand slowed to just 4% and 2%, respectively.

This demand growth is being led by growth in China across all derivatives, as well as fuels applications in China and the rest of the world, and as a result, says IHS, the methanol industry is anticipated to advance rapidly to a more balanced position in the 2015 to 2016 timeframe. Produced by IHS, the leading global source of information and analytics, the IHS Chemical 2013 World Methanol Analysis covers historical developments and future projections for supply, demand, capacity and trade in the global methanol markets for 2012 to 2022.

“Methanol is a key option for monetising gas or coal,” said Mike Nash, global director of Syngas Chemicals at IHS. “An abundant supply of low-cost North American shale gas resources is driving methanol capacity additions in the U.S. The shale gas

revolution is a major game-changer; mothballed methanol units have started back up and one Methanex unit has been relocated from Chile to Louisiana with considerations of moving another unit. Coal supplies in China are also driving projects there, as well, particularly as it relates to using cheap methanol supplies derived from coal to produce olefi ns.”

According to the IHS report, even with China’s massive buildup of methanol capacity, demand growth in China is projected to be so rapid (more than 12% per year) that, by 2022, if imports were unavailable, the domestic capacity would need to operate at almost 100% utilisation to meet domestic demand. By 2022, without additional Chinese capacity, IHS estimates that imports will not only be an economic-driven opportunistic option to secure low-cost methanol, it will also be a requirement to meet local demand.

Geographically, China remains the growth center for methanol demand, with an average annual growth of slightly more than 12%, while the rest of the world is growing at just below 3%. China methanol consumption will triple from 31 million metric tons (MMT) in 2012 to 97 MMT in 2022.

Traditional uses for methanol include derivatives such as formaldehyde, MTBE, a fuel octane enhancer; acetic acid and methyl methacrylate, a plastic additive. With China at the epicentre of global growth, fuels applications are

one of the primary demand drivers.

Methanol demand in the gasoline pool is expected to increase from nearly fi ve MMT in 2012 to just over 11 MMT in 2022, representing a penetration of nearly 12%. At blend ratios of 15% and slightly increased gasoline consumption trends, methanol consumption could rise to 15 MMT.

Other possible future uses for methanol noted in the IHS report could include methanol as dimethyl ether (DME) on ships as bunker fuel in certain close-to-shore zones in Europe, when new low-sulphur rules go into effect, and insuffi cient supplies of low-sulphur marine diesel/fuel oil to satisfy demand. A trial is being conducted now to test feasibility.

China has become by far the largest methanol producing country in the world, representing 54% of world capacity and 43% (26.5 MMT) of world methanol production in 2012.The global methanol industry is now reaching the end of a signifi cant wave of capacity expansions. Since 2007, capacity has been added at the rate of 14.3% per year, in an industry where demand had been growing at around 8.6% per year.

However, Chinese capaci ty uti l isation is only around 50%, since China adjusts operating rates accordingly to “balance” world supply and demand. China is nearing the end of a major capacity expansion wave, with only an additional 7.5 MMT of new capacity for the merchant market.


New petrochemical hub to be set up in Iran

A n e w p e t r o c h e m i c a l hub will be set up in

the southeastern port city of Chabahar at an investment of US$20 bln in investment, and will add 15 million tons to the country’s petrochemical production.

“Reduc ing the cos t o f petrochemical exports to India and China will be the most important achievement of this new petrochemical hub,” as per the managing director of National Petrochemical Company (NPC).

“Industrial and economic development in the east and southeast [of Iran] is the main reason behind the establishment and inauguration of the country’s third petrochemical hub,” Bayat added.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Lawmakers in Spain's northern Cantabria region unanimously voted to ban hydraulic fracturing on environmental concerns, shooting down the central government's hopes for a project to boost jobs in a region believed to be rich in shale gas, as per Reuters.

Early estimates indicate Spain has large shale gas reserves, but environmentalists have voiced concerns over the safety of the technique, which involves injecting water and chemicals at high pressure into underground rock formations.

Spain, battling a deep recession and high unemployment, imports

Lawmakers in Spain’s shale-rich Cantabria region votes to ban fracking

about 76% of its energy needs and fracking could help relieve its foreign dependence on oil, coal and gas.

Cantabria's ruling People's Party (PP), which has an absolute majority in the regional parliament, proposed the law to ban the practice. Experts say if it is done according to best practice it is environmentally safe, but the technology stil l evokes much public concern, especially in Europe. Poland, which had hoped to be sitting in some of Europe's biggest reserves, had to slash its initial estimates by 90% last year after detailed follow-up surveys and drillings disappointed.

Brazi l c la ims that South Afr ica, India and South

Korea allowed local producers and exporters of polypropylene resin to benefi t through several government incentive programs, in the process harming Brazilian producers.

According to reports the first investigation relates to allegations of dumping against South Africa, South Korea and India and was initiated on March 19. The period under investigation in which the alleged dumping took place is from April 2011 until March last year.

Accord ing to the Braz i l ian investigating authority, which is

Brazil initiates trade probes against South Africa, India S.Korea over PP dumping

similar to South Africa’s International Trade Administration Commission, the a l leged marg in a t wh ich polypropylene resin was being dumped in Brazil by South Africa amounted to 10.72%, by India 7.85% and by South Korea 6.7%.

The duty in Brazil on imported polypropylene resin currently is 14%. Brazil is asking for an additional duty of 10.7% on imports from the three countries.

In the second investigation which began on March 26, India and South Africa are alleged to have subsidised the domestic manufacturing, production or export

of polypropylene resin, subsequently exported to Brazil.

Grant Herholdt, a director at Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs, said if it was found that the product was subsidised and that it was causing "material injury" to the Brazilian market, Brazil would be entitled to impose countervailing duties.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The European Commission i s cons ider ing d ra f t ing

new European Union legislation promoting the reuse and recycling of plastic waste, and has asked plastics companies to participate in a comprehensive public consultation on the issue. Brussels has released a green paper on plastic waste, which argues that the commitments to collect and recycle plastic under the EU waste framework directive are insuffi ciently effective.

A Commission communiqué said companies should say "whether, and how, existing legislation should be adapted to deal with plastic waste and promote re-use, recycling and recovery of plastic waste over landfi lling."

Europe drafting rules to promote plastics reuse and recycling

The Commission wants views on "the effectiveness of potential recycling targets, and of economic measures such as landfill bans, landfi ll taxes and pay-as-you-throw schemes." Brussels also wants information on how best to improve the modular and chemical design of plastic to improve recyclability, how to reduce marine litter and whether there is a need to promote biodegradable plastics.

Meanwhile, plastics companies are being asked by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to step forward and lead safety assessments of polymers and plastics ingredients in a current second registration process under Reach.

Royal Dutch Shell announced new investment plans in

Singapore, in order to increase production capacity of high- purity ethylene oxide and ethoxylates to meet projected demand in Asia. The energy major said the new investments include a high-purity ethylene oxide purification column with an initial capacity of 140, 000 tpa and two world-scale ethoxylation units with a combined capacity of 140,000 tpa, as well as some associated facilities. The new production units will add to Shell’s existing production

Shell raises chemical production capacity by new investments in Singapore

capacity of high-purity ethylene oxide, which is currently at 65,000 tpa, and alcohol ethoxylates capacity of 40,000 tpa.

Along with the groundbreaking for these new plants on Tuesday, Shell also began its upgrading work of its polyols production facility here. “The demand for alcohol ethoxylates in Asia is expected to increase at approximately 6-7 percent annually over the next fi ve years. The key driver for this is the move by consumers from laundry powder and soap bars

PolyOne and Juffali together opens up in Saudi Arabia

US materials fi rm PolyOne has opened a speciality

colour concentrates plant in Saudi Arabia in a joint venture with Jeddah-headquartered EA Juffali & Bros. The US$14 million plant was opened 9 April in Jeddah and will be operated by the joint venture company Juffali PolyOne Masterbatch. Material made at the plant will be sold within the Middle East. The two firms have worked together on sales in the Middle East for almost 30 years. The new production facility “solidifies our ability to bring enhanced value and improved collaboration for our current and future customers”, said PolyOne Chairman, President/CEO Stephen Newl in. He added, “Juffali brings its local expertise in the region to the venture, and PolyOne provides its formulation technology and material science.”

to liquid detergent and liquid soaps, especially in major markets like China, India and South-east Asia, ” said Graham van’t Hoff, Executive Vice President of Shell Chemicals. “We are expanding to meet the growing needs of our existing and new customers,” he added.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Exhibitors at the four-day Plastimagen México 2013

trade show did 25 percent more business than during the exhibition's previous edition 18 months earlier, according to the organizer, E.J. Krause de México.

P las t imagen Méx ico 2013 featured 800 exhibitors from 21 countries and covered 301,400 square feet of the Centro Banamex exhibition center in Mexico City. It also featured 12 international pavil ions, from Austria, Brazil, Canada, China (with two), France, India, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan and the United States.

The fi gure of $150 million is $30 million more than the $120 million worth of deals negotiated during

Plastimagen makes business each one of the previous three Plastimagen México shows — in 2008, 2010 and 2011 — according to the exhibition company, a wholly owned subsidiary of E.J. Krause & Associates Inc, of Bethesda, Md.

According to the release 27,600 people visited the show from March 12-15 2013. Mexico's plastics processing industry is expected to grow by 6 percent in 2013, compared with 5.7 percent in 2012, E.J. Krause de México said.

In 2012 the sector processed 4.7 million metric tons of resins, positioning Mexico as the world's 12th largest manufacturer of fi nished plastics products, according to the company.

Community colleges in New York and Michigan are taking

steps to fill the need for training of students toward careers in the plastics industry.

Cayuga Community College of Auburn, N.Y., is working with a $629,306 grant to develop an advanced manufacturing project in the plastics industry for the entire state as well as several workforce development initiatives.

The college is developing a new lab that would hold an injection mold ing mach ine as we l l as

Colleges in NewYork and Michigan add plastics programs

robotics, according to Sam Ware, an automation engineer at Currier Plastics in Auburn.

He recently spent a day on campus working with architectural students on a design for the lab.Cayuga's grant was part of $14.6 million package awarded to the State University of New York system in a federal trade adjustment assistance bill in September 2012.

Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich., plans to build a plastic technology program and offer an associate degree in 2015, according

Toray opens PET film plant in TaiwanJapan’s largest producer of

protective fi lm for display panels Toray Group has opened a US$41 million plant in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Greater Kaohsiung’s Lujhu. The capacity of 17,000 tonnes/year of Toretec PET fi lm is to meet growing demand in the LCD television and display panel industry.

The fi rm says that demand for surface protection film is rapidly increasing across Asia led by demand in luminance improvement films and light guide plates. The fi rm has been fully utilising its production capacity against the backdrop of robust global demand, but further increase in capacity became imperative as supplies have not been keeping pace with demand.

It selected Taiwan because of its reduced corporate tax rate, as well as the Economic C o o p e r a t i o n F r a m e w o r k Agreement the is land has with mainland China, which it said will boost Taiwanese competitiveness.

to a report in the local newspaper, the Livonia Observer. The report said that Schoolcraft will offer its fi rst course in May and that it will be taught by Sasson Tarahomi, president-elect of the Society of Plastics Engineers Detroit Section.


BUSINESS NEWS

Sebi settles charges of Nova PetrochemicalsThe Securities and Exchange

B o a r d o f I n d i a ( S E B I ) settled charges of non-compliance of disclosure norms against CIL Nova Petrochemicals and GSL Nova Petrochemicals after the companies paid a total of Rs 10 lakh in settlement charges. While passing the consent order, Sebi said the order will come into force immediately and it has disposed of adjudication proceedings against the companies. A consent order is an order settling administrative or civil proceedings between the regulator and a party. CIL Nova Petrochemicals and GSL Nova Petrochemicals (erstwhile Nova Petrochemicals) had allegedly failed to make necessary disclosure under the Sebi's Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers (SAST) Regulations in the matter of Nova

Petrochemicals. Consequently, Sebi initiated an adjudicating proceeding to inquire into the alleged violations. The regulator issued a show cause notice to the companies in September 2009. While the adjudicating proceedings were in progress, the companies submitted a consent order application to Sebi in April 2010. The companies proposed consent terms of Rs 10 lakh towards settlement charges. Pursuant to the application, the consent terms were placed before the High Powered Advisory Committee of Sebi. The committee recommended that the case may be settled on the consent terms proposed by the companies. Accordingly, without admitting or denying the guilt, the applicants have remitted a sum of Rs 5 lakh each towards the settlement charges.

Sumitomo Bakelite establishes footprint in India Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd.

Group is setting-up a company base in New Delhi, India, to further strengthen its support for customers in emerging markets. The company called SBE India Pvt. Ltd. will include warehousing, marketing and a sales organization to serve customers’ needs in the region for plastics and associated materials. Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. Group has also unveiled a new identity for its High Performance Plastics Business Unit to customers around the world. Starting

April 2013 the companies forming the business unit will present themselves to the market as one entity - SBHPP. The creation of SBHPP highlights the worldwide integrated sales and marketing network, and global manufacturing capabilities offered by the manufacturer of phenolic resins, molding compounds and circuitry materials. Customers of SBHPP will benefi t from the worldwide available resources and expertise of the global leader in engineering thermoset resins and molding compounds. SBHPP

is represented by 20 companies spanning Asia, China, Japan, Europe and North America. Mr. Noboru Yamawaki, SBHPP business unit leader said, “With ‘SBHPP’ we are unifying the way we present ourselves to the market. Our new identity clearly identifi es us as one business unit, part of a large and established worldwide group our customers can rely on, and committed to exceeding our customers’ expectations in material performance, customer service, technical expertise, and product quality.”

Taiwanese conglomerate Far Eastern Group is

eyeing the development of petrochemical plants in the United States, fuelled by cheap energy as the US exploits its shale gas reserves, as reported by South China Morning Post.

The Taiwanese major plans to invest in plants to produce paraxylene (PX) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA). Three years ago, the fi rm announced plans to spend NT$20 bln (HK$5.2 bln) to double the capacity of its PTA plants.

Taiwan’s Far Eastern Group eyes petrochemical plants in USA


BUSINESS NEWS

Reliance Industries in discussions with banks for 5 year loan of US$2 bln

Reliance Industries Ltd is holding discussions with banks for a

fi ve-year loan of about $2 billion to refi nance its debt, according to report in the Economic Times. In 2012, RIL- the world's largest petrochemical-cum-refining complex owner, had borrowed an unprecedented US$5.8

bln from foreign markets. As on Dec 31, 2012, the outstanding debt of the company was Rs 722.66 billion as against Rs 682.59 billion in the year-ago period. The company's cash and cash equivalents, however, stood at Rs 809.62 billion as on December 2012.

ORPIC in talks with local banks to raise US$2.5 bln for Sohar refinery expansion

Oman Oil Ref iner ies and Petrochemical Companies

(ORPIC) is in talks with two local banks to raise US$2.5 bln to expand its Sohar refinery and refinance a previous loan, according to Reuters. According to reports the state-owned petrochem major is talking to National Bank of Oman and HSBC Oman to

raise the amount. About US$1.5 bln of any loan agreed would be used to upgrade a crude oil processing unit at Sohar refi nery to produce 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the current 116,000 bpd. The remaining US$1 bln would refi nance an old loan taken out in 2007 for a previous expansion of the refi nery2013)

Idemitsu, Mitsui consider petrochemical plant in USA

In a move to benefi t from cheap natural gas, Japanese oil refi ner

Idemitsu Kosan Co. and trading company Mitsui & Co. will consider building a 330,000 tpa alpha olefi ns in USA. According to reports studies are underway. Alpha olefi ns are used

as additives in polyethylene and other synthetic resins, as per Bloomberg. Ethylene feedstock for the plant will be sourced from Dow Chemical Co. Part of its alpha olefi ns output will be sold back to Dow

According to a report by the Council for Economic

Planning and Development (CEPD) about NT$100 bln (US$3.35 bln) will be invested in Taiwan's petrochemical industry in 2013, including NT$15 bln in high-value petrochemical sectors. This investment outlay was similar to the NT$99 bln invested in 65 projects last year. However, investment in high-value production is expected to rise about 13%, from NT$13.3 bln in 2012, supported by a program approved by the Cabinet last year to promote high value-added petrochemical development. The program aims to help downstream petrochemical companies become more innovative and competi t ive and to better integrate the industry's supply chain by creat ing a more favorable environment for higher value products. To meet the goal, the government is spending about NT$600 mln a year to encourage petrochemical businesses to invest more in research and development.

Petrochemical industry in Taiwan to see NT$100 bln investment in 2013


BUSINESS NEWS

Sasol to license ExxonMobil Technology for Louisiana polyethylene plant

Ex x o n M o b i l C h e m i c a l Technology Licensing LLC,

an affi liate of ExxonMobil Chemical Company, has signed an agreement to license its tubular process technology to Sasol North America for a new low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant in Lake Charles

The new 420,000 tpa plant is expected to be completed in late 2016.

“The performance of our LDPE plant in Sasolburg and the experience of working with ExxonMobil Chemical before, during and after that facility

came online helped convince us that the ExxonMobil Chemical tubular process was also the best choice for our Lake Charles plant,” said Mike Biesheuvel, managing director, Sasol Polymers International Investments. The demonstrated performance of other ExxonMobil Chemical LDPE process licensees in plants with 400,000 tpa capacities was another important factor in our selection.” Sasol Polymers, a division of Sasol Chemical Industries, also licensed the ExxonMobil Chemical tubular process for its LDPE plant in Sasolburg, South

Africa, that opened in 2005. “LDPE producers continue to choose our tubular process technology for its broad grade-slate capabilities, high reactor uptime and lower total cost compared with commercial gas-phase reactors,” said Jennifer Dunphy, vice president, ExxonMobil Chemical Technology Licensing.

Pertamina, PTT To in joint venture to build petrochemical facility

State oil company Pertamina is set to build a world-class

petrochemical facility in a joint venture agreement with Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical. According to reports Offi cials from the two companies met in Jakarta to sign an agreement to perform a feasibility study for the petrochemical facility as well as to establish a joint venture. Pertamina expects the venture to be established by the end of this year, so that construction could begin immediately. Pertamina currently owns six oil refi neries in Indonesia with a combined production capacity of one million barrels of oil per day, while PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in petrochemical industry. It

owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 mln tpa. “Judging by the prospects of the petrochemical business in Indonesia and the opportunities to integrate [Pertamina’s] refinery and petrochemical businesses, we are targeting for the petrochemical business to become one of the core pillars of Pertamina’s growth,” Karen Agustiawan, the company’s president director, said in the statement. Karen added that the investment value of the joint venture would be between US$4-5billion. Construction is expected to commence next year, while the facility is expected to go on stream in 2018

Haldia Petrochemicals L imi ted (HPL) has

sought a loan of Rs 100 crore from the state government, and according to reports The group of ministers has approved it as well. The West Bengal Industry Development Corporation, the state-owned nodal agency, is co-promoter of the ailing petrochemical major. The state government loan would be offered to WBIDC which in turn would pump it in HPL. It was not clear whether the infusion would be as working capital loan or as equity. The company is suffering from huge working capital shortage and had defaulted in repayment of loans.

Haldia Petrochemicals seeks Rs 100 crore loan










ANDRITZ Biax Always the right orientation

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ANDRITZ (China) Ltd.

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ANDRITZ Biax S.A.S.

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ANDRITZ Biax Always the right orientation

[email protected]

www.andritz.com

ANDRITZ (China) Ltd.

Sanshui District, Foshan, China

Phone: +86 (757) 8296 9222

ANDRITZ Biax

Salzburg, Austria

Phone: +43 (0) 50805 69-0

Commodity or specialty – innovative

stretching technology at it’s best:

� BOPP

� BOPET

� BOPA

� BOPS

� BOPLA

� Special films

ANDRITZ Biax supplies complete

sequential and simultaneous stretching

lines, also on turnkey base, for the

production of all types of biaxially

oriented films.

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ANDRITZ Biax S.A.S.

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Phone: +33 (479) 268 560

New OPS products (One Pack Systems) facility in Houston

Songwon Additive Technologies Americas has announced that

production of OPS products (One Pack Systems) is to start at a new facility in Houston, USA in April this year. The Houston facility will have an initial capacity of 7,000 metric tpa and follows Songwon´s investment in Additives Technology Greiz (ATG) in 2011 which was doubled in capacity in 2012 to 14,000 metric tpa.

The Houston plant is part of Songwon’s global OPS strategy being driven by a Joint Venture between Songwon Industrial Group, Pan Gulf Holding Company of Saudi Arabia and Polysys Industries of Abu Dhabi, for the manufacture and sale of Songnox® OPS (One Pack Systems). OPS products combine a range of

additives into one dust-free pellet form and offer signifi cant advantages to molders and compounders of thermoplastic materials. Songwon Additive Technologies AG and Polysys Industries have already announced that they will establish a new company Polysys Additive Technologies ME, which will build an OPS manufacturing plant in Kizad (Khalifa Industrial City of Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi to be on stream in Q1-2014, also with a capacity of 7,000 metric tpa.

Doug Excell, Vice President OPS Operat ions, stated: “The North American Polymer Industry is rebounding strongly with the advent of Shale Gas-Oil and lower energy costs. A few years ago the discussion was about rationalization in the North

America Polyolefi n Industry and now the discussion is about expansion. This OPS Facility is coming on stream at just the right time to serve the needs of our customers as the industry expands. The new physical form capability, combined with the security of supply through our back integration on the polymer stabilizer components, allows Songwon to present an integrated value proposition to the polymer producers.” “This investment is yet another landmark step for Songwon”, stated Jongho Park, Chairman and CEO and Head of the Songwon Industrial Group Executive Committee. “Songwon is committed to continuously extending its offering to the global polymer industry."


PRODUCT NEWS

Dow announces start up of new photovoltaic film

The ENLIGHT™ Polyolefin Encapsulant Film production

line in Schkopau, Germany, has been completed and the fi rst commercial quantities have been shipped to customers.

Since 2010, Dow has tripled its production capacity for photovoltaic fi lm.

Shortly after the second photovoltaic fi lm production plant was inaugurated in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, in early 2012, construction of this third production line in Schkopau, Germany began. The energy effi cient facility was completed with no recordable injuries or process safety incidents just 10 months later in February 2013.

Mark Saur in , PV P la t fo rm Development Director at Dow noted, "We continue to be committed to helping our customers reduce costs and address the global demand for solar energy.

The adopt ion o f po lyo le f in technology is gathering pace due to its technical and economic performance benefits. A significant European customer base has requested our local production presence." Not only is Dow now able to offer leading technology to its customers, it can also do so effi ciently with its production facilities in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

The fact that Dow is able to supply

ENLIGHT™ Polyolefi n Encapsulant Film from Germany offers European customers increased fl exibility, which may reduce lead times, thereby creating possible reductions in necessary working capital. "Having a global production footprint with regional centers can be a key supplier differentiator," Saurin added.

The fi rst photovoltaic fi lm production line began production in Findlay, Ohio, in 2010. "The Schkopau site is based at the heart of the so-called solar valley with proximity to leading photovoltaic companies and research institutes in Central Germany," said Reiner Roghmann, Site Director for Central Germany at Dow. "This and the good conditions at the site offer opportunities for growth in industry relationships."

Examples of such collaborations include Dow's involvement in the innovation cluster Solar Kunststoffe, headed by Fraunhofer. Partnering with players along the entire value chain can bring advantages to the entire industry. For example, linking research facilities may open new markets to plastic producers and solar companies and can stimulate innovations that will help the German solar industry gain a competitive edge in the international marketplace.

Dow's polyolefi n chemistry enables encapsulant fi lms to be made with a

broad range of optics, moisture barrier and electrical properties, making them well suited for current c-Si solar modules and thin-fi lm applications.

"What really sets ENLIGHT™ Polyolefi n Encapsulant Film apart from conventional fi lms is that they can increase long-term efficiency of photovoltaic panels, help extend service life, and maintain module reliability, thus helping the industry reduce total system costs," said Mark Bradford, EMEA Product Marketing Manager for Photovoltaic Films at Dow.

ENLIGHT™ fi lms can embed the solar cells under wide temperature ranges, and, unlike conventional fi lms, provide the opportunity to reduce, and potentially eliminate, bubbling under appropriate conditions and application.

This can reduce waste and shorten the production time for the module manufacturers by up to 30%. This provides manufacturers with the potential to produce solar systems more efficiently, thereby possibly lowering the consumer prices for solar systems in the long run.

Crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules made with these fi lms were also performance tested by TÜV Rheinland in Germany, and showed good performance in all test protocols.


UOP’ process technology selected by Williams to produce propylene

UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that its UOP C(3)

Oleflex™ process technology has been selected by Williams to produce propylene, a valuable petrochemical used in plastics production.

The selection is the sixth win for Honeywell's UOP Oleflex process technology in North America, as petrochemical producers move to produce propylene from propane found in natural gas. Williams' propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility, to be located in Alberta, Canada, will convert propane recovered from oil sands off gas into polymer-grade propylene.

The PDH facility will be the fi rst in Canada and will have an annual capacity of approximately 1 billion pounds."Demand for propylene

has continued to grow globally, but supply has not kept pace because of product ion shif ts within the petrochemical industry," said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit.

"The UOP Oleflex process has lower greenhouse gas emissions, low water usage and a highly effi cient, platinum-based catalyst system. UOP's technology continues to be the superior choice for customers seeking to boost propylene production."Williams is one of the leading energy infrastructure companies in North America.

Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., Williams specializes in gathering, processing and transporting natural

gas, producing natural gas liquids and olefi ns for petrochemical feedstocks, and processing oil sands off gas. Operations are primarily located in the Pacifi c Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard regions, as well as in Canada.

Compared w i t h compe t i ng processes, Honeywell's UOP C(3) Olefl ex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint.

This superior performance is characterized by low capital cost, high propylene yields, low energy and water consumption, and use of a fully recyclable platinum alumina-based catalyst system.

PRODUCT NEWS

HUNTSMAN develops new matt TPUHuntsman Polyurethanes

has become the first major provider of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to offer a non-blooming, matt, polyester-based solution to the wire and cable market.

IROGRAN® A 85 C 5024 DP is an innovative new material that eliminates the risk of blooming – an undesirable effect that occurs when additives migrate to the surface

of a material and become visible. Although blooming does not affect the mechanical performance of cables, it is unsightly and is an issue that cable manufacturers around the world are keen to resolve.

This is a halogen-free, polyester-based TPU that offers a consistent matt fi nish and stable extrusion qualities. Exceptionally easy to process the product is well suited to wire and cable

applications such as jacketing, spiral and data cables. Henry Yao, Market Development Manager for Greater China at Huntsman Polyurethanes, said: “IROGRAN® A 85 C 5024 DP is an important addition to our wire and cable portfolio. There are other matt technologies available on the market but this is unique in terms of the formulation and its non-blooming properties.”


PRODUCT NEWS

Bluestar Silicones bringing liquid silicone rubber materials to US

Bluestar Silicones offers new liquid silicone rubber products

that offer high tear strength and high elongation for cushioning and vibration-damping applications such as medical masks and prosthetics.

Wi th 1 -duromete r Shore A hardness, Silbione LSR 4301 was introduced during 2012 in Europe and is scheduled for use soon in the U.S. market. Other products with 5- and 10-durometer Shore A hardness are also new.

There are some driver applications in Europe, said Karen O'Keefe, health-care market manager with East Brunswick, N.J.-based Blue Silicones USA Corp.

The business has 140 employees and is fi nding increased interest from the health-care and medical markets. Bluestar also makes silicones for fi lm, paper, textile and personal-care uses."Bluestar was the only one with a 1-durometer [material]," said O'Keefe, who attended Medical Design & Manufacturing West, held Feb. 11-14 in Anaheim. "It took all of 2012 to develop" the commercial version.

Separately during 2012, Bluestar Silicones fi led for patent protection on a silicone foam technology for health-care uses.Consulting firm Frost & Sullivan recognized the technology with a 2012 European product differentiation award.

The technology involves low-

density, open-cell silicone foam for fl exible and breathable applications that require durability.

The elastomeric Silbione RT foam is made from a two-component silicone system that is cured at room temperature. In addition to soft LSR technologies, the business for health-care applications makes high-consistency rubber, room-temperature vulcanized silicones, skin-adhesive tacky gels, cushioning gels and permanent adhesives.

Bluestar Silicones USA conducts research and development and manufactures most of its health-care products at its 260,000-square-foot facility in York, S.C., which it acquired in September 2011.

York County provided Bluestar with incentives including a 43 percent property tax reduction for 30 years, reimbursement for a portion of the personal withholding on each additional job and a credit applicable to income taxes, said Mark Farris, director of the York County Economic Development Board.

The plant is set up as a white room and could be converted to a clean room, O'Keefe said.Worldwide operations for Bluestar Silicones are based in Lyon, France, and have annual sales of about $650 million. Bluestar Silicones reports within China National Bluestar (Group) Co. Ltd. of Beijing, a subsidiary of China National Chemical Corp.

Atlas presents ‘next generation’ CW 5000 Series

Atlas Converting Equipment Ltd. (UK) recently introduced

the CW5000 Series available in widths from 3600 to 5400mm. The complete CW Series platform now covers machine widths from 2500mm to 10400mm with speeds of up to 1500 m/min. The companywill present the latest Atlas CW Series and Titan SR9 Series slitter rewinders for film & fl exible materials at Chinaplas 2013, to be held in Guangzhou, China from 20th – 23rd May.

Atlas launched the new CW3600 & CW1040 Series technology platform last year at the Chinaplas 2012 exhibition in Shanghai and has also.

The company has now sold over 40 of the new platform slitter rewinders in widths from 2500mm to 9000mm for BOPP, BOPET and CPP fi lms. This latest Atlas technology features wireless rewind arms, automatic pick-and-place knife positioning, direct drive web path rollers ensuring optimum web tension for fi lms as thin as 6 micron and up to 125 micron. The new platform also delivers higher effi ciency, increased productivity and reliability, higher quality rewind reels, reduced noise levels and more effective, operator-friendly control systems.


Aquapurge launches new purging compound

Aquapurge has launched a new purging compound, targeting

the global blowmolding sector.

John Steadman, technical director for Aquapurge, said that the company's Poly Clear HMEX is "by far the most universal and most effective purging compound that Aquapurge has developed for both continuous and accumulator blowmolding of polyolefins Aquapurge has been creating purging compounds for the plastics processing industry for the past 19 years.

More than 140 compounds have been developed to date. Aquapurge's available capacity currently stands at 15,000 tonnes of compound per year.

The company said that plastic blowmolding container applications are set to see immediate benefi ts from the Poly Clear HMEX such as saving downtime, material cost and color contamination. Aquapurge's scrubber freeze compound is still recommended for those in PVC blowmolding.

Aquapurge believes that many blowmolders are losing time and money by not purging their equipment; simply running color or tool changes through to clear for the next job; producing customer orders to an 'ideal' color schedule; and scheduling tool changes simply to match the color running at that time.

"These are common practices," Steadman said. "It can actually devalue the whole production process, decrease machine utilization and also the value of polymers used."

The company claims that the practice of machine purging gives suppliers an opportunity to fl ex with market demand. A company that is enabled to quickly purge its machines can avoid losing business by having to make new customers wait in line.

"Without purging, new business has to wait on the existing schedule," Steadman said.

Aquapurge research notes that the majority of blowmolding work on a high-volume and small-margin

basis. In addition, increasing Just In Time (JIT) requirements places extra demands on their capabilities.

Poly Clear HMEX is intended to insure and protect against any production disruptions that can harm the profi tability of each order.

"The accumulator blowmolding process is sensitive to inherent hold-up points in all head designs and, over time, can contribute to black specking and loosened or degraded polymer or masterbatch," Steadman said. "At Aquapurge, we question the practice of taking a risk with all these factors - and Poly Clear HMEX is our solution.

PRODUCT NEWS

Plastic cutlery decorated with photographsGermany-based Usables

has developed a way of decorating disposable PP cutlery wi th photo-real ist ic images.Spokesperson Oliver Plantenberg sa id the f i rm deve loped a manufactur ing process that “is based on die cutting with a tolerance of less than 0.01mm. To create the tools took 14 months,” he said.“We expect to be popular with food and drink manufacturers,” he

added. “And sports fans will also probably want to eat in the club’s colours in the stadium and at home. Logos, club emblems, appetising images – anything’s possible.”The cutlery is so thin it can be folded down into credit card size and can be stored in a wallet.The cutlery is dishwasher-safe and can be used several times. It is available in 15 different basic colours, seven of which are transparent


Since 1994 The Underwater Pelletizing Systems of BKG Bruckmann and Kreyenborg Granuliertechnik GmbH have proved their

excellence all over the world. These systems are supplied with drying, water system and control ready for use and are suited for all thermoplastic materials, also for the production of micro pellets.

Relating to throughput the scope ranges from 2-80 kg/hr (Labline 100) to systems with 35,000 kg/hr. Because of the integrated know-how, the BKG system convinces by easy handling and compact design. A hand wheel allows fi ne-adjustment of the contact pressure of the cutter head to give optimal product processing, whatever the requirement. BKG under water pelletizer can be installed in the minimum of space and easily relocated at any time.

Advantages in particular for compound & master batch production:

• Flexibility with respect to the granulated material.

• Flexibility with respect to new materials & colours.

• Flexibility with respect to the production of various pellet sizes, thanks to fast exchangeable perforated plates.

• easy & fast cleaning of the system components

• Production of micro granulates.

For Further information:

Reifenhauser (India) Marketing Ltd.(T) +91 22 26862711(F) +91 22 26862722(E) [email protected] / [email protected](W) www.reifenhauserindia.com

PRODUCT NEWS


Pipe manufacturers converge at India’s first ever multiproduct open house of Rajoo

Unprecedented response to a unique event and that too in Rajkot! Over 180 professionals representing 90-plus

companies PAN India, witnessed this revolution powered by Rajoo and Bausano. It was an event like never before as visitors were treated to something that was magnanimous in display … live demonstrations of a range of machines that redefi ne manufacturing of high performance pipes.

As expected, the star performer of the show was the Twin Screw CPVC Pipe Plant running at 130kg/hr, pipe OD of 28.6mm, pipe thickness of 2.12mm. Most visitors have not been an eyewitness to such a spectacle – a working CPVC Pipe Plant that too which started from scratch just in under 5 minutes with less than 4 kg scrap. Overriding another hurdle, Rajoo successfully showcased its own and indigenous raw material compound for the CPVC machine. Standing tall, Rajoo Engineers is the fi rst Indian company to successfully demonstrate a CPVC pipe machine in an Open House.

Twin Screw PVC Pipe Plant enthralled the audience when it was being operated at a capacity of 1000 kg/hr, never before seen in India. The pipe OD was 400mm and wall thickness of 16.2mm.This high output plant will now be shipped to Africa.

With this open-house, Rajoo marked its strong penetration into the market of Drip Irrigation pipe plants. The demonstrated line was running at 170kg/hr with a line speed of 80 MPM, 200 dripper insertions/min, with the wall thickness being 0.7mm.

The infrastructure, capabilities and expertise harbored by Rajoo overawed the audience; the Shree Yantralaya with its tooling and precision machining impressed one and all, clearly highlighting the Rajoo approach of ‘global in quality’ and ‘at affordable prices.

The success of this pioneering initiative emphasises the company’s belief in innovation; be it innovation in product, innovation in technology or as in this case,

innovation in approach.

PRODUCT NEWS


The success of this pioneering initiative emphasises the company’s belief in innovation; be it innovation in product, innovation in technology or as in this case, innovation in approach. The untimely demise of its Chairman, Shri C. N. Doshi has stirred the group to further raise the bar of performance and to establish itself as a highly professionally managed organsiation. With the success of this event, Rajoo pays a tribute to its mentor.

About RajooBased in Rajkot, Rajoo Engineers Limited, having made a modest beginning in 1986, has today emerged as an undisputed global player in blown fi lm, sheet ( both solid and foam) extrusion lines, thermoformers and non-woven fabric manufacturing machines. PVC/CPVC Pipe and Drip irrigation pipe manufacturing machines are the latest addition to the portfolio. Owing to its focused efforts.in the Company enjoys premium market position in this segment. Being a technology driven Company, product innovations, world-class quality, state-of-the-art workmanship, increased energy effi ciency and high levels of sophistication and automation have become the hallmark of Rajoo products during all these years, positioning the Company's products on a global platform, competing with the established world leaders. With representations in many countries of the world and customers in over 52 countries, the Company's exports have multiplied after its debut in the international market in 1990. (www.rajoo.com)

PRODUCT NEWS

Teknor Apex developes ROHS-compliant TPEs for wire & cable

Advances in formulation and compounding technology have enabled Teknor Apex Company

to develop a family of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for wire and cable that are RoHS- and REACH-compliant while meeting stringent criteria for fl ame retardance.

Elexar® EL-1934 Series compounds have UL-94 fl ammability ratings of V0 at 0.060 in. (1.52 mm), meet UL 1581 WV-1 and 1061 fl ammability tests without dripping, and have limiting oxygen indices in the 28-32% range (compared with 22-26% for conventional fl ame-retardant TPEs used in wire and cable). All of the compounds are UL 2556-registered for long term aging at 105 ºC, are UL-1581-registered for sunlight resistance, and have brittle points of -55 ºC or lower. Shore A hardness ranges from 58 to 82.

Teknor Apex recommends Elexar EL-1934 Series compounds for use in insulation, jacketing, and molded

parts for fl exible cords, coil cords, and cables in power tools, appliances, industrial robots, welding equipment, and entertainment audio and lighting systems.

“Elexar EL-1934 Series compounds are high-performance elastomers that exhibit superior flame properties in comparison with conventional TPEs for wire and cable while meeting requirements for a wide range of end-use conditions,” said Ross Van Royen, market manager for the Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex.

“These versatile materials exhibit good resistance to oil and UV, stay fl exible upon exposure to cold weather, exhibit good retention of tensile properties upon aging, and provide excellent electrical properties for data, communications, and other low- to medium-voltage applications.”


TECHNOLOGY

The PE fi lm, developed by Australia-based stretch film

manufacturer Integrated Packaging Group, acts like a greenhouse around seeds, trapping moisture and boosting germination rates.

As the seedlings grow, the fi lm breaks down.IPG agricultural division sales manager Andrew Makin said although similar products exist, the fi lm's unique feature is its ability to degrade above and below the ground. At six microns thick, it is about a third the thickness of regular agricultural fi lms, but has the same mechanical properties.IPG manufactures packaging products and machinery for agricultural and industrial markets, including LLDPE stretch and shrink fi lms, plastic wrap machines, and mulch fi lms.

Its major markets are Australia, New Zealand and North America. Makin said IPG manufactures products in Australia and New Zealand for sale in those markets or for export to Canada and North America. IPG has worked with Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers (CRC-P) since 2005 to develop the degradable PE fi lm.

CRC-P is a research group made up of scientists from six universities around the nation, five corporate partners, including IPG, and two Federal Government entities, the Commonwealth Scientifi c and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization. CRC-P's goal is to establish Australian manufacturing as a leading provider and exporter of

A degradable PE film that helps crops grow better products that meet emerging global needs in three areas - health therapies and delivery; water and food security; and low-cost solar energy — using advanced polymer technology.

IPG's degradable fi lm is applied mechanically when seeds are planted and buried at the edges to form a temporary greenhouse. The film is tailored to remain intact for three to six months before it degrades.

Makin said IPG initially worked with Irish grain farmers to develop a fi lm to extend their short growing season. The farmers were using a plastic fi lm with perforated holes, but found plants growing under the fi lm grew the same, if not better, than plants that grew through the holes. IPG helped the farmers develop a fi lm with degradable additives so the plants could grow through the plastic.

Makin said degradability depends on the amount of sunlight. "While that worked for film above the ground, sunlight did not reach film under the ground," he said. IPG began working with CRC-P and Melbourne-based non-profi t agricultural research organization Birchip Cropping Group Inc. to develop an improved version of the film with better controlled degradability, allowing it to degrade above and below the ground.

Researchers found the f i lm improved crops' productivity, reliability and efficiency. Its benefits include assisting germination; improving water effi ciency, because water is not lost through evaporation and transpiration;

and reducing pest damage.

The fi lm's greenhouse effect accelerates the growing process so farmers can potentially produce two crops in one season. CRC-P CEO Ian Dagley said the next phase of research, which began in mid-2012, involves IPG, CRC-P, Birchip, and Brisbane-based environmental organisation Greening Australia, fi ne-tuning the process.

Trials will be conducted at different times of the year to optimize planting times and determine the ideal film life. Dagley said if trials continue to be successful, the film can be commercially available "in the next couple of years."

Makin said researchers are in the fi nal stages of commercializing the fi lm and IPG then plans to export it. He will not comment further on those plans. Makin said degradable additives in the fi lm varied, depending on the crops. For example, maize is an aggressive sub-tropical plant that grows upwards and can break through the fi lm.

Some Australian native trees are less aggressive, so the film must degrade before the plants break through. Trials with native species have found plants thrive under higher temperatures created by the film. Australian natives are currently grown to seedlings in nurseries, then manually planted. The fi lm will enable substantial time and cost savings as miles of seeds can be planted in hours, eliminating the need for nursery growth initially.


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TECHNOLOGY

Nano-reinforced composites for minimally invasive devices,

such as catheters, with reinforcement loadings up to 30% by weight is being offered by Foster. Nano-reinforced compounds with high fi ller loadings provide a substantial increase in physical properties of the base resin while maintaining processability in thin wall components. Nano-reinforced compounds incorporate ultra-fi ne nano platelets that interact directly with the polymer structure to increase fl exural properties and improve rigidity of components.

Nano-reinforced polymer product range for medical devicesFoster say that previously polymers

such as polyamides (nylons) and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) were often limited to 15% nano-reinforcement fi ller loading by weight to ensure dispersion of the ultra-fi ne platelets in the polymer matrix. Foster has developed proprietary compounding screw designs and processing methods that are now capable of achieving loadings up to 30% by weight resulting in fl exural modulus increases up to 300% in common medical catheter materials such as TPEs. The range of nano-

reinforced compounds for thin-wall medical device applications include nylons, TPEs and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) with nano-platelet reinforcement loadings from 1% to as high as 30%.The nano-reinforcement technology allows engineers to tailor the properties of a medical device without changing the base polymer, which may be necessary to for co-extrusion or bonding applications

Degradable agricultural fi lm nearing readiness.


IN THE NEWS

The geotextiles market has been estimated to increase at a

compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 11% over the next fi ve years, rising from a valuation of US$3.8 billion recorded in 2012, to hit a market value of US$6.3 billion by the end of 2017, according to report from Companies and Markets.

Geotextiles are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, fi lter, reinforce, protect, or drain. Typically made from polypropylene or polyester, geotextile fabrics come in three basic forms: woven (looks like mail bag sacking), needle punched (looks like felt), or heat bonded (looks like ironed felt).

Geotextiles and related products have many applications and currently

Asia to drive growth within the geotextiles industry support many civi l engineering applications including roads, airfi elds, railroads, embankments, retaining structures, reservoirs, canals, dams, bank protection, coastal engineering and construction site silt fences. Usually geotextiles are placed at the tension surface to strengthen the soil. Geotextiles are also used for sand dune armouring to protect upland coastal property from storm surge, wave action and fl ooding. A large sand-fi lled container (SFC) within the dune system prevents storm erosion from proceeding beyond the SFC. Using a sloped unit rather than a single tube eliminates damaging scour.

Within the regional market, Asia dominates the global geotextile industry, and is estimated to reach a market value of US$2.5 billion by 2017.

The growth of Asian market is expected to be highest among all regions, primarily driven by the huge demand of infrastructure in developing nations such as China and India. The road industry is the dominating applications segment within geotextiles market. More than 50% of market demand is expected to come from this category, and it has been estimated that over the next fi ve years, the road industry will continue to rule the geotextiles market as far as applications are concerned. Major companies currently leading the way within the geotextiles market include Dupount (El) de Nemours, Lyondell Basell Industries NV, Raven Industries Incorporated, Fibertex Nonwovens A/S, NAUE, TenCate, Propex Global, GSE, Fiberweb and Huesker Synthetic.

Five fl ame retardants commonly used in the plastics industry

are coming under the scrutiny of the Environmental Protection Agency.

T h e a g e n c y ' s 2 0 1 3 To x i c Substances Control Act includes plans to study 20 fl ame-retardant chemicals, some of which will get a deeper look with a full risk assessment, evaluating the effects of chemical contaminates exposure on the environment and humans.

Washington Environmental Protection Agency to assess flame retardants

The names of four chemicals on the list of Twenty are not disclosed because companies have claimed them as confi dential business information.

Of the chemicals named, those used in plastics include: 2-Ethylhexyl ester 2,3,4,5- tetrabromobenzoate (TBB), 1,2-Ethylhexyl 3,4,5,6-tetrabromo-b e n z e n e d i c a r b o x y l a t e o r ( 2 - e t h y l h e x y l ) - 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 tetrabromo¬phthalate (TBPH), Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP),

2-Propanol, 1,3-dichloro-, phosphate (TDCPP), Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and related congeners.

Both TBB and TBPH are used in liquid fl ame retardants for polyurethane furniture foams, including Firemaster 550, a common, proprietary flame retardant made by Chemtura Corp.

TDCPP is also found in the PU foam used in upholstered furniture.TCEP is also used in PU foam and is found in furniture, baby products and some


IN THE NEWS

The national capital is among the largest producers of plastic

waste in the country generating more than 800 metric tonnes per day. According to reports nearly 750 metric tonnes reach the landfi ll sites daily out of which about 80 per cent are plastic bags and packaging materials. The national capital is among nine cities across the country where plastic forms over 10 per cent of the total waste generated, despite the platic pags being banned in the city twice, previously.

The Central Pollution Control Board data has showed that in cities, including Shimla and Chandigarh where plastic bags have been banned, the plastic waste forms below four percent of municipal solid waste. The other cities with plastic forming over 10 per cent of total waste are Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Raipur, Kolkata, Surat and Port Blair. Mukesh Yadav, South corporation's spokesperson, expressed, ''we don't have to segregate

Delhi among largest generators of plastic wastewaste. Before reaching dhalao and other waste pick-up points, the waste needs to be segregated by private concessionaires and ragpickers.

However, the percentage of plastic waste has come down to 2-4% from 7-8% till two years ago.''

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will execute a union

government's mandate to introduce plastic/polymer currency note of Rs 10 on a fi eld trial basis in fi ve cities in India.

Depending on the success of the move and how these notes work, the RBI will then decide on the next denomination of such notes that have to be brought out, KC Chakrabarthy, deputy governor, RBI said. "It will not be tomorrow. There is a process involved," he said. "The process of introducing plastic notes has commenced.

RBI to introduce polymer currency note of Rs 10

Tenders have to be called," he said, without sticking to a time frame when these notes to be introduced in distinct geographical regions of the country identifi ed by the apex bank will become a reality.

The RBI proposed to conduct field trials of Rs 10 polymer banknotes in fi ve cities - Simla, Kochi, Jaipur, Bhubhaneshwar and Mysore. The fi eld trials will be carried out in these places keeping in view the varied geographical locations and climatic conditions there.

carpet backing. The European Union began limiting the use of TCEP in 2011, particularly in toys.HBCD is typically found in expanded polystyrene and extruded PS building materials such as insulation. Four of the fi ve — TBB, TBHP, TCEP and HBCD — will get a full risk assessment, according to EPA.

The agency said i t plans to use a "structure-based approach," grouping f lame retardants with similar characteristics together for

assessment. EPA plans to use the assessments to understand the other chemicals in the group, which currently lack sufficient data for a full risk assessment.

The agency said it will also begin "environmental fate investigations" of eight other fl ame-retardant chemicals that rank high for persistence, bioaccumulation and/or exposure potential, but for which there is not adequate data to conduct risk

assessments. Those investigations examine how the chemicals move through and are transformed in the environment. The entire review process could take a year or more.

Of the more than 80,000 common chemicals in use in the U.S., around 200 have undergone this type of deep assessment by EPA. Only fi ve have been banned as a result, though use of more than 60 others is now severely restricted.


EVENTS

Events and ExhibitionsAlex PlastAlexandria – Egypt04 May, 2013

Date: 1-4 May 2013 at International Fair Ground - Alexandria

Alex Plast Is one of the most important specialized exhibitions which will be held in Alexandria, the second largest Egyptian governorates, which represents a strong industrial base, where are concentrated the most Egyptian industries such as the textile industry, Plastics industry, cement, paper, printing, fertilizer, food processing, iron and steel, metallurgy, oil refi ning, natural gas production, chemicals and petrochemicals,

Plastpol 2013Kielce- Poland7-10 May, 2013

The International Fair of Plastics and Rubber Processing PLASTPOL brings together companies from all over the world; not only is this Poland’s most international trade fair but also the biggest business event in whole Central and Eastern Europe. The list of exhibitors to this annual exhibition comprises of 700 companies from over 30 countries from all corners of the world; including Germany, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, Japan, Spain, Latvia, Belgium, India, China, Switzerland, Austria, France, England, Luxemburg, Sweden, Hungary, Egypt, Thailand, Qatar, Slovenia, Israel, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Finland and the USA.

Plast-Ex Toronto - Canada May 14 2013 - May 16 2013

Event Description

As Canada's largest and most important plastics industry event, Plast-Ex is the show that delivers:

• More than 10,000 decision makers from across North America and abroad

• Over 90% of the previous show attendees said they had a critical role in purchasing / decisions / incoming buying missions

• 81% of the 130,000 people employed in the Canadian plastics industry live within driving distance of Plast-Ex.

• Most of North America's major automotive industry is less than 100 miles from Toronto and our show venue!

Afriplast Expo Midrand - South Africa 14- 16 May

Afriplast Expo is a show that is designed for the industrialists from the packaging and processing fi elds and displays the latest and superior range of equipments and machineries as well as materials which will aid these professionals to achieve their desired target easily.

The exhibition will be visited by the manufacturers, CEOs, decision makers and other important executives of renowned companies who will examine

the demonstrated items minutely and provide relevant feedbacks to the exhibitors, which will motivate their hard work and help in improving their manufactured items.

CHINAPLAS 2013Guanz Zhou, China 20-23 May 2013

In coming CHINAPLAS, with the theme of "The Future is in Plastics and Rubber", the show will unveil the future applications of plastics and rubber which are far beyond imagination.

Chinaplas will be exhibiting a complete spectrum of rubber and plastic raw materials which are widely appreciated by the professionals involved in this sector.

The event is known to be the perfect meeting place for the professionals coming from the rubber and plastic manufacturing sector. This show has proved to be benefi cial for relevant industries as the exhibited range are designed to fulfi ll the requirements of the attendees.

Moreover professionals from the plastic packaging segment, die and mold sector, rubber industry and bio plastic division too have appreciated the efforts of the exhibitors for bringing in such productive range. Over the years, this show has proved to be the 3rd largest and the most recommended rubber and plastic show in the whole world.


Formosa Plastics. ..........................................................................................................................................cover

Madhu Machines & Systems ...............................................................................................................inside cover

Anupam Heaters...................................................................................................................................................3

Polymechplast ......................................................................................................................................................4

GMS Plastic Machinery. .......................................................................................................................................6

Ferromatik Milacron. .............................................................................................................................................7

FITCO ...................................................................................................................................................................8

Steer E ngineering ...............................................................................................................................................10

Reifenhauser India Ltd. ......................................................................................................................................12

Plastivision India 2013 ........................................................................................................................................23

Plastivision Arabia 2104 .....................................................................................................................................28

Reliance Polymers..............................................................................................................................................43

Vodafone ............................................................................................................................................................44

AIPMA Industrial Park.........................................................................................................................................45

Boolani Engineering ...........................................................................................................................................46

KABRA Extrusion Technik Ltd. . .........................................................................................................................47

Vora Packaging. .................................................................................................................................................48

Merit P olyplast. ...................................................................................................................................................49

Chinaplas 2013...................................................................................................................................................50

Andritz Biax . ......................................................................................................................................................51

Pramukh Poly Products ......................................................................................................................................60

R. R. Plast Extrusions.................................................................................................................Inside back cover

Rajoo E ngineers ...................................................................................................................................Back cover



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