Market
May 11th, 2010
US Dairy Industry Leads “Honest” Farm Policy Debate
The global financial meltdown that dried up export markets for US dairy exports now has prompted an effort by major dairy cooperatives to reach a consensus on new dairy policy.
A top dairy producer warned, however, that the beleaguered industry may need relief from Congress before the new farm bill is completed in 2012.
House Agriculture Committee...
Mar 30th, 2010
USA: National Investigation Exposes Fraud in Frozen Seafood Labeling
Consumers and businesses may be paying up to $23 per pound for ice when purchasing frozen seafood products. This according to a national investigation earlier this year that revealed some packers are including the weight of ice glazing in the labeled weight for the seafood.
A coating of ice glaze is applied to frozen seafood prior...
Feb 26th, 2010
The Car Industry Is In As Much Trouble As Toyota
Toyota’s (TM) sales in the US market are supposed to fall and some of its large rivals like Ford (F) and Honda (HMC) are supposed to benefit from customers who will no longer consider buying vehicles from the world’s top car company. February will be the first barometer of whether that theory is right. It...
Feb 2nd, 2010
American Superconductor Receives Order for Wind Turbine Electrical Control Systems
American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC), a global power technologies company, announced today that it has received an initial order for full wind turbine electrical control systems from China’s Shenyang Blower Works (Group) Co., Ltd. (SBW) that is worth approximately US$70 million. The systems will be deployed in the 2 megawatt (MW) doubly fed induction wind...
Jan 20th, 2010
Rising PVC prices in Asia, USA, expected to firm up in the month ahead
Although January is generally a slow month for PVC demand in the Northern Hemisphere, PVC prices in Asia and the US have seen significant increases this month with sellers generally predicting that prices will continue to firm up, as per Chemorbis. Prices in both regions have been aided by comparatively good demand in Asia, where...
Dec 21st, 2009
AkzoNobel’s Ningbo Plant Starts Production
This week, production will start at AkzoNobel’s chelates facility located at the company’s new €275 million multi-site in Ningbo, China.
The start-up of the first activities in Ningbo means that AkzoNobel is now the only major producer of chelates with plants in Europe, North America and Asia. New ethylene amines and ethylene oxide factories are also...
Jul 20th, 2009
The Ukrainian Government to Curb Russian and Belarusian Export of Phosphate Fertilizers to Ukraine: Summer 2009 Trends
LONDON - Summer 2009, the Ukrainian government proposed to impose antidumping duties against phosphate fertilizers exported from Russia and Belarus to Ukraine. Another possible measure is to quote phosphate fertilizers import to Ukraine from these countries.
Representatives of Gomel Chemical Plant, the largest Belarusian manufacturer of phosphate fertilizers, appealed to the Ukrainian government to restrain from...
Jul 17th, 2009
June Petrochem Naphtha Imports in Japan Dip by 18%
Japan’s naphtha imports for the petrochemical sector fell 18 percent in June from the previous month as per the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Imports of naphtha for ethylene production amounted to 960,823 tons (1,399,098 kilolitres) last month, compared with 1,169,478 tons (1,696,561 kl) in May. The average naphtha import cost in June rose to...
Jul 17th, 2009
Asia Synthetic Rubber Makers Resist Feedstock BD Surge
Synthetic rubber producers in Asia are cutting down their operating rates or even considering to extend their plant shutdowns to resist any further spikes in feedstock butadiene costs, industry sources said on Friday.
“We are losing money and will further cut the operating rates of our plants by another 10-20%,” said a company source from Korea...
Jul 16th, 2009
China Assoc Wants Government To Limit Shell Coal Tech Buys
SHANGHAI -(Dow Jones)- The China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association has asked the central government to limit the purchases of Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s (RDSA) “still immature” coal gasification technology, the CPCIA-run National Petroleum and Chemical Net said on its Web site Wednesday.
Of the 23 units in China using Shell’s coal gasification, only half are...