Welcome to E-News Update from Plastics & Rubber Asia

June 2011

LEAD FEATURE

BASF banking on engineering resins in Asia

COMPANY NEWS

Graham to be bought by Reynolds

BASF adding more compounding capacity in Europe

Clariant expects higher sales

China's coatings market benefits from white pigment

Styrolution born out of styrenics

More PET in the global market

BMS on track with R&D centre in China

MATERIALS NEWS

Carbon fibres not out of steam yet

PP the subject of a carbon footprint study

MACHINERY NEWS

Large diameter pipe machinery to Norway

European machinery associations heave a sigh of relief

EXHIBITION NEWS

Asia to lead composites growth

INJECTION MOULDING ASIA

New resin improves productivity for medical devices

Automotive vanes take to PEEK

Resin targets thinwall packaging

Moulds enhanced for thinwall moulding

RUBBER JOURNAL ASIA

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Styrolution born out of styrenics

ermany-based BASF SE and Ineos have obtained approval from the EU Commission on the formation of the 50:50 joint venture company Styrolution. BASF will "carve out" its styrenics business and will combine these units with Ineos's styrene business.

These include styrene monomers (SM), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene-butadiene block copolymers (SBC) and other styrene-based copolymers (SAN, AMSAN, ASA, MABS) as well as copolymer blends.

BASF's plants in Germany, Belgium, South Korea, India and Mexico, and Ineos's plants in Canada, the US, Germany, France and Sweden, will all become part of the new company.

Ineos will also acquire the other 50% equity in its 50:50 styrenics joint venture with Nova Chemicals and merge it with the Frankfurt-based Styrolution.

Pro forma sales of the combined businesses were EUR6.4 billion in 2010. Expandable polystyrene is not part of this transaction. BASF and Ineos will retain their respective businesses.