Markets Regions and Countries

Agreement to source propylene from Aramco-Total joint venture in Al Jubail

North America May 2012: Polyolefins on a downhill ride / PVC weaker / PS rumbles but holds steady / Engineering plastics also under pressure / ABS in a downswing / PC and PA will deteriorate in Q3

Shale Gas: Poland prepared for extraction / PKN Orlen survey indicates support in development / International conference in Warsaw

Polymer consumption exceeded 1.7m t in 2011 / Domestic capacities are mostly in the standard field / Brazil is leading trade partner / Second Argenplas industry fair in June 2012

One of the weakest links in the European industrial chain / Plastics machinery performs below average / Polymer production shrinking / Company formerly known as Polimeri to move more into specialities

Arbitration court orders Kuwait to pay damages of USD 2.16 bn in K-Dow case / Breach of contract

Environmental legislation could see planned cracker project relocated to Malaysia

Full range of engineering plastics now available directly in Japan

Visitor numbers at leading plastics fair “Plast” down slightly / Share of Turkish, eastern European attendees grows / Excellent fair structure / Italy's plastics machinery sector under pressure

Plastics industry suffers from shrinking domestic demand / Packaging industry is one bright spot

Detailed 2011 figures for Germany released / Volume sales grow faster than sales by value / Margins pressured by high polymer prices / End markets apply the brakes because of high costs

Supreme Court to consider total plastics ban / Anti-littering effort supported by TV station

Agreement with China Lumena New Materials to market and sell PA 4.6 and PPS / Examining other options at cooperation

Map Ta Phut accidents prompt government to set up new industry control regime / Explosion at Bangkok Synthetics leaves 12 dead / Dozens hurt as chlorine escapes from Aditya Birla Chemicals' plant

Saudi group sets up joint venture with Turkey's Bayegan / Integrated PP plant to go on stream in Turkey in 2015

ICO Polymers' Verolanuova production plant moved to Gorla / New merged Italian site boasts two new lines

Spotlight on China's Zhang Mu Tou plastic trading centre in Dongguan / PIE visits regional hub for plastic buying and selling activities / EUR 1.2 bn in annual turnover

Accelerated Chinese demand spurs new investments / UOP technology selected for two more China propylene projects / Start-ups expected in 2014

Record number of visitors at Chinaplas 2012 / Rising share in foreign attendees at world's second largest plastics fair / Processing sector focuses on sustainability / Increasingly difficult market environment / Domestic demand needs to grow

Latin America's largest BOPP producer buys new BOPET line purchased from Brückner Machinenbau / Start-up expected in early 2013

New UK technical centre for PU elastomers and systems / Third recent investment in PU innovation

Merger of key plastics industry groups creates China Synthetic Resin Marketing Association / Tasked with aiding government draw up, implement plastics policies / Resins market continues to grow / PIE exclusive with group head Zheng Kai

Demand to grow 7.8% annually / Rebounding building construction market drives gains / Foamed plastic use set to rise to USD 3.9 bn in 2016 / Freedonia report

Manufacturers reap order bonanza in China / Germany and Japan are the largest exporters

New PU production site in India / Favourable location for supplying customers in the north and northwest / Total investment of EUR 150m