Base Petrochemicals, Aromatics and Feedstocks: April / May 2019

Polyethylene April 2019: Producers manage to halt margin decline / Reports of first margin increases too / Signs point upward for May due to rising costs, dwindling supply and livelier demand

Polypropylene April 2019: Producers' gains modest / Demand still soft after Easter / Auto weakness brakes compounds / Cost rise will pull prices up in May

PVC April 2019: Pro-rata ethylene reference passed on in most cases / Sufficient quantities available despite isolated production bottlenecks / Cost development points to a rise in May

Styrenics April 2019: Prices continue uptrend / Margins slightly below cost change / Subdued demand for PS and ABS / Slight increases likely in May

PET April 2019: Weak rollovers predominate / Demand remains disappointing while costs stagnate / Seasonal firming expected in May

Engineering Thermoplastics April 2019: Producers regulate supply to keep notations mostly stable / Demand remains slow / Price cuts for polyamides probable in May

Polycarbonate business could be up for grabs / "Strategic alternatives" sought for plant in Germany

Construction start for ethylene hub at Korla City / LyondellBasell licence

Phenolic resins producer acquires Ineos' melamine resins activities

China has world market share of over 40% following expansion measures / Low capacity utilisation worldwide / Producers want to halt further fall in market price

Investment firm Blackstone to acquire majority stake in leading laminate tubes maker

Russian packaging manufacturer opens plant in Czech Republic

French cosmetics packaging manufacturer invests in plastic metallisation / Profit quadrupled in 2018

EU approves takeover by Berry / US decision pending

Acquisition of three Amcor medical packaging plants in US / Deal to resolve US anti-trust concerns with proposed Amcor-Bemis merger

IBC manufacturer invests in second blow moulding machine for its Dutch plant / Food-grade containers

European customer centre opened in Italy

Capacity expansion for PET film / Shrink and medical device films

Federal cartel office intends to block merger of two waste management firms / Proposed takeover of DSD by Remondis could lead to higher market prices

Aimplas project created to develop new chemical recycling process for polyurethane waste

Danish recycler of synthetic turf plans international expansion / New plant to be built in the Netherlands

Spin-off focuses on PVC recycling / Post-industrial and post-consumer waste from Romania and Europe

EuPC launches platform for monitoring recycled plastics usage / Available to plastics converters in six EU countries

Production value of plastics processing declines slightly / Employment now above the pre-crisis level / GDP growth loses dynamism / Political uncertainties continue

Decline in proportion of goods traded across borders / Rubber and plastics trade intensity falls to 22.8% / Value chains more reliant on highly skilled labour / New priorities for location decisions / McKinsey report