Tuesday, 29-Sep-09

BASF gives updates on Chongqing MDI plant
LUDWIGSHAFEN, GERMANY (September 29, 2009) -- BASF SE is working with Chinese authorities to aim for mechanical completion of its proposed 400,000-metric tonne MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) plant in Chongqing by 2013 and commercial operation by 2014.

BASF, Sinopec begin Nanjing JV expansion

Groudbreaking ceremony

NANJING, CHINA (September 29, 2009) -- BASF and Sinopec broke ground on September 28 for the expansion of their joint venture BASF-YPC Co. Ltd. (BYC). in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. The companies plan to jointly invest $1.4 billion to produce downstream chemical intermediates and specialties for the Chinese market.

West officially opens first plant in China
LIONVILLE, PA. (September 29, 2009) -- West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. has opened its first manufacturing operation in China – a plastic injection molding factory in the Shanghai Qingpu Industrial Zone. Full commercial production will begin late in the third quarter.

Rexam won over by all-electrics
MUNICH (September 29, 2009) -- Rexam Pharma GmbH product and technology manager Frank Henninger says a study of all-electric vs. hydraulic molding machines at its Neuenberger, Germany, plant has revealed huge energy saving potential and focused its future investment strategy in the all-electric direction.

Chrysler replaces paper manuals with plastic DVDs
DETROIT (September 29, 2009) -- Chrysler Group is replacing its traditional owner's manuals with DVDs and an abridged printed guide in an effort to reduce costs and save 930 tons of paper annually. The searchable DVDs, designed for viewing at home or on some vehicles' entertainment systems, each contain an owner's manual, warranty information, direction for navigation and entertainment systems and a guide for 24-hour towing assistance.

Iris adding machinery to global housewares operations

Ohyama (L), Keizer

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WIS. (September 29, 2009) -- Housewares injection molder Iris USA Inc. is adding new equipment to improve efficiency at its plants in Pleasant Prairie and Mesquite, Texas. The company will install 50 new JSW all-electric presses, plus 38 Motoman robots, by the end of the year. Iris USA’s parent company, Sendai, Japan-based Iris Ohyama Inc. also is adding new machines in Europe, Japan and China.

Water bottle combines coconut, metal and plastic
SAN DIEGO (September 29, 2009) -- Getting people to believe there is an alternative to the plastic water bottle is his biggest challenge, said Joey Mendelsohn, president and CEO of EcoUsable Inc., at the ASR Marketplace show in San Diego.

Cosmos sees improvement, but reports a loss
Hong Kong (September 29, 2009) -- Cosmos Machinery Ltd., one of China’s largest injection press makers, said first half 2009 machinery sales fell 44 percent, although it said it’s seeing signs of a pickup in China and some overseas markets.

Opinion: The real M&A work begins at deal’s end

Sun

At a time when caravans of affluent Chinese buy homes in the U.S. with cash, the nation’s corporate overseas buying spree continues with a new level of global mergers and acquisitions knowledge and sophistication. Plastics News assistant managing editor Nina Ying Sun analyzes the ongoing deal between Zhongding Sealing Parts Co. Ltd. and Myers Industries Inc.

Sunarrow closes Hungarian manufacturing plant
TOKYO (SEPTEMBER 29, 2009) -- Japanese electronics component moulder Sunarrow has announced the closure of its Hungarian manufacturing plant in Komárom with the loss of 76 jobs. The Tokyo-based company also operates three Chinese plants in Xiamen, Beijing and Shenzhen, one at Saraburi, Thailand, and four in Japan.

Reliance said to be eyeing $3 billion LyondellBasell deal
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (September 29, 2009) -- The Indian business media is abuzz with rumors that the country’s Reliance Industries Ltd. plans to purchase some or all of LyondellBasell Industries, currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The deal could be worth $3.25 billion.

Tuesday, 22-Sep-09

Thin-walled packaging market holds up in Europe
LONDON(September 22, 2009) -- The European market for thin-walled packaging is standing up relatively well and accounts for over 2.5 million metric tons of thermoplastics, according to AMI Consulting in a new pan-European multi-client report.

Corning buys Axygen BioScience for $400 million
CORNING, N.Y. (September 22, 2009) -- Corning Inc. announced today that it has acquired Axygen BioScience Inc. and its subsidiaries from American Capital Ltd. for approximately $400 million in cash. Axygen is a manufacturer and distributor of plastic consumable labware with operations in the United States, France, Poland, and China.

Tesla turns to metal for sedan

Dewhurst Photography photo

TROY, MICH. (September 22, 2009) —- When designers from Tesla Motors Inc. began planning the company’s all electric Roadster, they had to add up the 900-pound weight of its lithium-ion battery pack with the speed performance of a sports car and ultralow production volumes, and came up with a light-weight car-body equation of carbon-fiber panels.

Fuel economy rules encourage material changes
TROY, MICH. (September 22, 2009) -- One number is pushing innovation in the North American auto industry: 35.5. That’s the average number of miles per gallon that the passenger vehicle fleet will have to hit by 2016 according to new rules announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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