The Urethane Blog
Everchem Updates
VOLUME XXI
September 14, 2023
Everchem’s exclusive Closers Only Club is reserved for only the highest caliber brass-baller salesmen in the chemical industry. Watch the hype video and be introduced to the top of the league: — read more
July 13, 2022
Container Rates Slump As “Bullwhip Effect” Enters Terminal Phase
by Tyler DurdenTuesday, Jul 12, 2022 – 08:25 PM
The infamous “bullwhip” effect strikes as inventory gluts force U.S. importers to dial back shipments from overseas, driving down rates for ocean freight, which could end up causing a so-called “freight recession.”
WSJ reports U.S. companies are renegotiating shipping agreements they made during the virus pandemic highs. Some are hedging in the spot market to reduce costs associated with long-term contracts.
San Francisco-based freight forwarder Flexport said softening demand lowers freight rates but remains well above pre-pandemic levels.
Last week, the spot rate to ship a container from China to the U.S. West Coast was still four times higher than the same period in July 2019, online freight marketplace Freightos’ data shows.
A recent shipment by Carbochem Inc., an importer of activated carbon used in water treatment, cost around $16k from China to Chicago, down from $21k a year ago.
“We need to be looking at probably less than $10,000 to get anywhere close to the levels we were before and be competitive,” the firm’s president, Gavin Kahn, said.
Shipping data from Bloomberg shows international freight rates have slumped over the last six months, mainly because of China shutdowns. However, U.S. importers reducing demand for cargo ships has accelerated the downward move.
The $1.5bln slide in U.S. consumer goods in May might have been a clear indication that demand for overseas products was waning and comes as Americans reduced spending on durable goods, something Target and Walmart pointed out last month.
We have detailed for readers in the last two months the terminal phase of the bullwhip effect was upon us:
- Bullwhip Effect Ends With A Bang: Why Prices Are About To Fall Off A Cliff
- Deflationary Tsunami On Deck: A “Tidal Wave” Of Discounts And Crashing Prices
- Michael Burry Agrees: “Bullwhip Effect” Will Force Powell To Pivot On Rate Hikes And Q.T.
The side effect of soaring inventory to sales ratios is that retailers must liquidate inventories as consumer spending habits change. This causes retailers to reduce demand from overseas suppliers (read: Samsung Asks Component Makers To Delay Shipments Amid Build-Up In Inventories), which diminishes the need for ocean freight shipping.
In late March, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller warned that retailers would need to unload inventory amid signs of demand destruction. He correctly said this would cause a freight recession now could be coming true as container rates decline.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/shipping-rates-slump-bullwhip-effect-enters-terminal-phase
July 11, 2022
The Sherwin-Williams Company is excited to announce we have completed the acquisition of Dur-A-Flex, Inc. effective July 1, 2022.
Through the acquisition, we bring two great floor coating companies together to support and help grow your business.
Dur-A-Flex brings more than 55 years of resinous flooring expertise with industry-leading technology – including its Poly-Crete® cementitious urethane concrete coatings, Accelera® polyurea performance topcoats, and fast-cure methyl methacrylate (MMA) systems – supported by a relentless focus on training and execution excellence.
We are very excited and confident that the combination of Sherwin-Williams and Dur-A-Flex will allow us to provide additional value and a stronger level of service as your go-to partner in resinous flooring. Here are just a few benefits our customers will experience as we integrate the two teams:
- Relentless focus on making our customers successful and accelerating their growth
- Enhanced resinous product portfolio unrivalled in the industry
- Formidable specification position supported by a dedicated spec-driving project development team
- An exceptional mix of industry subject matter expertise, and dedicated R&D and sales teams
- Sherwin-Williams’ unmatched distribution platform
- Integrated lead generation capabilities to drive additional business growth for our customers
- A culture of product innovation to delivers high-performing flooring solutions to create efficiencies in our customers’ operations
For more information about both organizations, click on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams High Performance Flooring
Dur-A-Flex
https://pages.s-w.com/na-us-en-resin-flooring-acquisition.html
July 11, 2022
The Sherwin-Williams Company is excited to announce we have completed the acquisition of Dur-A-Flex, Inc. effective July 1, 2022.
Through the acquisition, we bring two great floor coating companies together to support and help grow your business.
Dur-A-Flex brings more than 55 years of resinous flooring expertise with industry-leading technology – including its Poly-Crete® cementitious urethane concrete coatings, Accelera® polyurea performance topcoats, and fast-cure methyl methacrylate (MMA) systems – supported by a relentless focus on training and execution excellence.
We are very excited and confident that the combination of Sherwin-Williams and Dur-A-Flex will allow us to provide additional value and a stronger level of service as your go-to partner in resinous flooring. Here are just a few benefits our customers will experience as we integrate the two teams:
- Relentless focus on making our customers successful and accelerating their growth
- Enhanced resinous product portfolio unrivalled in the industry
- Formidable specification position supported by a dedicated spec-driving project development team
- An exceptional mix of industry subject matter expertise, and dedicated R&D and sales teams
- Sherwin-Williams’ unmatched distribution platform
- Integrated lead generation capabilities to drive additional business growth for our customers
- A culture of product innovation to delivers high-performing flooring solutions to create efficiencies in our customers’ operations
For more information about both organizations, click on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams High Performance Flooring
Dur-A-Flex
https://pages.s-w.com/na-us-en-resin-flooring-acquisition.html
July 11, 2022
BASF expands capacity for key specialty amines in North America
- Focus on polyetheramines and tertiary amines
- Increase of production capacities at Geismar site on-stream in mid-2023
- BASF aims to reliably support customers in North America
FLORHAM PARK, NJ, June 28, 2022 – BASF will increase the production capacity for key specialty amines manufactured at its Geismar, Louisiana site. After the completed production capacity expansion of a flexible world-scale production asset by mid-2023, BASF will be able to produce more of its key polyetheramines and tertiary amines marketed under the Baxxodur® and LupragenTM brands. These assets in North America will complement a global network of specialty amines production plants including those at Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and in Nanjing, China.
“This investment underlines our commitment to continuously support the growth of our customers with high-quality specialty amines,” said Kevin Anderson, Vice President, Business Management Amines, Acetylenics and Carbonyl Derivatives, Chemical Intermediates, North America for BASF. “The additional capacity in Geismar will allow us to respond quickly and reliably to increasing market demand.”
BASF’s Baxxodur portfolio is utilized by customers as highly efficient curing agents and chain extenders in epoxy and polyurea applications for the wind, electrical, composites, adhesives and flooring industries. The usage of Baxxodur products allows customers to achieve a wide range of benefits in their formulation, including curing time, hardness, flexibility, peel strength, chemical and temperature resistance.
BASF’s Lupragen products are highly efficient amine catalysts for Polyurethanes (PU). Those catalysts are typically tertiary amines, which are required to facilitate the reaction of the main components – isocyanate and polyol. Depending on the choice of catalyst, the polyurethane forming process can be controlled to enhance the gelling or blowing reaction. BASF’s Lupragen portfolio includes several low-VOC catalysts which offer support to address the increasing target of sustainable emission reductions.
With about 300 different amines, BASF has one of the world’s most diverse portfolio of chemical intermediates. Along with alkyl-, alkanol- and alkoxyalkylamines, BASF offers heterocyclic and aromatic as well as specialty amines. The range is completed by an expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity. The versatile products prove themselves mainly to manufacture process chemicals, pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, as well as cosmetic products and detergents. They also serve to produce coatings, special plastics, composites and special fibers.
Baxxodur® andLupragenTM are trademarks of BASF SE.
July 11, 2022
BASF expands capacity for key specialty amines in North America
- Focus on polyetheramines and tertiary amines
- Increase of production capacities at Geismar site on-stream in mid-2023
- BASF aims to reliably support customers in North America
FLORHAM PARK, NJ, June 28, 2022 – BASF will increase the production capacity for key specialty amines manufactured at its Geismar, Louisiana site. After the completed production capacity expansion of a flexible world-scale production asset by mid-2023, BASF will be able to produce more of its key polyetheramines and tertiary amines marketed under the Baxxodur® and LupragenTM brands. These assets in North America will complement a global network of specialty amines production plants including those at Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and in Nanjing, China.
“This investment underlines our commitment to continuously support the growth of our customers with high-quality specialty amines,” said Kevin Anderson, Vice President, Business Management Amines, Acetylenics and Carbonyl Derivatives, Chemical Intermediates, North America for BASF. “The additional capacity in Geismar will allow us to respond quickly and reliably to increasing market demand.”
BASF’s Baxxodur portfolio is utilized by customers as highly efficient curing agents and chain extenders in epoxy and polyurea applications for the wind, electrical, composites, adhesives and flooring industries. The usage of Baxxodur products allows customers to achieve a wide range of benefits in their formulation, including curing time, hardness, flexibility, peel strength, chemical and temperature resistance.
BASF’s Lupragen products are highly efficient amine catalysts for Polyurethanes (PU). Those catalysts are typically tertiary amines, which are required to facilitate the reaction of the main components – isocyanate and polyol. Depending on the choice of catalyst, the polyurethane forming process can be controlled to enhance the gelling or blowing reaction. BASF’s Lupragen portfolio includes several low-VOC catalysts which offer support to address the increasing target of sustainable emission reductions.
With about 300 different amines, BASF has one of the world’s most diverse portfolio of chemical intermediates. Along with alkyl-, alkanol- and alkoxyalkylamines, BASF offers heterocyclic and aromatic as well as specialty amines. The range is completed by an expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity. The versatile products prove themselves mainly to manufacture process chemicals, pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, as well as cosmetic products and detergents. They also serve to produce coatings, special plastics, composites and special fibers.
Baxxodur® andLupragenTM are trademarks of BASF SE.
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