The Urethane Blog

Everchem Updates

VOLUME XXI

September 14, 2023

Everchem’s Closers Only Club

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

September 17, 2018

Huntsman Water-Blown Sole System

HUNTSMAN INTRODUCES NEW WATER-BLOWN SOLING SYSTEM FOR A BETTER QUALITY FOOTWEAR FINISH
New DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology set for launch at DESMA House Fair: September 19-20, 2018

 

Everberg, Belgium – Huntsman Polyurethanes today announced the launch of DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology – an innovative, fully water-blown polyether soling solution providing excellent flow and surface definition for better looking, better feeling shoe soles.

Due to be unveiled at the 2018 DESMA House Fair this week, DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology is capable of producing the high-quality surface finish that footwear producers would typically associate with physical blown systems. Designed to deliver better looking and better feeling soles across a range of footwear applications, including casual comfort shoes, DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology is available in a range of densities, and is suitable for the direct-on processing and casting of unit soles and midsoles.

Delivering all the standard features expected of a polyether material, including good cold flex properties plus hydrolysis and slip resistance, DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology also has excellent processing properties. It is compatible with standard polyurethane processing machines and has excellent flow characteristics, which enable complex designs with multiple color options. The material also has superior blend stability in the machine tank and can be processed at room temperature – helping to reduce energy consumption and shorten the production cycle.

Alfons Tremml, Business Development Manager and Technical Service Manager for Footwear EAME at Huntsman, said: “Huntsman was one of the earliest pioneers of water-blown systems for the footwear industry. Our new DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology joins an already extensive family of water-blown DALTOPED® systems designed for footwear applications. By mirroring the smooth finishing effects that can be achieved with physical blown systems, DALTOPED® AquaPUR technology is the ideal solution for customers wanting to make the switch to water-blown systems – but who don’t want to compromise on quality.”

September 14, 2018

Ineos Expands EO

INEOS Oxide to invest €200m in Europe for higher EO output, storage

13 September 2018 11:32 Source:ICIS News

ANTWERP, Belgium (ICIS)–INEOS will spend €200m on its oxides business in Europe, including €150m at its first site in Antwerp, on ethylene oxide (EO) storage and distribution and debottlenecking and increased EO production, the chemical major said on Thursday.

The announcement coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the company with the management buyout in 1998 of the EO business from Inspec at the Zwijndrecht site in Antwerp, Belgium.

Underground EO storage capacity at Zwijndrecht will increase seven fold, the CEO of INEOS Oxide Graham Beesley told ICIS.

EO distribution to partner companies on the site in Antwerp will benefit from the investment and production of EO derivatives for the European market will increase, he added.

A sixth alcoxylation unit in Antwerp is due to start up at the end of 2018 alongside the 2,000-tonne expansion of EO storage capacity at the site.

INEOS is also spending €50m upgrading EO production at Lavera in the south of France to support demand for the material Europe, the company said.

“This phase of investment will improve reliability, efficiency and availability of its business in Antwerp as well as the sites at Cologne in Germany and Lavera,” it added.

INEOS Oxide makes some 300 products which find use in markets as diverse as personal care and construction.

Globally, the business is also looking at investing in a $2bn EO ‘campus’ on the US Gulf coast.

“It is a very robust move,” Beesley said of the investments in Antwerp and across the European oxides business.

“It makes us less vulnerable to what goes on in global markets … We are strengthening [that] commitment to our market place with these investments.”

INEOS has also reached an agreement with power company RWE AG to acquire its Inesco combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Zwijndrecht site.

Expected to close before the end of the year, the acquisition will “ensure the continued, reliable supply of steam, as a critical feedstock, to the INEOS plants on the site” as well as the company’s third party co-siting partners, it concluded.

EO is an intermediate for monoethylene glycol (MEG) for polyester fibres, resins and antifreeze formulations. EO is also used for production of alkoxylates and ethoxylates for detergents.

Pictured: INEOS facility in Zwijndrecht, Antwerp (top), and air view of the site
Source: INEOS

https://www.icis.com/resources/news/2018/09/13/10259124/ineos-oxide-to-invest-200m-in-europe-for-higher-eo-output-storage/

September 14, 2018

Ineos Expands EO

INEOS Oxide to invest €200m in Europe for higher EO output, storage

13 September 2018 11:32 Source:ICIS News

ANTWERP, Belgium (ICIS)–INEOS will spend €200m on its oxides business in Europe, including €150m at its first site in Antwerp, on ethylene oxide (EO) storage and distribution and debottlenecking and increased EO production, the chemical major said on Thursday.

The announcement coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the company with the management buyout in 1998 of the EO business from Inspec at the Zwijndrecht site in Antwerp, Belgium.

Underground EO storage capacity at Zwijndrecht will increase seven fold, the CEO of INEOS Oxide Graham Beesley told ICIS.

EO distribution to partner companies on the site in Antwerp will benefit from the investment and production of EO derivatives for the European market will increase, he added.

A sixth alcoxylation unit in Antwerp is due to start up at the end of 2018 alongside the 2,000-tonne expansion of EO storage capacity at the site.

INEOS is also spending €50m upgrading EO production at Lavera in the south of France to support demand for the material Europe, the company said.

“This phase of investment will improve reliability, efficiency and availability of its business in Antwerp as well as the sites at Cologne in Germany and Lavera,” it added.

INEOS Oxide makes some 300 products which find use in markets as diverse as personal care and construction.

Globally, the business is also looking at investing in a $2bn EO ‘campus’ on the US Gulf coast.

“It is a very robust move,” Beesley said of the investments in Antwerp and across the European oxides business.

“It makes us less vulnerable to what goes on in global markets … We are strengthening [that] commitment to our market place with these investments.”

INEOS has also reached an agreement with power company RWE AG to acquire its Inesco combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Zwijndrecht site.

Expected to close before the end of the year, the acquisition will “ensure the continued, reliable supply of steam, as a critical feedstock, to the INEOS plants on the site” as well as the company’s third party co-siting partners, it concluded.

EO is an intermediate for monoethylene glycol (MEG) for polyester fibres, resins and antifreeze formulations. EO is also used for production of alkoxylates and ethoxylates for detergents.

Pictured: INEOS facility in Zwijndrecht, Antwerp (top), and air view of the site
Source: INEOS

https://www.icis.com/resources/news/2018/09/13/10259124/ineos-oxide-to-invest-200m-in-europe-for-higher-eo-output-storage/

September 14, 2018

Industrial Production Surge

US Industrial Production Surges Most Since 2010 Amid Burst Of A/C Usage

Today’s data deluge continues with the latest Industrial Production data from the Fed, which rose 0.4% MoM in August, beating expectations of a 0.3% print, after July’s 0.1% print was revised higher to 0.4%.

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ind%20prod%20sept%202018.jpg?itok=QPWK4pbg

Mining output rose 0.7% in August, the same as the prior month; it has advanced more than 14% in the past 12 months, supported by substantial increases in the oil and gas sector.

The biggest contributor to the August increase was the index for utilities, which moved up 1.2% in August, as a rebound for electric utilities – i.e., soaring use of HVACs to offset the sweltering August heat – outweighed a small decline for gas utilities.

However the key group inside the report, manufacturing production i.e. factory output, disappointed, increasing 0.2% in August, below the 0.3% expected, and was 3.1% higher than its year-earlier level. The index for durables rose 1.0% while the indexes for nondurables and for other manufacturing (publishing and logging) declined 0.5% and 0.9%, respectively.

Within durables, the largest increases were recorded by motor vehicles and parts, primary metals, and machinery, while the only sizable decrease was registered by furniture and related products. By contrast, within nondurables, only textile and product mills posted a gain.

Some more details:

  • Aug. consumer energy products posted a rise of 0.6% m/m after rising 0.2% in July, the Fed said
  • Aug. commercial energy products posted a rise of 0.9% m/m after falling 1.1% in July, the Fed said
  • The capacity utilization rate for petroleum and coal products fell to 78.9% from 79.2%

In any case, the overall data was quite solid, and YoY Industrial Production rose at the fastest pace since December 2010.

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ind%20prod%20sept%202018%20ypoy.jpg?itok=1XO11Di7

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-14/us-industrial-production-surges-most-2010-amid-burst-ac-usage

September 14, 2018

Industrial Production Surge

US Industrial Production Surges Most Since 2010 Amid Burst Of A/C Usage

Today’s data deluge continues with the latest Industrial Production data from the Fed, which rose 0.4% MoM in August, beating expectations of a 0.3% print, after July’s 0.1% print was revised higher to 0.4%.

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ind%20prod%20sept%202018.jpg?itok=QPWK4pbg

Mining output rose 0.7% in August, the same as the prior month; it has advanced more than 14% in the past 12 months, supported by substantial increases in the oil and gas sector.

The biggest contributor to the August increase was the index for utilities, which moved up 1.2% in August, as a rebound for electric utilities – i.e., soaring use of HVACs to offset the sweltering August heat – outweighed a small decline for gas utilities.

However the key group inside the report, manufacturing production i.e. factory output, disappointed, increasing 0.2% in August, below the 0.3% expected, and was 3.1% higher than its year-earlier level. The index for durables rose 1.0% while the indexes for nondurables and for other manufacturing (publishing and logging) declined 0.5% and 0.9%, respectively.

Within durables, the largest increases were recorded by motor vehicles and parts, primary metals, and machinery, while the only sizable decrease was registered by furniture and related products. By contrast, within nondurables, only textile and product mills posted a gain.

Some more details:

  • Aug. consumer energy products posted a rise of 0.6% m/m after rising 0.2% in July, the Fed said
  • Aug. commercial energy products posted a rise of 0.9% m/m after falling 1.1% in July, the Fed said
  • The capacity utilization rate for petroleum and coal products fell to 78.9% from 79.2%

In any case, the overall data was quite solid, and YoY Industrial Production rose at the fastest pace since December 2010.

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ind%20prod%20sept%202018%20ypoy.jpg?itok=1XO11Di7

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-14/us-industrial-production-surges-most-2010-amid-burst-ac-usage