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Huber, Evonik & Rhodia raise prices for precipitated silica
FOCUS prices for customers in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa would be raised by $120 per tonne, while its Euro prices would remain unchanged for the time being. Clearly, this was a different approach to that of Huntsman Tioxide and Tronox. Apparently, Cristal Global is still considering how to respond to these latest moves. Meanwhile on 17 March, Kronos declared that its prices for Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa would increase by €80 per tonne or by $120 per tonne (roughly equivalent increments), with effect from 1 April 2008. Chemical Week, 14 Jan 2008, (website: http://www.chemweek.com) & ICIS Chemical Business, 4 Feb 2008, (website: http://www.icischemicalbusiness.com) & Press Releases from: DuPont Titanium Technologies, Wilmington, DE 19880-0036, USA (29 Feb & 10 Mar & 11 Mar 2008) & Tronox, Oklahoma City, OK 731027109, USA (6 Mar 2008) & Kronos Worldwide, Dallas, TX 75240, USA (17 Mar 2008) & Cristal Global, Hunt Valley, MD 21030, USA & Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (4 Mar & 18 Mar 2008) & Huntsman Tioxide, The Woodlands, TX, USA & Billingham, UK (18 Jan 2008)
Sun raises prices for organic pigments across-the-board Sun Chemical (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dainippon Inks & Chemicals) has posted a set of price increases for its organic pigments, effective 31 March 2008. As well as citing continued increases in the costs of raw materials, energy and freight, Sun Chemical referred to the falling value of the US dollar. The company’s US prices will increase by 4-6% for azo reds; by 5-7% for azo yellows; by 5-8% for phthalo blues and greens; by 5-7% for pearlescent pigments; by 36% for high-performance organics; and by 5-7% for cosmetic colours. Press Release from: Sun Chemical, Cincinnati, OH, USA, website: http://www.sunchemical.com (22 Feb 2008)
Huber, Evonik & Rhodia raise prices for precipitated silica The latest round of price increases for precipitated silica were pioneered by Evonik Degussa, with an 8% increases posted to take effect as from 1 December 2007, in respect of markets in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Huber Engineered Materials then raised its worldwide prices for speciality grades of silica
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and silicates by 5-8%, effective 1 February 2008. The price rises affect grades sold to the rubber, paper and dental healthcare sectors. On 4 March 2008, Rhodia Silcea declared that it was raising its precipitated silica prices by 12%, with immediate effect. Mr Peter Browning (Global Business Director) said: “We continuously strive to counteract escalating costs with productivity programmes and other containment measures. However, the sustained magnitude of cost increases for energy and raw materials makes this price rise absolutely essential and unavoidable.” Press Releases from: Evonik Industries, 45128 Essen, Germany, website: http://www.evonik.com (9 Nov 2007) & Huber Engineered Materials, Atlanta, GA, USA, website: http://www.hubermaterials.com (4 Feb 2008) & Rhodia, 69192 St Fons, Lyon, France, website: http://www.rhodia.com (4 Mar 2008)
Premier raises magnesium oxide & hydroxide prices Premier Chemicals LLC (of West Conshocken, PA), one of the leading US suppliers of magnesium chemicals, has increased its list prices for all grades of magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide by 4-12%, with effect from 1 January 2008. The company cited rising costs of raw materials, energy, labour and freight. Premier Chemicals operates a magnesite mine at Gabbs, NV and a seawater-based plant at Port St Joe, FL, USA. Industrial Minerals, Jan 2008, (484), 13
China consumes 1 M tonnes/y of TiO2 The expansion of Chinese TiO2 production and consumption has been so rapid over the past 15 years that many Western observers have consistently undershot the mark in their initial estimates for a particular year and have subsequently quietly revised their figures. The phenomenon continues: some consultants and multinational suppliers have published preliminary estimates for China’s TiO2 production at around 800,000 tonnes, with TiO2 consumption at around 900,000 tonnes in full-year 2007. Both figures are believed to be about 100,000 tonnes too low. Artikol’s estimates for China (including Hong Kong) for 2007 are: production 900,000 tonnes; net imports 100,000 tonnes; consumption
1 M tonnes. Artikol emphasises that its data on China always includes enamel and other non-pigment grades. Also, the 1 M tonnes figure relates to China (including Tibet, Macau and Hong Kong, but excluding Taiwan). Thus, China accounts for 19% of total world TiO2 demand, estimated at 5.135 M tonnes. At the TZMI conference last November, there were several presentations by executives from major Chinese TiO2 pigment producing companies, notably Mr Peng Sun (of Shandong Dongjia, the country’s largest manufacturer) and Mr Henping Yeo (of Jiangsu Taibai, another of the top six manufacturers). There were slight differences between these two speakers’ sets of data, but they agreed that China’s TiO2 consumption had already passed the 900,000 tonnes/y mark in 2006 and was likely to reach or just exceed the 1 M tonnes/y in 2007. With a further upsurge in construction and decorating activity in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics during August, they both forecast another double-digit percentage rise in TiO2 demand this year. With expansions underway at a number of China’s major TiO2 plants, both speakers anticipate that China will continue to narrow the gap between its total capacity and that of the US (currently just over 1.7 M tonnes/y). Mr Yeo gave a “conservative forecast” of 1.2 M tonnes for China’s TiO2 production in 2010. China: TiO2 Consumption (‘000 tonnes) Peng Henping Sun Yeo 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
376 427 510 640 757 771 923
378 406 510 630 704 752 913
Source: TZMI Conference, Singapore, Nov 2007
As reported in our editorial in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2007, the Chinese TiO2 trade association detailed a 250,000 tonnes/y increase in total capacity from 900,000 tonnes/y at end-2005 to 1.15 M tonnes/y at end-2006. It also detailed
APRIL 2008
Sun raises prices for organic pigments across-the-board Sun Chemical (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dainippon Inks & Chemicals) has posted a set of price increases for its organic pigments, effective 31 March 2008. As well as citing continued increases in the costs of raw materials, energy and freight, Sun Chemical referred to the falling value of the US dollar. The company’s US prices will increase by 4-6% for azo reds; by 5-7% for azo yellows; by 5-8% for phthalo blues and greens; by 5-7% for pearlescent pigments; by 36% for high-performance organics; and by 5-7% for cosmetic colours. Press Release from: Sun Chemical, Cincinnati, OH, USA, website: http://www.sunchemical.com (22 Feb 2008)
Huber, Evonik & Rhodia raise prices for precipitated silica The latest round of price increases for precipitated silica were pioneered by Evonik Degussa, with an 8% increases posted to take effect as from 1 December 2007, in respect of markets in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Huber Engineered Materials then raised its worldwide prices for speciality grades of silica
4
ON
PIGMENTS
and silicates by 5-8%, effective 1 February 2008. The price rises affect grades sold to the rubber, paper and dental healthcare sectors. On 4 March 2008, Rhodia Silcea declared that it was raising its precipitated silica prices by 12%, with immediate effect. Mr Peter Browning (Global Business Director) said: “We continuously strive to counteract escalating costs with productivity programmes and other containment measures. However, the sustained magnitude of cost increases for energy and raw materials makes this price rise absolutely essential and unavoidable.” Press Releases from: Evonik Industries, 45128 Essen, Germany, website: http://www.evonik.com (9 Nov 2007) & Huber Engineered Materials, Atlanta, GA, USA, website: http://www.hubermaterials.com (4 Feb 2008) & Rhodia, 69192 St Fons, Lyon, France, website: http://www.rhodia.com (4 Mar 2008)
Premier raises magnesium oxide & hydroxide prices Premier Chemicals LLC (of West Conshocken, PA), one of the leading US suppliers of magnesium chemicals, has increased its list prices for all grades of magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide by 4-12%, with effect from 1 January 2008. The company cited rising costs of raw materials, energy, labour and freight. Premier Chemicals operates a magnesite mine at Gabbs, NV and a seawater-based plant at Port St Joe, FL, USA. Industrial Minerals, Jan 2008, (484), 13
China consumes 1 M tonnes/y of TiO2 The expansion of Chinese TiO2 production and consumption has been so rapid over the past 15 years that many Western observers have consistently undershot the mark in their initial estimates for a particular year and have subsequently quietly revised their figures. The phenomenon continues: some consultants and multinational suppliers have published preliminary estimates for China’s TiO2 production at around 800,000 tonnes, with TiO2 consumption at around 900,000 tonnes in full-year 2007. Both figures are believed to be about 100,000 tonnes too low. Artikol’s estimates for China (including Hong Kong) for 2007 are: production 900,000 tonnes; net imports 100,000 tonnes; consumption
1 M tonnes. Artikol emphasises that its data on China always includes enamel and other non-pigment grades. Also, the 1 M tonnes figure relates to China (including Tibet, Macau and Hong Kong, but excluding Taiwan). Thus, China accounts for 19% of total world TiO2 demand, estimated at 5.135 M tonnes. At the TZMI conference last November, there were several presentations by executives from major Chinese TiO2 pigment producing companies, notably Mr Peng Sun (of Shandong Dongjia, the country’s largest manufacturer) and Mr Henping Yeo (of Jiangsu Taibai, another of the top six manufacturers). There were slight differences between these two speakers’ sets of data, but they agreed that China’s TiO2 consumption had already passed the 900,000 tonnes/y mark in 2006 and was likely to reach or just exceed the 1 M tonnes/y in 2007. With a further upsurge in construction and decorating activity in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics during August, they both forecast another double-digit percentage rise in TiO2 demand this year. With expansions underway at a number of China’s major TiO2 plants, both speakers anticipate that China will continue to narrow the gap between its total capacity and that of the US (currently just over 1.7 M tonnes/y). Mr Yeo gave a “conservative forecast” of 1.2 M tonnes for China’s TiO2 production in 2010. China: TiO2 Consumption (‘000 tonnes) Peng Henping Sun Yeo 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
376 427 510 640 757 771 923
378 406 510 630 704 752 913
Source: TZMI Conference, Singapore, Nov 2007
As reported in our editorial in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2007, the Chinese TiO2 trade association detailed a 250,000 tonnes/y increase in total capacity from 900,000 tonnes/y at end-2005 to 1.15 M tonnes/y at end-2006. It also detailed
APRIL 2008