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White cars are the most popular worldwide, according to PPG
F O C US Brazil cuts import duty on TiO2 from 12% to 2% Following lobbying by Abrafati (the paint manufacturers’ trade association), the Brazilian Government has reduced the import duty on TiO2 pigment from 12% to 2%. The situation will be reviewed after 12 months. At present, the only domestic TiO2 pigment plant in Brazil is a 60,000 tonnes/y sulfate route facility operated by Cristal Global at Arembepe (45 km up the coast from Salvador, Bahia province). DuPont has a small TiO2 pigment finishing facility at Uberaba (475 km west of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais province). Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 13-19 Jan 2014, 285 (2), (Website: http://www.icis.com), © Reed Business Information Limited 2014
White cars are the most popular worldwide, according to PPG According to PPG’s annual review of trends in colours for new passenger cars, white was the most popular colour worldwide in 2013, accounting for 25% of new cars worldwide. White was also the most popular colour in North America, accounting for 21% of the total, closely followed by black (19%), grey (17%) and silver (15%). Chromatic colours (notably reds, blues and greens) accounted for only 28% of new cars in North America. Chromatic colours account for only 14% of the new car market in South America. Here, silver is the most popular colour, accounting for 33% of the total, followed by white (29%), black (13%) and grey (11%). Red was the most popular chromatic colour in South America, accounting for 8% of the total, while blue accounted for only 2%. Original Source: Paint & Coatings Industry (PCI), Dec 2013, 29 (12), 8 (Website: http://www.pcimag.com), © BNP Media 2013
EU/Canada free trade agreement will eradicate 6.5% import duties A new free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, which should be ratified in 2015, is expected to benefit the paint industry on both sides of the Atlantic. At present, a 6.5% duty is imposed on imports of paints, varnishes, pigments, enamels and MAY 2014
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lacquers. This will be eradicated on both sides. In 2012, the EU exported to Canada $15.4 M worth of solventbased paints and $5.6 M worth of water-based paints. The EU also exported $6 M worth of pigments (including metallic powders and flakes). Exports from Canada to the EU included: $4.6 M worth of waterbased paints, $1.5 M worth of solventbased paints and $2.4 M worth of pigments. Original Source: PPCJ, Polymers, Paint, Colour Journal, Dec 2013, 203 (4591), (Website: http://www.polymerspaintcolourjournal.com), © dmg events 2013
PLANTS Belarus & Russia: Omsk Techuglerod – carbon black Omsk Techuglerod is poised to commence construction work on a large new carbon black plant in the Mogilev region (220 km east of Minsk, capital of Belarus). When this project was first announced, the initial capacity was going to be 80,000 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 2013, 3 & Apr 2013, 6). However, the most recent reports indicate that capacity will be 120,000 tonnes/y, when the plant is fully operational in 2017. Belshina, the largest tyre manufacturer in Belarus, will be a major customer and smaller domestic customers should account for a further 4000-5000 tonnes/y, leaving a substantial exportable surplus. Capital investment budgeted for this project is of the order of Roubles 4.5 bn (equivalent to $126 M). Meanwhile, at its long-established carbon black plant in Volgograd in southwestern Russia, Omsk TG is investing Roubles 575 M (equivalent to $16.5 M) to double capacity. Carbon black output should increase from 131,000 tonnes in 2014 to 240,000 tonnes in 2018. The company’s sales revenue is projected to increase from Roubles 3.9 bn in 2013 to Roubles 4.5 bn (equivalent to $129 M) in 2014. Original Source: Chemie Aktuell, 17 Jan 2014, (Website: http://www.maerkte-weltweit.de) (in German), © MBM Martin Brueckner Medien GmbH 2014. Original Source: RCCnews, 8 Apr 2014, (Website: http://www.rccnews.ru/Eng), © RCCnews.ru 2014
China & India: PolyOne – plastics masterbatch PolyOne Corp, one of the world’s leading suppliers of plastics masterbatches and compounds, plans to establish an “innovation centre” in Shanghai, with the objectives of facilitating technical collaboration, accelerating application development and increasing speed-to-market for customers in the Asia/Pacific region. The facility will be built on a site within the hi-tech industrial park in the Jinqiao Development Zone and it is scheduled to open in 4Q 2014. The focus will be on research and development projects generated within PolyOne’s Specialty Engineered Materials business segment. PolyOne reported global sales revenue at $3.771 bn for full-year 2013, with Asia/Pacific accounting for an increasingly important slice of the total. As well as the new research facility in China, PolyOne recently opened a new production complex in India. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Dec 2013, 6). Announcing the news of the Shanghai facility, Mr Robert Patterson, who took over as PolyOne’s Chief Executive in mid-May 2014, commented: “Our ‘invest to grow’ strategy in the region is clearly working, and our new innovation centre will be yet another step in what we expect will be continued growth for our customers and PolyOne.” Original Source: PolyOne Corp, Avon Lake, OH 44012, USA, Website: http://www.polyone.com (11 Mar & 21 Apr 2014), © PolyOne 2014
China: DyStar – textile colorants DyStar (now based in Singapore and part of the Zhejiang Longsheng group) plans to establish a new technical centre on the campus of Donghua University in Shanghai province. The key objective is to improve the company’s research capability and to assist with the development of application standards in the Chinese textile industry. Last year, DyStar doubled its synthetic indigo capacity at Nanjing (Jiangsu province) to 24,000 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2013, 5). Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 6 Jan 2014, 92 (1), 12 (Website: http://www.cenonline.org), © American Chemical Society 2014
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White cars are the most popular worldwide, according to PPG According to PPG’s annual review of trends in colours for new passenger cars, white was the most popular colour worldwide in 2013, accounting for 25% of new cars worldwide. White was also the most popular colour in North America, accounting for 21% of the total, closely followed by black (19%), grey (17%) and silver (15%). Chromatic colours (notably reds, blues and greens) accounted for only 28% of new cars in North America. Chromatic colours account for only 14% of the new car market in South America. Here, silver is the most popular colour, accounting for 33% of the total, followed by white (29%), black (13%) and grey (11%). Red was the most popular chromatic colour in South America, accounting for 8% of the total, while blue accounted for only 2%. Original Source: Paint & Coatings Industry (PCI), Dec 2013, 29 (12), 8 (Website: http://www.pcimag.com), © BNP Media 2013
EU/Canada free trade agreement will eradicate 6.5% import duties A new free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, which should be ratified in 2015, is expected to benefit the paint industry on both sides of the Atlantic. At present, a 6.5% duty is imposed on imports of paints, varnishes, pigments, enamels and MAY 2014
O N
PIGMENTS
lacquers. This will be eradicated on both sides. In 2012, the EU exported to Canada $15.4 M worth of solventbased paints and $5.6 M worth of water-based paints. The EU also exported $6 M worth of pigments (including metallic powders and flakes). Exports from Canada to the EU included: $4.6 M worth of waterbased paints, $1.5 M worth of solventbased paints and $2.4 M worth of pigments. Original Source: PPCJ, Polymers, Paint, Colour Journal, Dec 2013, 203 (4591), (Website: http://www.polymerspaintcolourjournal.com), © dmg events 2013
PLANTS Belarus & Russia: Omsk Techuglerod – carbon black Omsk Techuglerod is poised to commence construction work on a large new carbon black plant in the Mogilev region (220 km east of Minsk, capital of Belarus). When this project was first announced, the initial capacity was going to be 80,000 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 2013, 3 & Apr 2013, 6). However, the most recent reports indicate that capacity will be 120,000 tonnes/y, when the plant is fully operational in 2017. Belshina, the largest tyre manufacturer in Belarus, will be a major customer and smaller domestic customers should account for a further 4000-5000 tonnes/y, leaving a substantial exportable surplus. Capital investment budgeted for this project is of the order of Roubles 4.5 bn (equivalent to $126 M). Meanwhile, at its long-established carbon black plant in Volgograd in southwestern Russia, Omsk TG is investing Roubles 575 M (equivalent to $16.5 M) to double capacity. Carbon black output should increase from 131,000 tonnes in 2014 to 240,000 tonnes in 2018. The company’s sales revenue is projected to increase from Roubles 3.9 bn in 2013 to Roubles 4.5 bn (equivalent to $129 M) in 2014. Original Source: Chemie Aktuell, 17 Jan 2014, (Website: http://www.maerkte-weltweit.de) (in German), © MBM Martin Brueckner Medien GmbH 2014. Original Source: RCCnews, 8 Apr 2014, (Website: http://www.rccnews.ru/Eng), © RCCnews.ru 2014
China & India: PolyOne – plastics masterbatch PolyOne Corp, one of the world’s leading suppliers of plastics masterbatches and compounds, plans to establish an “innovation centre” in Shanghai, with the objectives of facilitating technical collaboration, accelerating application development and increasing speed-to-market for customers in the Asia/Pacific region. The facility will be built on a site within the hi-tech industrial park in the Jinqiao Development Zone and it is scheduled to open in 4Q 2014. The focus will be on research and development projects generated within PolyOne’s Specialty Engineered Materials business segment. PolyOne reported global sales revenue at $3.771 bn for full-year 2013, with Asia/Pacific accounting for an increasingly important slice of the total. As well as the new research facility in China, PolyOne recently opened a new production complex in India. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Dec 2013, 6). Announcing the news of the Shanghai facility, Mr Robert Patterson, who took over as PolyOne’s Chief Executive in mid-May 2014, commented: “Our ‘invest to grow’ strategy in the region is clearly working, and our new innovation centre will be yet another step in what we expect will be continued growth for our customers and PolyOne.” Original Source: PolyOne Corp, Avon Lake, OH 44012, USA, Website: http://www.polyone.com (11 Mar & 21 Apr 2014), © PolyOne 2014
China: DyStar – textile colorants DyStar (now based in Singapore and part of the Zhejiang Longsheng group) plans to establish a new technical centre on the campus of Donghua University in Shanghai province. The key objective is to improve the company’s research capability and to assist with the development of application standards in the Chinese textile industry. Last year, DyStar doubled its synthetic indigo capacity at Nanjing (Jiangsu province) to 24,000 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2013, 5). Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 6 Jan 2014, 92 (1), 12 (Website: http://www.cenonline.org), © American Chemical Society 2014
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