A series of price hikes were announced by chemical companies during the week of April 17 – April 21. Unless noted otherwise, all price increases listed here are per kilogram. In polypropylene glycol (PPG), Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. (TYO:5201) raised prices for PPG and polymer polyols (POP) by no less than 15 yen ($0.14) on...
polypropylene
Sekisui Chemical to Establish Chinese Company for Polyolefin Foam Production
Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4204) announced on March 24 that it will establish a company in Wuxi, China, for the production of polyolefin foam to be used in automotive interiors. Sekisui Chemical will invest approximately 2.5 billion yen ($22.59 million) to build a new factory that will begin operations at some point in the first...
Toyota Turns to Chandra Asri Petrochemical for PP in Indonesian Vehicle Production
Major Indonesian petrochemical company PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk (CAP) has for the first time had its polypropylene (PP) for automobiles used by Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) for the interior components of locally produced small cars. CAP plans to boost annual production during the next few years by 100,000 tons to 580,000 tons, and is...
Isono Starts Recycling Polypropylene From Scrapped Automobiles
Isono Co. Ltd., a major plastic recycler based in Nagoya, has begun collecting plastic from scrapped automobiles and recycling this for use by the auto industry as materials for interior parts in new vehicles. The plastic that Isono is recycling in this project is polypropylene (PP), which is often used for interior automobile parts. The...
Japanese Ethylene Production Down 8.8% for 2016, Operating Ratio Remains High
Ethylene production from January to December 2016 suffered a year-on-year drop of 8.8 percent to 6.2793 million tons, according to production records of major petrochemical products that were compiled by the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (JPCA). Although decreased capacity caused production to fall, the ethylene operating ratio remained above 90 percent for the 37th...
Commentary: Thailand’s IRPC Aims to Compete With Japanese Companies in Polypropylene Market
Thailand-based IRPC PCL is looking to supply Japanese automobile manufacturers with polypropylene (PP), as the petrochemical company aims to have a facility for the compound complete in 2017. The company is drawing attention as to whether or not it can break into Thailand’s PP market for automobiles, which is currently dominated by Mitsui Chemicals Inc....
Prime Polymer Announces Price Hike for Polyolefins
Prime Polymer Co. Ltd. will hike the price of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), effective for shipments from Jan. 21, 2017. Prices will be revised by no less than 20 yen ($0.17) per kilogram, attributed to the rise in price of naphtha. According to the company, the price of domestically produced naphtha, which is the...
Sumitomo Chemical Announces Price Increase for Polyolefins
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) will be increasing its price of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), starting with shipments from Jan. 20, 2017. Set to rise by 18 yen ($0.15) or more per kilogram, the price increase is primarily due to the rising costs of naphtha, a major raw material. Sudden price jumps of Japanese-produced...
Japan’s Environment Ministry Starts Lightweight Vehicle Program Using CNF
The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has launched the Nano Cellulose Vehicle (NCV) Project, aimed at using cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and resin compounds to reduce motor vehicle weight by 10 percent by 2020, thereby cutting vehicle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. A consortium for the project was launched in late October, comprising 20 research organizations and...
Japan Polypropylene to Hike up PP Prices From January 2017
Major polypropylene (PP) producer Japan Polypropylene Corp. (JPP) plans on raising the price of all PP products, starting with deliveries from Jan. 4, 2017. The price increase will be of at least an additional 20 yen ($0.17) per kilogram and is to compensate the increasing cost of petroleum naphtha and other raw fuel materials. According...
Mitsubishi Chemical Develops New 3D Printer Filaments
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. has developed a series of filaments for use in 3D printers. After launching sales of a filament made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in September, Mitsubishi Chemical now plans to launch a polypropylene (PP) filament with practical dimension accuracy in January. By March, the company plans to also launch sales of a water-soluble,...
Commentary: Japanese Polypropylene Companies Consider Major Facility Upgrades
Japanese manufacturers of polypropylene (PP) are kicking off upgrades to production infrastructure to be completed for around 2020. These companies had been cutting production capacity in line with contracting domestic demand, but now they will reverse course in a simultaneous effort to boost that capacity. PP self-sufficiency in China is behind the shift. PP manufacturers...
Nanodax Develops Polypropylene Filament for 3D Printers
Nanodax Co. Ltd. has commenced marketing of a 3D printer monofilament made from a blend of polypropylene and glass wool. Inquiries for the monofilament are increasing in light of its high performance ratings, having applications in mass-production scenarios such as car prototypes, toys, figurines, shoes and medical devices. The filament is made using a proprietary...
Shachihata Creates New Compound From Combustion Ash and Polypropylene
Shachihata Inc. has developed and commenced sample shipments of a compound material made with thermal power plant combustion ash, also known as fly ash, and polypropylene (PP). In addition to reducing PP costs, the new material provides enhanced durability and resistance to light. Shachihata hopes to commence mass production as early as the first half...
Kyoraku Boosts Fuel Efficiency With Insulating Foam Ducts
Kyoraku Co. Ltd. has announced test results showing that use of its ducts made of polypropylene (PP) foam in automotive air conditioning systems increases fuel efficiency compared to conventional polyethylene (PE) ductwork. Results of (JC08-mode) fuel efficiency tests showed light vehicles on one liter of gasoline to be capable of traveling 180 meters farther when...
Rhombic Develops Color Masterbatch for Polypropylene
Rhombic Corp., a group company of Mitsubishi Chemical based in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, has developed a new color masterbatch for polypropylene (PP). The product offers vivid transparent chromatic color, which is difficult to achieve by pigments. The new product has already been used for items that require elaborate design, such as cosmetic containers. Going forward,...
SunAllomer to Become Consolidated Subsidiary of Showa Denko
Showa Denko K.K. (TYO:4004) announced on Aug. 23 that SunAllomer Ltd., a manufacturer of polypropylene (PP), will become a consolidated subsidiary as of Nov. 1. Three companies – Showa Denko, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. and LyondellBasell Industries N.V. – currently own SunAllomer. They have reached an agreement under which Showa Denko and JX...
Japan Polypropylene to Shut Down Slurry PP Facility at Goi Plant
Japan Polypropylene Corp. has announced that it will shut down one of the polypropylene (PP) facilities at its Goi plant in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, in March 2017. A slurry-phase process facility, its operational capacity is low and profitability has been worsening. Compared to the gas-phase method, the slurry-phase method is said to have lower production efficiency....
