Industry: Chemicals & Plastics

The oil, gas, energy, and chemical sectors face significant uncertainties in 2017, including OPEC agreements, geopolitical shifts, economic slowdowns, and evolving regulations, which ADI has analyzed in its outlook.

Chemical industry summary  The conclusion of OPEC’s annual meeting in Vienna on November 30th has touched off a rally in the global crude oil market that has multiple implications for chemicals and regional competitiveness. WTI crude pricing has moved up about US$4/Bbl. on the speculation that an announced OPEC production cut of 1.2 million barrels […]

Chemical industry summary The US political election in November resulted in an outcome that was not predicted by most polls, with Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump winning a majority of the electoral college vote and becoming president elect. This election has widespread ramifications for the US chemical and energy industries, as important branches of […]

Chemical industry summary Global prices and trade for the major polyolefins reflect a reasonable balance of supply and demand that has been supported by a number of global outages, planned and unplanned, particularly in North America. Improved global growth will be required to maintain strong demand growth and chemical operating rates as new capacity in […]

Chemical industry summary Consolidation of the global agricultural chemicals sector is continuing as a brisk pace. On September 14, Monsanto accepted Bayer’s takeover bid, valued at US$66 billion. This included a stock price of $128 per share and the assumption of US$10 billion in debt. The final bid follows two previous bids, and reported talks […]

Chemical industry summary The anticipated secular recovery of the global crude oil market appears to be faltering under the pressure of strong production output and sustained high inventory levels. In July, Saudi oil output rose 123,000 barrels per day to hit a level of 10.67 million bpd. Russian crude exports are up nearly 5% to […]

Chemical industry summary  With the Q2 earnings season in sight, financial analysts are forecasting flat year-on-year earnings results from any chemical companies, with a relative balance of puts and takes from last year’s performance. However, it is likely that industry leaders will note some encouraging signs on the horizon, with several industries seeing modest improvement […]

Pipeline corrosion management is being improved through advanced operational practices and technologies, as demonstrated in this case study.

Chemical industry summary Recent news for global chemicals has been dominated by M&A. This week, Westlake Chemical announced that the board of its acquisition target Axiall has agreed to sell the company for the significantly improved offer of US$33 per share representing an enterprise value of US$3.8 billion. This valuation is a 31% increase from […]

ADI Chemical Market Resources has completed a strategic assessment of linear alpha olefins (LAOs)—key comonomers like 1-butene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene used in LLDPE, HDPE, POEs, and POPs. LAOs also serve as feedstock for synthetic lubricants, plasticizers, surfactants, and solvents. The report explores shifts in LAO technologies, including production routes such as ethylene oligomerization and Shell’s […]

ADI Chemical Market Resources (ADI CMR) presents an in-depth study of polyethylene catalyst technologies, focusing on the evolving use of Ziegler-Natta, chromium, and metallocene catalysts in low-pressure LLDPE and HDPE production. The report examines how catalyst selection and reactor configurations impact resin properties tailored for specific applications. With patent expirations enabling broader access and licensing, […]

ADI Chemical Market Resources conducted a strategic study on the growing use of polyolefins in the global automotive industry. Polypropylene (PP) is the most widely used polyolefin due to its lightweight, durability, and excellent processing properties. Polyethylene (PE) is used to a lesser extent. Elastomeric polyolefins, including TPOs, TPVs, and R-TPOs, are used for flexibility […]