The shipments value of primary plastics machinery (injection molding and extrusion) in North America declined in the first quarter of 2019, according to the statistics compiled and reported by the Plastics Industry Association’s (Plastics) Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES).

Nouryon announced that it has completed a EUR 20 million project at Sundsvall, Sweden, that significantly raises production capacity for its Expancel expandable microspheres. These are used to enhance the properties of products ranging from shoe soles and food packaging to wind turbines.

The PU systems house Foam Supplies, Inc. (FSI) has granted USD 40,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri & Kansas for local children battling critical illnesses.

Dow has selected Univar Solutions as a key North American channel to market, distributing its broad product portfolio of polyols and isocyanates effective from 1 April 2019. Univar Solutions, a company recently created from the combination of Univar and Nexeo Solutions, will serve as an authorized channel for Dow's polyurethane products across the USA and Canada.

DuPont de Nemours, Inc. has announced its debut as an independent company following the successful separation of its Agriculture Division through the spin-off of Corteva, Inc. The company was formerly known as DowDuPont Inc.

New coal-to-olefins (CTO) and methanol-to-olefins (MTO) projects in China could be delayed due to the government's intensified efforts to meet clean energy goals by reducing coal usage and changing crude oil and coal prices, according to data and analytics firm GlobalData.

Huntsman announced that its Auburn Hills, MI, USA, site has become one of the state’s longest running holders of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) Star award. The site was recently granted its fifth consecutive Star certificate – an accolade it has held continuously since 2004.

Sibur announced it is currently commissioning its ZapSibNeftekhim integrated petrochemical complex in Tobolsk, Russia, the "largest" petrochemical complex in the country. The USD 9.5 billion project involves a steam cracker with the capacity to produce 1.5 million t/y of ethylene, about 500,000 t/y of propylene and 100,000 t/y of butane/butylene fraction, as well as polyethylene and polypropylene units with a combined total capacity of 2 million t/y. Start-up is expected to begin this quarter. "The products of this plant will play an important role in replacing foreign polymers and increasing the share of non-primary, non-energy exports," the company noted.

Petron Corp., the country’s largest oil refiner, is completing the USD 100 million expansion of its polypropylene plant that would propel it to become the top producer of resin by 2020. The oil firm is expanding its polypropylene plant which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, Petron president and CEO Ramon Ang said. According to Ang, the company invested USD 100 million to raise the plant’s rated capacity of up to 160,000  t/y to 220,000 t/y.

The German KraussMaffei Group has held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new factory in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China. According to KraussMaffei, it is a key strategy of the company to make more investments in the Chinese market.