According to the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining IOM3, planning is well underway for the International Rubber Conference (IRC) 2019, which will take place from 3 – 5 September 2019 at the Kia Oval in London, UK.

The Saudi trade delegation, headed by Ibrahim bin Abdurrahman al Omar, Governor of the General Investment Authority of Saudi Arabia, visited the Special Economic Zone in Duqm on Monday (15 October 2018). The Saudi delegation was received at the airport by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, and officials of the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (SEZAD), Dry Dock and Oman Oil Company. 

Qatar Petroleum has announced the signing of a sale and purchase agreement to directly supply China with 600,000 tons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) per year for a period of five years. The long-term agreement was signed by Qatar Petroleum for Sale of Petroleum Products Company Ltd. (QPSPP) and Oriental Energy (Singapore), with the contract starting in January 2019.

Arlanxeo announced that it recently signed three-year cooperation agreements with Changzhou University and the Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering (CZIE). According to Arlanxeo, in cooperation with its partners, the company will contribute to the development of Changzhou and the local chemical industry by providing optimised education and practical trainings to aspiring, young professionals.

Davis-Standard announced that Norton C. Wheeler, Jr., one of its most accomplished technology innovators and R&D pioneer, passed away at the age of 96 at the end of September 2018. According to the company, he is known as the father of the DSB (Davis-Standard Barrier) feedscrew, authored numerous technical papers, and mentored many Davis- Standard engineers. Wheeler’s career at the company spanned six decades. Even after his retirement in 1989, he remained engaged as a consultant until the age of 90.

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar has joined as a member of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), the inter-governmental organisation established in 1970 for multilateral cooperation among the countries producing natural rubber.

CPC Corp. Taiwan chairman Tai Chein confirmed that the company has inked an agreement with the Indonesian government to build a naphtha cracker in the country, marking a milestone in the government’s New Southbound Policy. The state-run refiner has inked a memorandum of understanding with PT Pertamina, its Indonesian counterpart, to invest TWD 200 billion (USD 6.47 billion) in the project, Tai said.

The Nanoaugmented Materials Industry Summit (NAUM) 2018, which is being organised by OCSiAl in Shanghai, China, on 31 October 2018 will gather the world’s leading companies who use and apply graphene nanotubes to share exciting results. This year the event is opening its doors to all like-minded innovators and industry pioneers to learn about recent progress in this field. They will also be able to see a first-time-ever on-site demonstration of the production of nanoaugmented products with real industrial equipment.

Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) on Monday (15 October 2018) called for joint ventures with Saudi Arabia in petrochemical projects to make the local chemical sector a self-reliant industry.

The former AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has been relaunched under the new name Nouryon. The name borrows from one of its historic predecessors, the chemical company Noury & Van der Lande and follows the acquisition of the Specialty Chemicals business by The Carlyle Group in March 2018. The business includes among other products the organic peroxide initiators, organometallics and reactor additives for the production of thermoplastics and rubbers.