EuroWire January 2007

corporate news

Nextrom delivers another fibre draw tower

at a glance . . . DSM, Netherlands, has announced an operating profit of €209m for the third quarter of 2006 – a fall of some €9m from the same period in 2005. However, operating profit from continuing operations for the whole of the first nine months of 2006 was €649m, up €42m from the first nine months of 2005. Net profit for the same period was €458m, an increase of €43m. In the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, published in September 2006, DSM topped the list for the chemical industry sector – the third year in a row that the company has received the accolade. u u u German company ZWEZ-Chemie GmbHhas established and applied an Environmental Management System in accordance with the requirements of DIN EN ISO 14001:2005 with respect to the following scope of supply – development, production and marketing of chemical products for metal-surface treatment and associated waste management. The fulfilment of the standard was verified by an Environmental Audit. The Certificate was certified by GCE GlobalCert GmbH, Gosheim in October. u u u NLMK AG (Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works), of Russia, has commissioned SMS Demag, Germany, to modernise the finishing train for the hot strip mill 2000 at Lipetsk Works. complete renovation of the entry and exit guides on the stands, the work- roll cooling system, loopers as well as all requisite utility systems. New installations include an inter- stand cooling system and a roll gap cooling system. u u u For German company Altana AG, a good operating performance in the third quarter and the acquisition of the Eckart Group has contributed to a 23 per cent increase in sales over the same period as last year. Pre-tax earnings (EBT) rose by 22 per cent to €648 million. u u u The world’s first credit control solution to automatically check the ongoing creditworthiness of clients is now available – thanks to UK firms Topaz and CreditScorer. This includes the

Nextrom, Finland, has announced the installation and start-up of its latest fibre drawing tower technology at Jiangsu Alpha Information Technology Co Ltd, China. The 26 metre dual sided tower features a graphite induction furnace, high speed transferable dual winding, and wet on wet coating application, which is both easier to use and more space efficient than wet on dry coaters. The preform feeding design allows for easy loading of preforms over two metres long and, depending upon target line speeds, the added fibre cooling space reduces or eliminates the need for costly helium cooling. early production on the new lines, Alpha reported high yield rates. The lines were commissioned at high drawing speeds up to 1,600 metres per minute, and the combination of high yield and speed are key to Alpha’s low cost, high-volume fibre manufacture. The tower represents a continuation of the Alpha-Nextrom partnership, which began in 2003 when Alpha started fibre manufacturing. To date, Nextrom has delivered to Alpha eight fibre draw lines and nine proof testers. In China, Nextrom has over 35 fibre draw lines and 50 proof testers in operation, and During commissioning and

Close detail of the fibre take-up

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has delivered around 160 fibre draw lines worldwide. The company’s high yield draw towers are designed for large preforms up to 200mm in diameter and 2.5 metres long, at speeds over 1,600 m/min. Existing draw towers can be upgraded to increase preform size and speed, or to include dual take-up.

Nextrom OY – Finland Fax : +358 9 5025 3003 Email : info@nextrom.com Website : www.nextrom.com

Borouge feasibility study on expansion into base chemicals in Middle East and Asia-Pacific Borouge, Singapore, provider of plastics solutions for customers throughout the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, has announced the launch of a study to examine the feasibility of a major new expansion of its petrochemical complex in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, to produce and market base chemicals. Based on benzene and propane feedstock supplied by Borouge’s joint venture co-owner, Adnoc, the project will include world scale propane dehydrogenation and cumene-phenol plants, as well as several other downstream units. The study is expected to be completed towards the end of 2007, with start up around 2012. The potential expansion would complement the company’s planned Borouge 2 polymer project. Once fully operational, the expanded Ruwais petrochemical complex would be one of the largest plastics and chemicals production complexes in the world, strategically situated to access most major world markets. The proposed complex would produce an extensive and diversified range of chemicals, and introduce new value chains and speciality products to the United Arab Emirates. Harri Bucht, CEO, Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), said: “Expansion into base chemicals is a natural move for Borouge to make as we continue to grow. It capitalises on our existing production assets and our feedstock position as well as the strengths of our owners Adnoc and Borealis.”

Borouge Pte Ltd – Singapore Fax : +65 6377 1233 Email : info@borouge.com

Website : www.borouge.com

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EuroWire – January 2007