Much is being said and written about the changes taking place in today's workforce. The conversation is often about the difficulty in finding and retaining talent, concerns about losing legacy knowledge as people retire, and the differences in work culture…
Plant Watch Saudi Aramco and RRPCL to proceed with integrated megaproject in India April 12, 2018 — Saudi Aramco (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; www.saudiaramco.com) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL), a consortium of Indian…
Responsiveness and adaptability — in the face of shifting market forces, new regulatory policy and natural disasters, among others — framed the discussions of U.S. petroleum refiners at the AFPM annual meeting Responsiveness and adaptability for U.S. petroleum refiners emerged…
This column is based on “Propylene Oxide from Propylene and Chlorine – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/propylene-oxide-e11a. Propylene oxide (PO) is a highly reactive commodity compound that serves as a starting material…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes ended the first quarter on a good note, increasing 0.4 percent in March after a 0.3 percent gain in February and a 0.1 percent gain…
The preliminary value for the February 2018 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value. All four of the subindices (Equipment, Buildings, Construction Labor and Engineering & Supervision) moved higher for February, pushing…
Plant Watch Evonik to construct new polyamide 12 plant at Marl Chemical Park March 14, 2018 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is planning to build a new production complex for polyamide 12 (PA 12). The group intends to…
Changes in the availability of source data for the CE Plant Cost Index periodically necessitate updates to how the index is calculated The Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) is a widely used tool for comparing plant construction costs in…
Data collected and tabulated by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) show that growth in global chemical production continued on a soft note in February. The ACC’s Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) indicates that global chemicals…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes regained momentum, increasing 0.4 percent in February, after only a 0.1 percent gain in January. All changes in the data are reported on a three-month…