Price hikes announced by Ineos, DSM (twice), BASF and Songwon

in January, as reported already. Fortunately, as reported here, the PP rate of increase seems to have slowed for this month, but it has hardly stopped.

Starting in North America, DSM Engineering Plastics (Evansville, IN) this month raised the prices for its Akulon PA6 grades by $0.13/lb and for its Novamid specialty plastics by the same price. On Feb. 21, price hikes take effect for a broader swath of the DSM plastics portfolio including its Stanly PA46 material, with a $0.15/lb increase for filled and unfilled grades but $0.25/lb more required for its flame retardant grades. Twelve cents is being tacked onto injection molding grades of Akulon PA 6 and 66 polyamide 6 and 66 products, and the company also has announced rate hikes for its Nylatron specialty PA 6/66 grades and its Arnite PBT.

Across the Atlantic, DSM Engineering Plastics Europe will increase prices for its Akulon and Novamid PA6 and PA66 portfolios, due to what it describes as "unprecedented and continued escalations in key raw materials costs (such as benzene, caprolactam, glass fiber, flame retardants and others)." The plastics supplier already announced €200/tonne increases for these materials, with those already implemented with many customers throughout January, and those rate hikes will be implemented further as contracts allow.

Also in Europe, Ineos Nova (Fribourg, Switzerland) said its prices for general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) in Europe went up his month by a minimum of €110 per ton. The premium of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) to GPPS increased to €100/tonne to reflect increased costs of poly-butadiene rubber (PBR).   

BASF has raised prices in Europe for its polyurethane and PUR precursor materials. Prices for MDI, TDI and polyols in Europe are being raised on average by €250/tonne, with PUR prices increased accordingly.

Plastics additives supplier Songwon (Ulsan, Korea) announces global price increases for its Songnox antioxidants, Songlight and Songsorb UV stabilizers, Songstab acid scavengers as well as its range of aminic antioxidants. The increases are for between 8-15% effective on orders received on or after March 1, 2011, or as contracts allow.