labor

Celanese to examine redundancies as it seeks to cut costs; U.S. chemical industry contracted in August; NOVA Chemicals to carry out employee census to gain insights on diversity; Acetonitrile market to expand over 6% annually over next five years

Sep 2, 2023

News Briefs

Dow to cut 2,000 jobs citing 2023 challenges to profit; LyondellBasell separately reports margin improvements as some new resin capacity sees slow start

May 10, 2023

Dow, one of the world´s biggest petrochemical companies and based in Midland, Michigan, has resorted to the elimination of 2,000 positions this year as the company faces challenges including the consequences of lower polyethylene profit margins in 2023...

Worker availability for new petrochemical projects tight with some construction materials in short supply

Apr 24, 2023

The availability of workers to help build new petrochemical plants or participate in maintenance work is seen early in the second quarter of 2023 as tight, with some key construction materials also in short supply.

U.S. petrochemical companies relieved after strike by railroad workers prevented but labor discontent remains

Dec 6, 2022

Petrochemical plants and refineries, customers of the North American freight railroad industry comprised of seven class I railroads and employing some 170,000 people, expressed relief at the start of December 2022 that U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress...

U.S. chemical guild renews calls for better rail service, prices after union-railroads deal

Sep 27, 2022

Chemical manufacturers reiterated demands for better rail service and prices as the country´s association that includes resins producers expressed relief after a mid-September accord between U.S. freight railroads owners and unions that prevented 7,000 trains...

Shell completes Pennsylvania ethane cracker, polyethylene plant construction

Aug 9, 2022

Shell has fully completed as of early Aug. 2022 construction of an ethane cracker and polyethylene plant complex near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is different from other U.S. downstream investment in plastic resin capacity in that it will tap ethane from...

Apprenticeship programs help petrochemical companies select workers in tight market

Jun 21, 2022

Downstream oil and gas companies including BASF, one of the three biggest petrochemical producers, have organized apprenticeship development programs to select and professionally develop workers in the current tight North American labor market.

Thailand´s PTT Global Chemical announcement of new application for permit revives Ohio cracker project

Mar 8, 2022

PTT Global Chemical, one of Thailand´s biggest petrochemical producers, announced in late February it will draft a new air permit request to present to Ohio authorities for a world scale polyethylene project aligned with the company´s recently announced new...

USW union holds talks with oil and petrochemical industry represented by Marathon; Shell sees Pennsylvania resin plant startup before year's end; Mexico-based Alpek pays $620 million for Oman-based PET sheet producer; U.S. Silica to raise prices

Feb 22, 2022

News Briefs

U.S. construction material prices and contractor bid proposals on the rise in 2022

Feb 7, 2022

Any new project decisions in 2022 will be evaluated in an environment of ongoing material price increases and supply disruption that has alredy pushed some contractors to propose higher bids with longer completion times.

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