Topical Studies
From time to time PCI offers reports and studies that have commercial or strategic relevance to the wider market, which can be purchased for a one-off fee as part of a cost effective shared research programme for clients. Companies are free to contact PCI at any time if there is a specific topic they would like to be considered.
Study work typically includes country reports, product markets or specific producer or consumer analysis (including benchmarking and production cost economics). These will often require detailed gathering of proprietary information which is then presented in a way that protects confidentiality.
Latest Topical Studies:
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1
MEG Manufacture - Comparative Costs of Alternative Routes. Order Now!
China’s interest to produce MEG from non-conventional processes using coal could add substantial new capacity, and could dramatically change the global MEG balances. In addition, PET consumers are promoting the use of sustainable or "green" MEG to be used in PET bottles and film. These two new areas are the focus of a study that addresses cost competiveness of the coal routes to MEG in China and the bio source routes from sugar cane through the ethanol route to ethylene and then through EO to MEG. The China coal routes are various, all through syngas. The syngas routes can vary from methanol to ethylene to EO/MEG and syngas to DMO to MEG and DMC to MEG. Our exciting new study analyses the economics of these various new routes to MEG production and provides a model to compare costs in various oil, gas and coal value markets. Download the flyer for more details.
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2
Metaxylene & IPA Study. Order Now!
PCI's Global Market Outlook to 2020 for IPA and Metaxylene provides insight on demand growth of IPA into high growth areas such as powder coatings; considers candidates for future conversion of PTA units to IPA; looks at the implications for European IPA and Metaxylene balances after the closure of the Geel, Belgium IPA unit in Q2 2011; considers the outlook for trade flows; and provides quantitative analysis on pricing mechanisms for IPA and Metaxylene. Download the flyer for further details.
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3
PX Feedstocks - Refinery Interaction
PCI has completed a major study, in conjunction with refining consultant Wood MacKenzie, whose focus is on identifying the key operational and economic drivers within typical refinery configurations for each region and in so doing to determine how these drivers could impact the operational and economic issues for aromatics production, specifically focussing on PX.
By utilising Linear Programming models of 20 leading regional refiners and linking these to a comprehensive aromatics economic model, the study explores the real-world interactions of the refining and aromatics businesses and provides a series of quantitative insights based on actual market data to help understand the complex linkages that occur within an integrated refinery-aromatics system.
The study has already gained wide support from key clients in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. Download the flyer for full details.
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4
Online Interactive Paraxylene Cost Model. Coming soon...
In order to better understand how a wide spectrum of ever-changing prices and values impact the cost of paraxylene production across the world, PCI has developed a proprietary cost model which looks at the multiple influences on the paraxylene industry and which generates a representative cost curve. This model details absolute costs of production and relative cost positions for every producer in the world, by country, region and technology. To further enhance the model’s predictive ability, estimates of individual producers’ utilisation rates and production volumes are fed in directly from PCI’s internal supply-demand models and reflect actual physical market restrictions in addition to the cost elements of the production process. This holistic approach to cost forecasting has proved extremely useful in determining near-term market pricing and inflexion points, as well as providing a highly useful modeling tool for scenario planning purposes. The Paraxylene Cost Model is a web-based service, which will be accessed via PCI Online. The global model gives the user the ability to test pricing and asset scenarios by region to provide unique on-line insights to pricing dynamics. While we maintain the technology, capacity, availability and base price assumptions for each asset, the user can play with Online ‘what if’ pricing scenarios & dynamics. Contact Gordon Haire in UK (+44 1403 217139) or Steve Jenkins in Malaysia (+60 3 7954 8202) for further details of this exciting programme.
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5
EO-MEG Business Cost / Profit Model
This is a highly complex, MS Excel-based integrated cash and variable cost Model giving the user flexibility to change certain paramaters and data, and retrieve valuable information on EO and MEG costs. A regional ethylene cost model feeds the cash cost of ethylene into each EO site. Each site is populated with fixed and variable cost parameters and the correct allocation of EO to downstream products. This yields site cost and margin projections. Cost and volume curves for up to 25 different variables/outputs are available at the touch of a button using just four oil, gas and MEG and DEG price inputs. Download the flyer for more details.
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6
Global DEG Special Study
PCI's Global DEG Study addresses DEG supply and demand forecast by major end use country. DEG has been a volatile by-product of MEG production for years and has had a volatile demand and price history.
The demand of DEG has kept pace with supply
but the recession in Europe and the US has had a
severe impact on demand. The demand
destruction has been offset by phenomenal
growth in China where 2009 alone saw a 114,000
tonne surge in demand. China is now by far the
largest consuming country in the world using 43% of the world's production. In 2000 it was a minor 18% of world demand. Download the flyer for full details.
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7
PTA Futures Market in Asia
The PTA futures trading platform introduced at Zhengzhou in China in end-2006 has transformed the Far East PTA market. How Asia views and participates in the spot PTA market is greatly affected by trends established in the futures market, with the broader contract PTA market also affected. With China being the number one PTA market, what transpires in China impacts the rest of the PTA world and all markets relating to PTA. Understand the evolution of this new market, know how you can meet the new challenges posed by this and other developing futures markets, and understand how you can improve your bottom line by participating in this new arena. Download the flyer for further details.
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8
EOD Supply / Demand Data
Supply/Demand balances for global ethanolamine, ethylene glycol, ethers, ethoxylates, PG, PEG, DEG, TEG.
Typical analysis for all of these products is country supply demand, on a 10 yr forecast basis, analysis of market demand segments, producer capacities and expansions, margin and price projections, trade balances, technology discussion, competitive producer analysis and SWOT analysis.
Contact Doug Rightler (US) +1 610 9429536, Paul Clarke (Europe) +454 1483 302267 or Salmon Lee (Asia) +60 7965 8202.
Previous Topical Studies have included:
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PTA - Capital and Operating Costs Comparison of Leading PTA Technologies
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Competitiveness of Chinese PTA Plants
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Paraxylene - Future Supplies of PX Feedstocks
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The New Economics of Paraxylene - A Study of Comparative Cost Economics for Selected PX Producers
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Ethylene Oxide & Ethylene Glycol Global Benchmark Survey
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MEG - Future Global Trade Flow Assessment
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China Study - The Chinese Polyester & Raw Material Sector from Refinery to Apparel