Low-cost unconventional feedstocks are changing the competitive landscape of the petrochemical industry, which is driving significant capital investment in the U.S. and China as other regions adapt to new market dynamics, says IHS.
IHS Chemical will host the 2014 IHS World Petrochemical Conference and Workshops March 25 – 28, 2014, at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston. This year’s conference will focus on the impact of the next capital cycle and the sustainability of an increasingly complex and competitive global chemicals market.
Stephen D. Pryor, president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, will deliver a luncheon keynote address on Wednesday, March 26, which will explore the petrochemical investment profile beyond 2020. Earlier in the day, Jim Fitterling, executive vice president/feedstock, performance plastics, Asia and Latin America, for The Dow Chemical Company, will speak to “The Investment Surge in North America: How Much and How Fast?”
Jose de Jesus Valdez Simancas, president of Alpek, S.A. de C.V., will discuss the “Impact of Unconventional Feedstocks on Mexico and Latin America’s Petrochemical Industry.” Daniele Ferrari, president and CEO of Italian chemical company Versalis, will discuss “Europe: Adapting to the New Competitive Landscape,” while Warren Wilder, executive director of chemicals for Saudi Aramco, will discuss “the Mideast: Evolution of Growth Strategies Toward Differentiation.”
“The availability of a steady supply of low-cost unconventional feedstocks has created significant investment opportunities in North American projects, while at the same time, China is aggressively advancing a coal-to-chemicals strategy that will increase its overall self-sufficiency in key basic chemicals, including ethylene and propylene,” said Dave Witte, general manager of IHS Chemical and senior vice president at IHS. “The pace and scale of these investments must be balanced with a moderated, but continued steady pace of new investments in the Middle East. The mix and balance of these investments will be a key driver of change across the global petrochemical industry during the next five years. These market dynamics and related issues that are emerging will be the focus of our discussions at the World Petrochemical Conference.”
Russell Heinen, senior director of technology for chemicals at IHS, will address “CAPEX and Investments: Global Outlook on Capital Spend and Regional Impact,” and Paul A. Smith, managing director and head of global chemicals for IHS, will discuss “Global Finance: How Global Capital Markets Will Fund the Next Round of Investments.”
The 2014 IHS World Petrochemical Conference will also feature leaders from chemical and technology companies who will join IHS experts to cover the economics of this fast-paced industry, to include: companies poised to lead the next capital cycle, merger and acquisition (M&A) activities and how they will influence investment, the overall global state of the industry, and the drivers behind the renaissance of process technology innovation, among others.
During the Wednesday opening session, Nariman Behravesh — chief economist for IHS and one of the world’s most noted authorities on the global economy — will offer his views on the world economic outlook. Bill Sanderson, IHS vice president, downstream research and consulting — Energy Insight, will detail the global energy outlook. Witte will address the global state of the chemical industry, while Mark Eramo, vice president, chemical industry Insights, IHS will deliver an overview of the global petrochemical market.
