Latex suppliers raising prices in Europe

By Patrick Raleigh ERJ On-line news editor

Basel, Switzerland/Marl, Germany-Two of Europe's leading latex products suppliers have increased prices in response to sustained high prices for their monomer feedstocks, particularly styrene.

PolymerLatex GmbH is to increase prices across its product range by Euro150/tonne with effect from 1 Oct due to “continued drastic raw material cost increases.” The move follows a Euro180/tonne across-the-board hike in August and Euro120/tonne on the firm's SBR-latices dry from 1 July.

For the August adjustment, PolymerLatex cited a 36-percent (Euro250/tonne) rise in the cost of styrene since April, with another major increase one the way. Prices for butadiene, acrylonitrile or acrylics were also on the rise, its statement noted.

Marl-based PolymerLatex produces styrene-butadiene and acrylic latex products for paper, carpet & moulded foam, and specialities markets in Europe.

Swiss group Ciba Specialty Chemicals' Paper Treatment business, meanwhile, increased prices for its styrene butadiene latexes in Europe by 10-15 percent, depending on the application, from the start of August.

“Persistent price increases of styrene monomer over the past few weeks, which have been driven by higher feedstock cost increases (benzene), continue on a steep upward trend, said Claude Muller, Ciba's coating solutions head in Europe, in a press statement.

Both latex makers are under new ownership. PolymerLatex is majority owned by Soros Private Equity Partners, which acquired the firm from Bayer AG and Degussa AG in 2003. Ciba acquired its paper coatings business from the Raisio Group of Finland this June.