BP & Solvay Swap Resin Businesses.

BP of the U.K. and Solvay of Belgium have agreed to several major transactions to realign their respective polymer businesses. BP will transfer its engineering polymers business to Solvay, and Solvay will transfer its polypropylene business to EP. Also, the two firms will combine their HDPE businesses into two joint ventures, one for Europe and one for the Americas.

BP's engineering polymers business, based in Alpharetta, Ga., is known as BP Amoco Polymers, though its name is expected to change officially to BP in April. Its products are Udel polysulfone, Radel polyphenylsulfone, Amodel PPA, Xydar LCP, Torlon polyamide-imide, and Kadel PAEK. Solvay's engineering resins are Ixan PVdC, Solef PVdF, Ixef reinforced MXD6 nylon, Primef PPS Polydan XLPE, and Sequel TPOs.

BP is already the world's third-largest maker of PP, and Solvay is the twelfth-largest producer. The swap will give BP capacity of 6.8 billion lb/yr at nine sites in Europe and the U.S.

Solvay is the world's fifth-largest HDPE producer and has five plants in the U.S., Europe, and Brazil. With BP's two European plants, the new joint ventures will form the third-largest global producer, at 4.84 billion lb/yr capacity.