The year 2009 has stressed old and outlined new problems on the PE market. Domestic polyethylene producers and converters suffered the results of difficult economic situation: consumption decline, liquidity gap and problems with financing resulted in drastic decline of the demand for polyethylene products and price reduction that caused casing of warehouses and decrease of production.

However the situation began to change since the second quarter of 2009. The process of cooperation on PE market began to improve.

Today the most vital question for the PE converters is the question of price for raw materials. The most important factor which affects the work of medium- and small size converters is predictability of the price policy. Recovery of the Russian polyethylene market can be expected only when plans of Russian producers are transparent and predictable.

The specific feature of Russian PE market for the last 5 years was the excess of the demand over the production. The capacities of domestic high destiny polyethylene producers are loaded completely in comparison with low destiny polyethylene, for example “Kazanorgsintez”. The recent agreement for the ethane price between “Gazprom” and “Kazanorgsintez” is the positive solution. Can the building of new capacities of monomer production from the gas raw materials change the situation in PE industry, what technological solutions already exist at the market – these are the questions to be discussed at the conference “Polyethylene 2010”.

The growing demand on the Russian PE market usually results in growth of imported polyethylene. The stable import growth was affected by sharp demand decrease in the end of 2008-the beginning of 2009. Geographical structure of the import also changed. Lately high activity trend from the Middle East producers is observed. The coming of such new quality and cheap polymer suppliers at the Russian market as Iran is observed.

The main subjects to be discussed at the conference "Polyethylene 2010" are:

• Is it possible to recover the market;
• How appropriate is the pricing for polymer;
• How many players has the market lost and what are the conditions of working enterprises;
• Stimulation of investors’ interest;
• Competition between Russian and import raw materials;
• Technological provision of the industry– integral part of modern polyethylene market.

In the current tough situation the communication and exchange of facts & figures becomes vital. By organizing Polyethylene 2010 conference, CREON provides you with a unique platform to obtain the full and up-to-date information on the market state as well as find new business contacts and opportunities.

A simultaneous translation into English is available for all delegates.

During the last year both global and regional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) markets faced serious difficulties and challenges caused by financial crisis. The PET market was negatively affected by consumption decrease, lack of cash flow and strategic investments as well as extreme market volatility. Russian PET market that used to grow faster than any other European market suffered significant losses. While growing with incredible 20-25% per annum when emerging in 90-th and later on with more moderate rate of 10-15%, PET market in Russia lost over 20% during the last 12 months. Particularly one of the important factors influencing the market is drastic decrease in consumption of beer bottled in PET-packaging. Major domestic PET-preform producers were forced not only to cut the production almost at all sites but even to freeze some plants.

Unfortunately market situation in other FSU states, i.e. Ukraine and Kazakhstan is not less dramatic. The PET consumption in the markets of South America and Asia were less affected by the crisis. A good example is China where consumption growth in 2009-2010 is about 25% what is equal to the whole Russian PET market.

In the current market and economical situation most of earlier announced new PET projects are delayed or even cancelled. Meanwhile we should note that big companies aimed to long-term presence at PET market keep operating at the same level and the crisis can result in improvement of PET business.

For the past six years annual «PET» conference organized by CREON became the key event of the industry gathering impressive audience from many countries. Successful «PET 2005», «PET 2006», «PET 2007», «PET 2008» and «PET 2009» conferences were attended by hundreds participants from the leading companies, e.g.: AK BARS BANK, Al'fatehform, Alpla, APG Eastern Europe, Applex, Baltika Brewery, Bruckner, Buhler, Dow, Etalon Plastservice, Europlast, G.S.I. Global Service International, Gazprom Neft, Gneuss, HUSKY, JBF RAK LLC, Klassika-PET, Komitex, KP Chemicals, LG International, LUKOIL-Neftekhim, Lurgi-Zimmer, Mega–Plast, Mogilevkhimvolokno, NEO Group, Nestle Waters, Netstal, P.E.T. Engineering, PET Baltija, Petrochemical Holding, POLIEF, Polihimservis, Reliance Industries, Resilux, Retal Industries, SDT Group, Selena, Senezh, Serebrjanyj Istochnik, SIBUR, SIBUR-PET, Tatneft, Tricon Energy, Uhde Inventa-Fischer, UMSK, Uniplast, UOP Sinco, Vinmar and many others.

Participants of «PET 2010» conference will be given papers from the leading companies and experts of PET industry. The main subjects scheduled to be discussed at the conference are:

• Current situation at global, regional and Russian PET markets;
• Prospects of PET markets development in conditions of crisis;
• «Life after crisis»
• Domestic PET production and state-of- the-art earlier announced projects;
• Long-term perspective of the internal market growth and structure of PET consumption;
• Influence of import on the internal market;
• PET and PET packaging price fluctuation factors;
• PET packaging development in Russia;
• Prospects of Russian PET textile industry;
• Equipment and technology development for PET production and conversion;
• PET recycling.

Adam Smith Conferences' are pleased to announce that the preparations are going ahead full steam for the 1st international CIS Pharmaceutical Forum, will take place on the 18th and 19th February 2010 at the Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel in Moscow.

Just a little background to the event - Based on the success of our annual pharmaceutical conferences dedicated to Russia and Ukraine, and in response to an overwhelming number of requests from our regular attendees, we are introducing this topical forum to address the key issues that industry players are facing in the pharmaceutical markets of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

The programme of this 2-day event features a mix of plenary sessions, regulatory keynote presentations, interactive discussions and debates, to ensure that you gain maximum insight into these important markets and have your questions answered by the 30+ expert speaker faculty.

KEY TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED IN GREATER DETAIL AT THE FORUM INCLUDE:

Overview of the latest trends in the pharmaceutical markets of the CIS, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan

Spotlight on the regulatory environments within each CIS country, with a focus on key issues such as pricing regulation and control, reimbursement programmes and medical insurance, licensing, registration, certification, intellectual property and patents. 

Distribution and retail – is it still the key element in the pharmaceutical supply chain? In-depth analysis on the effects of the economic downturn on payment delays

Marketing strategies and product portfolio management – how do strategies need to vary country by country? A review of budget allocation strategies, consumer behaviour patterns and a focus on how to measure the ROI on marketing investments in both quantitative and qualitative terms.