1. Natural resources & industry events
  2. Americas Chemicals Conference

2017 Americas Chemicals Conference

  • Houston, United States
Are we there yet? The anticipation of new capacity in the US Gulf Coast (USGC) continues to build, with definite impacts on global markets and trade. Once everything comes on-line, how will the USGC build-out trigger global reactions? How do things change when factoring in recent developments in the economy, politics and energy prices? Join us in Houston on Thursday, November 30, 2017 as we focus on these looming questions.

Agenda

  • 30 November 2017

    • Registration and Networking Breakfast

    • Uncertainties Flourish for the Global Economy and Crude Oil Markets

      What are the outlooks for global, US, and Chinese economies? What are the break-even costs for major US tight oil plays and how long will they last? How will OPEC’s actions affect oil markets and how long will US$45-55/bbl oil prices persist?

      Speakers

      • R.T. has held various research and consulting roles within Wood Mackenzie. Currently, he contributes to the company’s detailed analysis of major upstream developments in North America. He also serves as a advisor for the company’s Macro Oils (Oil Price Outlook) service. In prior roles, he led a U.S. upstream research team and was an upstream consultant. Mr. Dukes still contributes to Woodmac’s consulting practice and has participated in projects that account for billions in upstream transactions. He has led and been involved in projects ranging from asset opportunity screenings, third-party valuations, due diligence, and strategic reviews. He is regularly interviewed and quoted by major news outlets – Chron, WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, etc. Prior to Wood Mackenzie, R.T. led a company investing in oil and gas working interests and royalties. Mr. Dukes graduated Cum Laude from Texas A&M University with a bachelors degree in accounting and a masters degree in finance. He currently serves on the Former Student Advisory Board for the Professional Program in Accounting.

    • The Sustainability and Risks of Low Priced Natural Gas

      What are the break-even costs for major US shale gas plays? How are demand and logistics limiting natural gas supply developments? How long will sub-US$5/mmbtu gas persist?

      Speakers

      • Kristy Kramer leads Wood Mackenzie’s Americas Gas Research team, which covers short term and long term market analysis and outlooks for supply, demand, pricing, and flows in North America and as part of the global gas market. She joined Wood Mackenzie as a Principal in consulting in 2016, focusing on delivering bespoke gas, power, and LNG engagements. Kristy has been involved in helping clients determine and evaluate investment opportunities, design portfolio strategy, and understand associated market responses. Prior to Wood Mackenzie, Kristy worked eight years at ExxonMobil, on portfolio optimization, strategy analysis and design, and operational transactions. She has experience in the flowing gas, LNG, and exploration businesses and with key joint venture partners in the Americas, Middle East, and Africa.

    • North American Natural Gas Liquids – Tied to the World

      Can global LPG markets continue to absorb North American exports? What basin will provide the marginal barrel of ethane for new steam crackers? Is there enough ethane for the 2nd and 3rd investment waves?

      Speakers

      • Joe joined Wood Mackenzie in 2015 to lead Wood Mackenzie’s short-term olefins and NGL services. He currently leads a team that publishes monthly reports and insights on the near-term outlook for the ethylene, propylene, and NGL commodity markets. He brings nearly twenty years of experience in the energy and petrochemical industries, starting at ExxonMobil and Westlake Chemical in process engineering, financial analysis, and feedstock procurement roles. Most recently he managed NGLs and Olefins trading desks for BP and Castleton Commodities (formerly Louis Dreyfus Energy). Joe graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the University of Houston.

    • New US Capacity Causing Ethylene & Propylene Markets to Rock & Roll

      What are the statuses, outlooks and risks for new light olefins projects? How will global markets react to changing production economics, new trade flows, and high capital investment costs? What will the 2nd and 3rd investment waves look like?

      Speakers

      • Steve Zinger joined Wood Mackenzie in 2012 to develop a global chemical research team to compliment Wood Mackenzie’s existing capabilities in energy, metals, and mining. He now coordinates the Chemical Consulting Practice in the Americas. Steve currently contributes to research, multi-client, and private consulting studies using his expertise in the markets for ethylene, propylene, and butadiene. He regularly provides executive presentations about the outlook for the chemical industry for his customers’ private meetings as well as for key chemical industry events. Steve has over 25 years of international experience in the chemical industry, in various roles including Managing Director of Asia (Singapore) and Global Olefins Business Director (USA).

    • Coffee Break

    • Executive Keynote Session

      Panel Session followed by Q&A

      Speakers

      • Naushad Jamani is Senior Vice President, Olefins & Feedstock for NOVA Chemicals, based in Calgary, Alberta and a member of the NOVA Management Board. Naushad spent the first 15 years of his career in various Engineering and Commercial roles in Sarnia, Ontario. In 1995, he moved to Calgary taking on increasing levels of responsibility in the area of feedstock acquisition and product marketing. Today, he has the business performance accountability for all ethylene crackers in NOVA’s portfolio. He is a Graduate of the University of Waterloo and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1980.

      • Chris Bland is the vice president of Braskem’s strategic expansion of polypropylene in the U.S. In this role, he is accountable for all aspects of the project execution and interfaces with the existing business. Prior to his current role, he served as the Vice President of Manufacturing for Braskem America, Inc. and was responsible for operations of the U.S. manufacturing facilities.. In this role, he was accountable for all aspects of facility operations, including production, maintenance and turnarounds, process and personal safety, environmental performance, capital engineering, process controls, procurement, and labor relations.

    • Networking Lunch & Live Product Demonstrations

    • Brace for Impact: Navigating Global Polyolefins Trade

      Where would all the new PE capacity go? How could other regions' competitive landscapes change due North American polyethylene exports? When would we see new polypropylene capacity in North America?

      Speakers

      • Currently leads PCI Wood Mackenzie’s polyolefins service, with a decade of experience in research and consulting for the commodity and specialty polyolefins; has developed strategic research tools and analytics products to integrate commodity polyolefins into the existing PCI Wood Mackenzie chemical research Has a broad background with projects ranging from refining to petrochemicals, solvents to specialty polymers and catalysts to plastics converted goods Before joining PCI Wood Mackenzie, Ashish held several roles at Chemical Market Resources, Inc. Here, he consulted numerous clients with market entry strategy, mergers and acquisition, project feasibility, opportunity analysis, technology evaluation and market assessment of chemicals, polyolefins and catalysts sector. Graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a BS and MS in Chemical and Biological Engineering

    • A Re-Examination on China’s CTO/MTO Development

      What’s the operational status of coal/methanol-to-olefins and what’s its role in China’s olefin market? How will China’s 13th FYP guide coal/methanol to olefins development? Can coal/methanol to olefins survive with low crude oil prices?

      Speakers

      • Kelly joined Wood Mackenzie’s Chemicals team in August 2013 as a petrochemical consultant. She is based in Wood Mackenzie’s Shanghai office and oversees the China market. Kelly has extensive experience in CTO & MTO sector, an emerging force in China’s chemical industry. Since joining Wood Mackenzie, Kelly has worked on both olefin and downstream supply & demand and cost & price analysis, she is an integral team member for most chemical consulting projects undertaken in China. Her most recent work is a multi-client study covering every single detail of China’s CTO / MTO. Before Wood Mackenzie, Kelly was a consultant in a European petrochemical consulting company for 5 years. Kelly also had several years’ sales and marketing experience with two other chemical companies.

    • Olefins & Polymers – Understanding Pricing & Risk Management

      Spot markets becoming more dominant for olefins and polymers Physical, forward & spread trading Risk management techniques across the entire value chain

      Speakers

      • Kathy Hall is the Executive Editor and founder of PetroChem Wire, a daily newsletter she created in 2007 to serve the US olefins and polymers markets by providing useful and clear information about commodity chemical pricing and operations. The company has grown from producing a single daily email report to producing 5 daily reports, 4 weekly reports and several monthly reports available by email and on data platforms including GlobalView, Morningstar and Bloomberg. Prior to starting PetroChem Wire, Kathy spent more than 10 years as a commodity markets reporter, editor and manager at Platts. PetroChem Wire serves as an industry benchmark for US ethylene, propylene, polyethylene and polypropylene and is used by the NYMEX/CME Clearport contracts for these products.

    • Panel Q&A

    • Networking Break & Live Product Demonstrations

    • U.S. MEG: The New Middle East

      Can the world easily absorb the first wave of 2.6 million tons in 2019? Will US 2nd wave of another 2.5 million tons by 2024 be more competitive? Will US polyester producers have a long term MEG cost advantage?

      Speakers

      • Doug received a B.S. Chemistry from Delaware Valley University in 1970 and a M.S. Chemistry, West Virginia University 1972. He started his professional career in 1972 with ICI Americas in Wilmington, Delaware in sales of Ethylene oxide derivatives and then to the new petrochemical division in 1980 as regional manager developing a new customer base for EO, MEG, DEG, TEG, glycol ethers, ethanolamines and brake fluid for a new 300 kt plant in Bayport, Texas. Appointed National Sales manager for ICI in 1985 then Global Sales Director in 1987 with Cain Chemical and then Global Marketing Director for Oxychem (now LyondellBasell). Left Oxychem in 1991 and started with the PCI consulting in 1992 as their head of EO MEG EOD consulting services.

    • Vinyls: Usually Rocky, Poised to Roll

      Ethylene and back integration in America; market changer or ho-hum? Outlook for global markets: investment gap creating opportunity? Is China getting some discipline at just the right time?

      Speakers

      • Joel Lindahl joined Wood Mackenzie’s chemicals team in July 2013, bringing extensive experience in the chlor-alkali and vinyl industries to the petrochemical team in Houston. Joel’s experience extends across chlorine, caustic soda, EDC, VCM, PVC and related chemistry chains. Joel has twenty six years in manufacturing, engineering, management and procurement roles in the industry (heritage BFGoodrich/Geon/PolyOne) and seven years as Director of Chlor-alkali and Vinyl Studies at Chemical Market Associates (CMAI). Joel earned his BS in Chemical Engineering at the University of Arizona and added a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Houston.

    • Butadiene Volatility Can Still Shake Things Up

      What happened in Q1 2017? What does the supply outlook for butadiene look like? Will there be more volatility ahead?

      Speakers

      • Jay McMurrey joined Wood Mackenzie’s chemicals team in 2014; his emphasis currently resides in olefins, covering ethylene, propylene, and butadiene markets. At Wood Mackenzie, Jay has helped develop and maintain olefins research offerings and analytics. He has also worked closely to integrate the olefins research of legacy Wood Mackenzie and PCI products in the new PCI Wood Mackenzie organization. Jay has over 10 years of experience in the energy, chemicals and financial industries, with roles in corporate strategy, project development, market analysis, and process improvement. After a brief stint in investment banking (2007-2008), Jay was introduced to the chemical industry via a development company pursuing gasification, and subsequently worked for gasification technology start ups. After the shale gas revolution, Jay pivoted into the olefins space and brought his project development experience to a C4 processing company pursuing on-purpose butadiene and other butylene based projects. Jay is a graduate of Colby College with an Economics degree

    • Styrene – Chinese Anti-Dumping Duties

      Frame the current North American market Discussions of Chinese anti-dumping duties How could those duties play out?

      Speakers

      • Ryan joined Wood Mackenzie’s Chemical Research team in 2012, with broad experience across the aromatics and gasoline blending spaces. He is developing new chemical research products and analytics that integrate closely with existing Wood Mackenzie and legacy PCI research. He is also using modelling capabilities in the R programming language to further improve existing offerings. He brings 9 years of previous commercial petrochemical industry experience both at a trading organization and doing market consulting. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

    • Benzene in the US: Going Hungry in the Land of Plenty

      In a continent now flush with hydrocarbons, where has all the benzene gone? Will the US be forever reliant on incremental overseas supply, or can more be homegrown? What does this mean for those who on occasion still go hungry?

      Speakers

      • Simon joined Wood Mackenzie’s Chemical Research team in 2012, with specialization in aromatics (benzene, mixed xylenes, paraxylene, toluene). He is developing new chemical research products and analytics that integrate closely with existing Wood Mackenzie research. He brings 30 years of previous commercial petrochemical industry experience both in an operating company (ICI plc., London, UK) and in commodity trading and market consulting. Simon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies with marketing specialization from the University of West London, United Kingdom.

    • Panel Q&A and Closing Comments

    • Networking Reception

Fees

Registration

$995.00