Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Kraton Polymers announces Asia Pacific HSBC price increase

Houston (BUSINESS WIRE) - Kraton Polymers continues to experience unprecedented cost increases derived from raw materials, energy and packaging costs.

As a result of these aggressive cost drivers, effective May 1, 2008, or as contracts permit, we are announcing a general price increase of 220 USD/MT, in Asia Pacific for our HSBC product portfolio, which is defined as our SEBS and SEPS based polymers and compounds.

We appreciate our customers' continued business and understanding as Kraton continues to manage these difficult economic challenges. We continue to strive to be the innovation leader, providing polymer solutions and value-added services that enable our customers to differentiate and succeed in their markets.

About Kraton

Kraton is a leading global engineered polymer company and, we believe, the world's largest producer of styrenic block copolymers (SBCs), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by us over forty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic elastomers, which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength, durability and processability. Kraton polymers are used in a wide range of applications including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants, lubricants, medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing, and footwear products. Kraton has the leading position in nearly all of its core markets and is the only producer of SBCs with global manufacturing capability. Its production facilities are located in the United States, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Brazil, and Japan.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, and "Giving Innovators their Edge" tagline are trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC.

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release includes "forward-looking statements" which are statements other than statements of historical fact and are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates,""projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements.Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such information.

Kraton Polymers LLC
Media: Richard Ott, 281-504-4720

No comments: