Celanese announced Sept. 21 price increases for four acetyl products. In the US and Canada, vinyl acetate monomer rises $0.06/lb; acetic acid, ethyl acetate and acetic anhydride rise $0.045/lb each. Changes take effect immediately or as contracts and other commitments permit.
In the second quarter, Celanese’s Acetyl Chain reported $1.33 billion in net sales, up 28% sequentially, with reported price and volume increases of 22% and 6%. Operating profit was $237 million and reported operating margin was 18%. Management attributed the performance to pricing opportunities and Western Hemisphere volume gains, supported by reliable supply from its global network.
Celanese did not disclose how much of the announced increases it expects to realize. The company said supply-related opportunities were expected to moderate in the third quarter; whether prices lift margins will also depend on customer acceptance, retained volume and raw-material, energy and logistics costs.
