Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 23

Friday, June 28, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 23

1              Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-major-players-on-sidelines-ahead-of-trump-xi-opec-meetings-583293

As far as the Trump-Xi meeting is concerned, traders are not looking for any major developments. It’s possible that both leaders agreed to the meeting just to gauge the temperature of each side. However, stranger things have happened before. In early December, for instance, both sides agreed to begin trade negotiations after holding a meeting at another G-20 summit.

2              Failing Trade Talks Could Send Oil To $30
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Failing-Trade-Talks-Could-Send-Oil-To-30.html

The U.S. and China appear to be making progress on trade talks ahead of the G20 meeting, but should they fail, the fallout for the oil market could be significant.

3              The Single Biggest Factor For Oil Price Forecasts
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Single-Biggest-Factor-For-Oil-Price-Forecasts.html
Trump and Xi will meet this Friday at the G20 summit to discuss the possibility of settling their dispute and putting an end to the on-going trade war. While it would be overly optimistic to expect the meeting to reverse the current economic downturn, it may well produce the positive sentiment required to halt the downward trend. Downside risks for oil prices due to the trade war remain undoubtedly high, with some commentators projecting $30 a barrel in the future.

4              North American PE, PP prices down in June, PVC on the rise
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/north-american-pe-pp-prices-down-june-pvc-rise
The regional PVC market saw prices climb by an average of 2 cents in June. This move surprised some market watchers, since construction activity, which drives demand for the resin, hasn’t been overly strong so far in 2019.

5              US May Become Third Largest Seller of LNG | Rigzone
https://www.rigzone.com/news/us_may_become_third_largest_seller_of_lng-28-jun-2019-159176-article/

This year, the U.S. will surpass Malaysia to become the world’s third largest seller of LNG. The country could even eclipse Qatar and Australia to take the top spot by 2024. This is truly staggering growth considering that LNG exports from the contiguous 48 just began in February 2016, when Cheniere Energy’s flagship Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana first came online.

6              The LNG sector is breaking taboos to stay competitive
https://blogs.platts.com/2019/06/27/the-lng-sector-is-breaking-taboos-to-stay-competitive/

Breaking taboos in the LNG industry is a time-honored tradition. The disruptors have sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed, but the commercial arc of the LNG universe is unquestionably bending towards change.

7              Decarbonizing US Power Grid Would Cost Up To $4.5T
https://www.rigzone.com/news/decarbonizing_us_power_grid_would_cost_up_to_45t-28-jun-2019-159181-article/

The transition to a 100 percent renewable U.S. power grid would need investment of up to $4.5 trillion over the next 10 to 20 years.

8              Shale Executive Sees “Another Round Of Bankruptcies” Looming
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Shale-Executive-Sees-Another-Round-Of-Bankruptcies-Looming.html

The recent downturn in oil prices forced a slowdown in the U.S. shale industry, and top executives appear to be gloomier than ever.

9              Best Bets On Pipeline Politics
https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/06/28/best-bets-on-pipeline-politics/
It seems like a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But barely two years back, permits for new US oil and especially natural gas pipelines were basically a formality

10           U.S. refinery capacity reaches record high at the start of 2019 – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=40012

As of January 1, 2019, U.S. operable atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity was a record-high 18.8 million barrels per calendar day (b/cd), an increase of 1.1% since the beginning of 2018, according to EIA’s annual Refinery Capacity Report. The previous high of 18.6 million b/cd was set at the beginning of 1981. U.S. annual operable crude oil distillation unit (CDU) capacity has increased slightly in six of the past seven years. Operable capacity includes both idle and operating capacity.

11           How U.S. LNG plays havoc with Dutch gas and Asian shipping
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lng-usa-europe-idUSKCN1TT18U

Dutch gas prices hit 10-year lows this week, reflecting high European inventories swelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, testing levels at which companies that committed to buy U.S. LNG will start making serious losses.

12           Mexico’s president defiant in row with Canada over pipeline contracts
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-ienova-canada-idUSKCN1TS1XF

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pushed backed on Thursday against Canadian concerns that gas pipeline contracts awarded under his predecessor might not be honored, saying the terms of the agreements were “abusive” toward the state.

13           Government to invest $275 million in Canada LNG
https://www.lngworldnews.com/government-to-invest-275-million-in-canada-lng/
The Canadian Gov’t said on Monday that the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development confirmed the $275 million investment in LNG Canada’s complex in Kitimat.

14           Key Factors Supporting Bullish LNG Shipping Sentiment
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4271358-key-factors-supporting-bullish-lng-shipping-sentiment
Maritime trade of LNG (liquid natural gas) is a crucial link in the natural gas supply chain for many nations where domestic demand outstrips available supply. These vessels transport natural gas, which has been reduced to a liquid state by cooling it to minus 162°C, achieving a volume reduction of approximately 600 to one. Upon delivery, this LNG can be stored in a liquid state until the market demands, whereupon it enters a re-gasification process.

15           Bechtel gets construction contract for Ohio ethane cracker
https://www.kallanishenergy.com/2019/06/24/bechtel-gets-construction-contract-for-ohio-ethane-cracker/

The giant international engineering firm Bechtel has announced it has been hired by Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical America and South Korea-based partner Daleim to build a $6 billion cracker.

16           Chevron Phillips makes $15 billion bid to acquire Nova Chemicals
https://www.plasticstoday.com/materials/chevron-phillips-makes-15-billion-bid-acquire-nova-chemicals/48536543161028

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. (The Woodlands, TX) has offered to acquire Nova Chemicals Corp. (Calgary, AB) for more than $15 billion, Reuters is reporting based on information from people familiar with the matter.

17           Qatar teams up with Chevron Phillips for petrochemical project
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-qatar-petroleum-petrochemicals-idUSKCN1TP0U7

Qatar Petroleum has signed an agreement with Chevron Phillips Chemical to build a new petrochemicals complex, part of plans by the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter to broaden its energy interests.

18           Exxon hires ex-Trafigura crude oil trader in Singapore
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-mobil-singapore-oil-idUSKCN1TT1B9
Exxon Mobil Corp has hired former Trafigura crude oil trader Hong Hsien Tan to further boost its trading capabilities in Singapore, multiple sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 23

Friday, June 28, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 23

1              How Data Masking is Driving Power to Organizations?
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/how-data-masking-is-driving-power-to-organizations

In this digital age, the threats against an organization’s data are massive and the consequences of a breach are extremely devastating for a business. So it has become important to consider various factors when it comes to secure databases.

2              AI: More sales, revenue or profit? You choose
https://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/merchandising/ai-more-sales-revenue-or-profit-you-choose/

It’s important to note that there needs to be a degree of flexibility when applying business objectives, which AI can help with

3              Launch of OilX platform, harnesses AI to transform oil trading analytics
https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/digital-oilfield/17012019/launch-of-oilx-platform-harnesses-ai-to-transform-oil-trading-analytics/

Today marks the launch of a world-first technology platform which aims to transform the oil trading industry through the application of artificial intelligence – OilX.

4              How Satellite Imagery is Revolutionizing the Wa
https://medium.com/@kolemannlutz/how-satellite-imagery-is-revolutionizing-the-wa-da44bfb95d89

Amidst the data revolution, strategic investment teams are constantly searching for alternative datasets to stay ahead of the game. A key component of successful investing practices is to gather a well-informed outlook of the situation at any given time. One unique solution to capitalize in the financial markets is from the underlying information within satellite imagery.

5              New Report Looks at Best Times to Post on the Major Social Platforms in 2019
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-report-looks-at-best-times-to-post-on-the-major-social-platforms-in-201/557530/

Since the dawn of social media marketing, brands have been trying to work out the magical best time to post, in order to maximize engagement, boost reach and, ultimately, increase conversions. But here’s the truth – there is no magical, one-size-fits-all, best time to post for every brand, on any social network.

6              5 Under-the-Radar LinkedIn Features for Marketers
https://www.toprankblog.com/2019/06/linkedin-features-marketers/

It’s plain to see that B2B marketers, at large, see the value in social media. The latest B2B benchmarking research from CMI and MarketingProfs found that nearly two out of three respondents (61%) increased their usage of social media for content marketing purposes in the previous year. Another new report shows that social content is atop the list of focal areas for B2B marketers in the coming year.

7              How to Pair AI with Inside Sales to Grow Your Business
https://blog.marketo.com/2019/06/how-to-pair-ai-with-inside-sales-to-grow-your-business.html
Inside sales has always been a high-touch and highly professional strategy for reaching out to business buyers with a targeted message. And today inside sales reps are often a company’s first line of communication with existing customers and prospects alike.

8              AI Can Keep An Eye On You
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/ai-can-keep-an-eye-on-you

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can monitor your moves. It’s not a myth, but the sheer reality. AI can give you a creepy experience while keeping an eye on you.

9              Creativity and effectiveness, brand building, voice commerce: 5 killer stats to start your week
https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/06/24/creativity-and-effectiveness-brand-building-voice-commerce-5-killer-stats-to-start-your-week/

More than half (51%) of business leaders, including 33% of senior level marketers, rate their knowledge of brand building as ‘average’ to ‘very poor’ despite of being responsible for setting marketing objectives.

10           7 Steps to Mastering Data Preparation for Machine Learning with Python — 2019 Edition
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/06/7-steps-mastering-data-preparation-python.html

Data preparation, cleaning, pre-processing, cleansing, wrangling. Whatever term you choose, they refer to a roughly related set of pre-modeling data activities in the machine learning, data mining, and data science communities.

11           How to Market an Event: 15 Event Marketing Tips
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/event-marketing/how-to-market-an-event-15-event-marketing-tips/

A well-planned promotional strategy is vital for a successful event. These event marketing tips will help you get the word out about your event, reach the right audience, and build buzz for your conference, trade show, or corporate event in the run-up to its launch.

12           Study shows many senior managers distrust big data
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-senior-distrust-big.html
A new Massey University study shows many top executives are failing to capitalise on the benefits of big data, preferring to rely on their own intuition.

13           How Email Triggers Can Generate More Sales
https://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/how-email-triggers-can-generate-more-sales-02213883

To overcome the issue automating your emails is one of the best ways to increase your sales. You can send emails to the right person at the right time.

It is not activated all the time, but whenever a particular event occurs, or your website indicates something, it is sent automatically to the users. It is a reaction of the action taken by any particular user on your website. You can also schedule them at particular moments, like the birthday of your user or when you are willing to announce something publically or at Ester/Christmas, etc.

14           The 19 Best iPaaS Vendors for Any Budget
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ipaas-vendors
As your business grows and evolves, you’ll inevitably find yourself adding more applications to your growth stack. If those applications run on different platforms and can’t communicate effectively, you’re going to run into issues with data loss, duplication of efforts, and bottlenecks that slow your team down.

15           What Is Inbound Sales? A Complete Guide
https://www.bluleadz.com/blog/what-is-inbound-sales
Buyer behaviors are constantly changing, but the invention of the internet shifted the power dynamic entirely. Now, consumers have the ability and resources to seek education on their own, so the traditional method of pressuring them to make a quick decision simply doesn’t work anymore.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 22

Friday, June 21, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 22

1              Transparency used to be a dirty word in energy, now it’s the norm
https://www.businessinsider.com/transparency-used-to-be-a-dirty-word-in-energy-now-its-the-norm-2017-6

Seven years ago, two friends set up a software company in Paris. Their aim was to develop a system that could track oil and gas cargos around the world. Today, Kpler has four offices globally and employs 50 people. Its clients represent 95% of the global LNG industry, and 60% of the LPG market. The company is currently expanding into crude oil and fuels, and is planning to cover all seaborne commodities in the future. Just another success story from the digital age? It’s more than that.

2              The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39932
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil chokepoint because of the large volumes of oil that flow through the strait. In 2018, its daily oil flow averaged 21 million barrels per day (b/d), or the equivalent of about 21% of global petroleum liquids consumption.

3              Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Will Speculators Increase Long Positions Ahead of Weekend?
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-will-speculators-increase-long-positions-ahead-of-weekend-581868

The foundation is there for a rally today given all the positive developments this week. The rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran should underpin prices into the week-end. I’d be surprised if traders took profits ahead of the week-end given the uncertainty over current events. Speculative buying may actually increase into the close as traders bet on the worst outcome.

4              MHIENG receives order for US polyethylene plant
https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/21062019/mhieng-receives-order-for-us-polyethylene-plant/

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering (MHIENG) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA), group companies of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), have received an order for construction of a large-scale polyethylene plant with annual production capacity of 1.3 million t.

5              BASF CEO Wayne Smith says petrochemical industry needs to do better
https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2019/06/20/basf-ceo-industry-needs-to-improve-image-keep.html

The chairman and CEO of the second-largest chemical producer in North America said the industry has to do a better job telling the public about its advances in sustainability and also keep putting a lot of effort and money into doing even better in the future.

6              Asia and North America to lead ethylene capacity additions by 2023
https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/21062019/asia-and-north-america-to-lead-ethylene-capacity-additions-by-2023/

Global ethylene capacity is poised to see considerable growth of 27% from 207.58 million tpy in 2019 to 264.13 million tpy in 2023, led by Asia and North America,

7              Canada Risks Becoming Banana Republic Over Energy
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/canada_risks_becoming_banana_republic_over_energy-21-jun-2019-159126-article/

Canada risks becoming a banana republic for its restrictive energy policy and failure to attract new investment into the sector, according to a Calgary money manager.

8              Asian LNG spot prices slip as cargoes flood market
https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/21062019/asian-lng-spot-prices-slip-as-cargoes-flood-market/

According to the latest Reuters report, Asian LNG spot prices have slipped in response to a surge in supply, which has flooded the market at a time when regional demand has remained stable.

9              GLX LNG platform receives first firm bid in Europe
https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/21062019/glx-lng-platform-receives-first-firm-bid-in-europe/

Trafigura have placed the first bid on GLX’s Europe LNG bid-offer platform just a day after its launch.

10           Mexico’s Pemex to stick to areas it knows best, pass on deepwater: CFO
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-pemex-idUSKCN1TL2TM

Petroleos Mexicanos will focus on shallow water projects and onshore plays, and avoid investing in its deepwater riches for now, as the ailing Mexican state-run oil company seeks to turn around a 14-year slide in crude production, a top official said on Thursday.

11           Exclusive: Chevron Phillips Chemical in bid to acquire Nova Chemicals
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-novachemicals-m-a-chevronphillips-exc-idUSKCN1TL2OA

Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, a joint venture between Chevron Corp and Phillips 66, has offered to acquire Nova Chemicals Corp for more than $15 billion including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

12           Exxon’s $53 billion Iraq deal hit by contract snags, Iran tensions
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-iraq-oil-exclusive-idUSKCN1TM0IZ
Just weeks ago, U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil looked poised to move ahead with a $53 billion project to boost Iraq’s oil output at its southern fields, a milestone in the company’s ambitions to expand in the country.

13           Anadarko approves $20 billion LNG export project in Mozambique
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mozambique-anadarko-lng-idUSKCN1TJ2DI
The announcement, which occurred at an event in Mozambique, was widely expected after Anadarko last month flagged the decision date.

“As the world increasingly seeks cleaner forms of energy, the Anadarko-led Area 1 Mozambique LNG project is ideally located to meet growing demand, particularly in expanding Asian and European markets,” Chief Executive Officer Al Walker said in a statement

14           The Energy Sector Gets Its First Custom-Built Blockchain
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-energy-sector-gets-its-first-custom-built-blockchain

Blockchain’s energy industry promise has come a step closer to reality with the launch of the first public, open-source, enterprise-grade Blockchain for the sector.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 22

Friday, June 21, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 22

1              Harness Data to Help You Define a Partner Channel Upsell Strategy
https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/harness-data-to-help-you-define-a-partner-channel-upsell-strategy-02211714

It’s crystal clear that your partner channel is an asset to your company’s overall business revenue number. What’s murkier is the operational process to actually put those dollars in your pocket.

2              Why Data Now Makes Every Company a Tech Company
https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/06/20/data-makes-every-company-a-tech-company/

Along with countless others in the IT consulting space, I’ve written about the challenges facing businesses as they undergo their various digital transformation initiatives. I find the topic endlessly fascinating, as it not only speaks to today’s business opportunities but explores what will be the foundation for the next century of innovation.

3              Considering a Subscription Model? Avoid These Rookie Mistakes
https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/considering-subscription-model-avoid-these-rookie-mistakes

The subscription economy is taking business by storm. Entire industries have moved to subscription-based pricing, leaving behind some of the slow movers but also giving new life to companies that were struggling. Some talk about the end of ownership and the start of usership. It is a real revolution.

4              Meet The World’s Most Valuable AI Startup: China’s SenseTime
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/06/17/meet-the-worlds-most-valuable-ai-startup-chinas-sensetime/

In just four years, SenseTime went from being an academic project to become the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence (AI) company with a current valuation of $4.5 billion. Based in China, the company has a portfolio of 700 clients and partners, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Qualcomm, Honda, Alibaba, Weibo, and more.

5              Benefits of Cloud Hosting
https://www.quicksprout.com/benefits-of-cloud-hosting/

Broadly speaking, the cloud refers to remote storage. For example, you can store pictures from your smartphone or documents on your computer to a cloud storage space like Google Drive.

6              10 Simple hacks to speed up your Data Analysis in Python
https://towardsdatascience.com/10-simple-hacks-to-speed-up-your-data-analysis-in-python-ec18c6396e6b

Tips and Tricks, especially in the programming world, can be very useful. Sometimes a little hack can be both time and life-saving. A minor shortcut or add-on can sometimes prove to be a Godsend and can be a real productivity booster.

7              How to Use Python’s datetime
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/06/how-use-datetime.html

Wrangling dates and times in python. Python’s datetime package is a convenient set of tools for working with dates and times. With just the five tricks that I’m about to show you, you can handle most of your datetime processing needs.

8              5 Reasons Why Customer Support Systems are Essential to Great Businesses
https://www.business2community.com/brandviews/teamsupport/5-reasons-why-customer-support-systems-are-essential-to-great-businesses-02212037

Customer support can be a challenge. Especially in the B2B (business-to-business) industry, the quick decisions your support team makes can have a profound impact on a customer relationship. Whether or not they make the right decision on the phone can be the difference between calming an upset customer or making them even more angry.

9              7 Effective Ways to Boost the Sales of Your Digital Products
https://www.business2community.com/ecommerce/7-effective-ways-to-boost-the-sales-of-your-digital-products-02212036

Creating and selling digital products is one of the best ways to monetize a website or blog. With digital products you’ll have no need to invest capital in inventory, no issues keeping popular products in stock, and you’ll be able to set up a system that automatically delivers the products by email or instant download to your customers.

10           Mobile apps as marketing tools: types, goals, and building strategies
https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/mobile-apps-as-marketing-tools-types-goals-building-strategies/

Apps offer effective solutions for communicating with users and keeping them with the brand. Every job requires a tool, and brand marketing is no exception. The era of mobile devices also asks for something new, different from old but gold TV, radio ads, and street banners. Mobile branding apps are the exact tools that today’s brands require.

11           Growing profits through focusing on the customers that matter
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/05/22/growing-profits-through-focusing-customers-matter

In business as in life, growing profits are a strong indicator of your organization’s performance. And while there is a tendency to think of ‘growth’ as something that happens as a result of expansion and by reaching ever higher numbers of people in more places than ever before, this is not always the case.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 21

Friday, June 14, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 21

1              IEA cuts 2019 estimate for oil demand growth on global trade worries
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iea-oil-idUSKCN1TF0TA
The outlook for oil demand growth in 2019 has dimmed due to worsening prospects for world trade, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday, although stimulus packages and developing countries should boost growth going into 2020.

2              Global gas demand to keep rising over next five years, IEA says
https://www.lngworldnews.com/global-gas-demand-to-keep-rising-over-next-five-years-iea-says/

After another record year, global demand for natural gas is set to keep growing over the next five years due to strong consumption in fast-growing Asian economies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Gas 2019 report.

3              Oil set for weekly loss as demand fears outweigh geopolitics
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1TF041

Oil prices steadied on Friday but remained on track for a weekly loss on fears that trade disputes will dent global oil demand, though attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman this week gave prices a floor.

4              OPEC, Russia nearing accord on long term oil supply coordination: Nikkei
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-opec-novak-idUSKCN1TF0C4

OPEC and other producers including Russia are in final talks for an agreement, that may be signed in early July, to cooperate on oil supplies on a long-term basis, Japan’s Nikkei reported, citing Russian energy minister Alexander Novak.

5              America’s Most Important Natural Gas Export Market
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Americas-Most-Important-Natural-Gas-Export-Market.html

Most of this growth was in exports to Mexico, which imported 1.7 Tcf of U.S. natural gas in 2018. This is a far greater total than for any other country, and is in fact more than all liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to all countries.

6              How Will Industry Respond To Michael Bloomberg’s New Assault On Natural Gas?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2019/06/13/how-will-industry-respond-to-michael-bloombergs-new-assault-on-natural-gas/

You have to admire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a way. Rather than taking the track of exploiting climate alarmism for profit, as so many prominent figures in our society have done, he puts his own money where his messaging is.

7              ExxonMobil, SABIC to Proceed with Gulf Coast Growth Ventures Project
https://www.manufacturing.net/news/2019/06/exxonmobil-sabic-proceed-gulf-coast-growth-ventures-project

ExxonMobil and SABIC announced the decision to proceed with the construction of a chemical facility and a 1.8 million metric ton ethane steam cracker in San Patricio County, Texas, leading to thousands of high-paying jobs and billions in economic output.

8              Reliance, BP to start work on third gas project in India’s Bay of Bengal
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-reliance-bp-project-idUSKCN1TC2DE
India’s Reliance Industries Ltd and partner BP said on Tuesday they would start developing a third gas field off India’s east coast.

9              Shell to invest at least $397 million in Mexican deepwater oil projects
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-oil-shell-idUSKCN1TC2A6
Mexico’s independent oil regulator on Tuesday approved deepwater energy exploration plans for five areas operated by Royal Dutch Shell Plc in Mexican waters near the maritime border with the United States.

10           Province looking into making plastics, packaging producers run the recycling system
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/plastic-producers-recycling-1.5167669

Producers of plastic and packaging products could be on the hook for Ontario’s entire recycling bill, as the province looks to shift management of the blue bin system.

11           Shell Begins Shipping LNG From Huge Prelude Project
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Shell-Begins-Shipping-LNG-From-Huge-Prelude-Project.html

Shell has finally sent the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from its Prelude floating production facility off the coast of Australia. S&P Global Platts reports that the cargo is bound for Asia, although the name of the buyer was not disclosed.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 21

Friday, June 14, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 21

1              Google to buy unified data platform Looker for $2.6 billion to strengthen Cloud analytics
https://marketingland.com/google-to-buy-unified-data-platform-looker-for-2-6-billion-to-strengthen-cloud-analytics-262239

Earlier today, Google announced plans to acquire unified data and analytics platform Looker for $2.6 billion in an all-cash transaction. Once the deal is complete later this year, Looker will join Google Cloud.

2              Mary Meeker’s Annual Tech Report Outlines Coming Shifts in Social Media and Digital Marketing
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/mary-meekers-annual-tech-report-outlines-coming-shifts-in-social-media-and/556664/

Every year, the tech sector keenly awaits Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Trends Report, which looks at the key industry shifts and developments to be aware of, in order to help marketers, and others, plan for the next major evolutions.

3              Five things to do on a small digital marketing budget Search Engine Watch
https://searchenginewatch.com/2019/06/13/small-digital-marketing-budget-tips/

When you have a smaller digital marketing budget, every dollar counts, and you often need to get creative to make sure your ads show where you want.

4              How Automation Helps [Small] Businesses Increase Agility
https://www.business2community.com/small-business/how-automation-helps-small-businesses-increase-agility-02210712

Rapid change and technology have made organizational agility an absolute must for businesses in the 21st century. If efficiency was the key to success in the industrial age, agility is the new determining factor for success in the age of technology.

5              8 Low-Key Ways Ecommerce Brands are Using Competitor Insights to Spy on You
https://www.business2community.com/ecommerce/8-low-key-ways-ecommerce-brands-are-using-competitor-insights-to-spy-on-you-02210439

If you’ve every watched a sports movie, then you’re familiar with the scene where the underdog team watches video of the competition and freaks out a little because of how good they are. A seasoned coach might point out vulnerabilities in the competition, but by the end of the movie, the underdog team defeats the reigning champs and comes out on top.

6              7 Ways to Win Over Customers Through a Welcome Email Series
https://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/7-ways-to-win-over-customers-through-a-welcome-email-series-02209320

Did you know that a welcome email series is one of the most overlooked email automations of small- to medium-sized businesses? As it turns out, many who send out newsletters or campaigns on a regular basis completely overlook this crucial component to any email marketing strategy.

7              What Does it Mean to Pivot in Entrepreneurship?
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/pivot-entrepreneurship/
“Pivot” is a popular term in the start-up world. If their initial idea doesn’t work as planned, entrepreneurs are expected to be ready to pursue a Plan B. But what does it actually mean to pivot – and are entrepreneurs really as open to doing it as they say they are?

8              5 Ways to Deal with the Lack of Data in Machine Learning
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/06/5-ways-lack-data-machine-learning.html
In many projects I carried out, companies, despite having fantastic AI business ideas, display a tendency to slowly become frustrated when they realize that they do not have enough data… However, solutions do exist! The purpose of this article is to briefly introduce you to some of them (the ones that are proven effective in my practice) rather than to list all existing solutions.

9              What you need to know: The Modern Open-Source Data Science/Machine Learning Ecosystem
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/06/top-data-science-machine-learning-tools.html
Recently we reported the results of 20th annual KDnuggets Software Poll: Python leads the 11 top Data Science, Machine Learning platforms: Trends and Analysis.

As we have done we examine which tools were part of the same answer – the skillset of the user. We note that this does not necessarily mean that all tools were used together on each project, but having knowledge and skills to used both tools X and Y makes it more likely that both X and Y were used together on some projects. The results we see are consistent with this assumption.

10           Top Programming Languages For Data Developers In 2019
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/top-programming-languages-for-data-developers-in-2019/

If you are a data developer, then you need to invest in learning the right programming languages. There are a ton of languages on the market, but some are more reliable than others. You will have a lot more job security if you invest in the right field.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 20

Friday, June 7, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 20

1              Global gas demand to grow at 1.6% per year until 2024: IEA
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gas-iea-idUSKCN1T80JN

Global gas demand is expected to grow at a rate of 1.6% a year until 2024, fueled by Chinese consumption which will account for over a third of the demand growth during the period, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.

2              Quartet forms Northern Sea Route LNG transportation partnership
https://www.lngworldnews.com/quartet-forms-northern-sea-route-lng-transportation-partnership/

Russia’s Novatek, China COSCO Shipping Corporation, Sovcomflot and Silk Road Fund have signed an agreement regarding the Maritime Arctic Transport (MArT) joint venture.

3              China’s Demand For Gas “Almost Infinite”
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/commodities/

Last year, the buzz term in the natural gas world was the alarmist cry of “stranded assets”, with headlines shouting that overproduction of shale oil and gas in North America would leave markets oversaturated with product and infrastructure soon to become obsolete thanks to the rise of more affordable wind and solar. Since then, there have been just as many think pieces and reports tempering the stranded asset panic with assurances that natural gas is here to stay.

4              US promotes ‘freedom gas’ but prices, not politicians, drive LNG flows
https://blogs.platts.com/2019/06/05/us-freedom-gas-prices-lng-flows/
The US is describing its growing LNG exports as “freedom gas”, giving America’s allies “a diverse and affordable” clean energy source, but prices, not politicians, will decide where that LNG flows.

5              Oil Just Had Its Worst Run Since 2008
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Oil-Just-Had-Its-Worst-Run-Since-2008.html

Oil has entered a bear market as fears of an economic downturn mount. The fundamentals look much tighter than the swoon might suggest, but the supply and demand picture is also beginning to look more negative.

6              Oil rises as Saudi Arabia signals OPEC deal extension
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1T801T
Oil prices rose on Friday, climbing further from five-month lows hit this week amid signs that OPEC and other producers could extend their output reduction deal.

7              U.S. Targets Venezuelan Oil Blending With Latest Restrictions
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/commodities/
The U.S. is stepping up efforts to cripple Venezuela’s oil industry, this time by targeting the petrochemicals the country’s state-owned oil company needs to keep its crude exports flowing.

8              Oil Industry Banks On Shaky Plastic Bet

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Oil-Industry-Banks-On-Shaky-Plastic-Bet.html

Even as oil demand is beginning to weaken this year due to a brewing economic slowdown, the oil industry faces a longer-term threat to oil demand as bans on plastic begin to multiply.

9              Oil giants bet their futures on plastic — just in time for a plastic-trash crackdown
https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil-plastic-petroleum-environment-20190606-story.html

As the world strives to wean itself off fossil fuels, oil companies have been turning to plastic as the key to their future. Now that’s looking overly optimistic.

10           Oil Sands Production To Hit 4 Million Bpd By 2030
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Oil-Sands-Production-To-Hit-4-Million-Bpd-By-2030.html
Crude oil production from Canada’s oil sands could rise by a million barrels from today’s average daily rate to as much as 4 million bpd in 2030 despite a slowdown in the annual growth rate, IHS Markit has forecast.

11           As Permian oil production turns lighter, price outlook darkens
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-oil-permian-idUSKCN1T71B7
The United States may now be the world’s biggest crude producer, but the oil being produced in its prolific Permian basin is increasingly too light in density for domestic refiners or for exports, eroding prices for these orphan barrels.

12           EIA tool compares individual power plants’ generation, cooling water use, and emissions

Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39732

EIA’s electric power sector surveys collect plant-level information on several attributes of U.S. power plants, including cooling water use and emissions data.

13           LyondellBasell, Braskem end merger talks
https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/LyondellBasell-Braskem-end-merger-talks-13933334.php

After nearly a year of talks and significant delay, petrochemical makers LyondellBasell and Braskem have mutually ended talks over a potential merger.

14           Latest setback to Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline is more bad news for oilfield workers, industry warns
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/minnesota-rejects-enbridge-line-3-1.5160404
A court ruling in Minnesota that could further delay Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project spells more bad news for Canadian oilfield workers, says the CEO of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 20

Friday, June 7, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 20

1              3 Ways to Streamline and Economize the Manufacturing Supply Chain
https://www.manufacturing.net/article/2019/06/3-solutions-streamling-and-economize-manufacturing-supply-chain

A study conducted by the Material Handling Institute surveyed 1,000 supply chain executives to identify the top technologies projected to shape supply chain processes in the coming years. The answers included cloud computing and storage, inventory and network optimization, predictive analytics and IoT.

2              Data Is the Lifeblood of Sales Intelligence Programs
https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/big-data-analytics/data-is-the-lifeblood-of-sales-intelligence-programs/a/d-id/1334832

Many organizations are going through an analytics evolution. And this data-driven approach is no longer exclusive to technical teams as more business personnel become “citizen” data scientists — yes, even sales teams.

3              Industry 4.0: Why Manufacturers Need to Keep Their Eye on the Long Game
https://www.manufacturing.net/2019/06/industry-40-why-manufacturers-need-keep-their-eye-long-game

An industrial revolution is a fundamental shift in the way industry works that forever changes the way manufacturing is done. However, besieged by bright shiny objects of Industry 4.0, manufacturers should focus on long term goals instead of being swept up by the abundance of new technologies, such as cloud, big data, IoT, mobile, location, additive manufacturing, edge computing, miniaturization, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and robotics.

4              8 Industrial IoT Trends of 2019 That Cannot Be Ignored
https://datafloq.com/read/8-industrial-iot-trends-2019-cannot-be-ignored/6452

From manufacturing to the retail sector, the infinite applications of the industrial internet of things are disrupting business processes, thereby improving operational efficiency and business competitiveness. The trend of employing IoT-powered systems for supply chain management, smart monitoring,  remote diagnosis, production integration, inventory management, and predictive maintenance is catching up as companies take bold steps to address a myriad of business problems.

5              How We Can Solve Big Data’s Bias Problem
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/big-data-ai-bias/
Data analytics and artificial intelligence are transforming our lives. Be it in health care, in banking and financial services, or in times of humanitarian crises — data determine the way decisions are made. But often, the way data is collected and measured can result in biased and incomplete information, and this can significantly impact outcomes.

6              Visualising Geospatial data with Python using Folium
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2018/09/visualising-geospatial-data-python-folium.html

Data visualization is a broader term that describes any effort to help people understand the importance of data by placing it in a visual context. patterns, trends, and correlations can be easily shown visually which otherwise might go unnoticed in textual data.It is a fundamental part of the data scientist’s toolkit. Creating visualisations is pretty easy but creating good ones is much harder.

7              Marketing Metrics for Demand Generation
https://blog.marketo.com/2019/06/why-digital-marketing-kpis-keep-your-demand-generation-campaign-relevant.html

In our previous posts about demand generation, we explored some of the ways to drive an effective demand gen campaign. For our final blog in this series, let’s talk about KPIs—because the cold, hard truth is without metrics, no other aspects of your campaign matter.

8              The Importance of — and How to Calculate — Lifetime Customer Value
https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/the-importance-of-and-how-to-calculate-lifetime-customer-value-02207695

Lifetime customer value, also called customer lifetime value (CLV), is one of the most important metrics out there. The logic is self-explanatory, so we won’t belabor it because you’re all smart people, but the bouncing ball goes like this: