A US Government Database with Transportation Information for Chemicals

The US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics have partnered to create the Commodity Flow Survey database.  This database has information on the flow of goods, including chemical goods, in the United States.  Click here to go to a website from which this database can be accessed.

The database gives the values of shipments, the tons shipped, and the ton miles for several categories of goods including these chemically-related categories: basic chemicals; chemical products and preparations; and plastics and rubber.

The following three tables provide data from the database for these chemically-related categories:

basic chemicals 2012	mode	value	tons	ton miles	value per ton
	truck	$  186,106,000,000	182,168,000	45,771,000,000	$    1,022
	rail	$     57,198,000,000	87,867,000	72,691,000,000	$        651
	water	$     32,882,000,000	45,384,000	19,789,000,000	$        725
	pipeline	$     19,374,000,000	24,655,000	na	$        786
	air	$       3,175,000,000	189,000	246,000,000	$  16,799
	totals	$  298,735,000,000	340,263,000	138,497,000,000	$        878

chemical products 2012	mode	value	tons	ton miles	value per ton
	truck	$  297,815,000,000	94,925,000	36,332,000,000	$    3,137
	rail	$     10,593,000,000	6,460,000	6,528,000,000	$    1,640
	air	$       4,220,000,000	139,000	186,000,000	$  30,360
	totals	$  312,628,000,000	101,524,000	43,046,000,000	$    3,079

plastics & rubber 2012	mode	value	tons	ton miles	value per ton
	truck	$  493,180,000,000	171,062,000	90,106,000,000	$    2,883
	rail	$  426,582,000,000	124,202,000	54,373,000,000	$    3,435
	air	$     59,702,000,000	46,034,000	35,370,000,000	$    1,297
	totals	$  979,464,000,000	341,298,000	179,849,000,000	$    2,870

From these tables, the total value sum of basic chemicals, chemicals products, and plastics and rubber shipped in 2012 is $1.6 trillion.  (Value amounts represent the net sales value of the goods shipped.)  The value per ton computations in the tables suggest, as an average, the relative pricing power of basic chemicals versus chemical products versus plastics and rubber.

This Census Bureau/Bureau of Transportation Statistics database should be of use to chemical shippers.

Some Data on Mining Chemicals Sales

An Internet search found marketing research reports with estimates that 2015 sales of chemicals used in mining are around $22 billion.  The reports also indicate that the six leading mining chemical categories (categories being the function that the chemicals provide) are (in order of sales):  1) grinding aids; 2) sulfide collectors; 3) flocculants; 4) frothers; 5) other collectors; and 6) solvent extractants.  The table below shows for each category the estimates of total global sales represented by the categories and also some companies that sell the category products.

mining chemical category	estimated % of total sales	amount of total sales ($ billions)	chemical companies
grinding aids	48%	10.6	solvay; dow; basf
sulfide collectors	18%	4.0	solvay; clariant
flocculants	16%	3.5	nalco; kemira
frothers	12%	2.6	huntsman; snf flomin
other collectors	4%	0.9	nasaco; akzonobel
solvent extractants	2%	0.4	basf; snf flomin
	total sales	22.0

  

The performances of these chemicals are vital in many ways for extracting higher percentages of metals out of ores.  Many major chemical companies, e.g. those identified in  the table, likely are pursuing increased mining chemical research and development, recognizing the value that increased mining chemical performances can bring to improved metal extraction.

The FAA’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Authorization Database – A Potentially Valuable Marketing Tool

In the United States, businesses operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of their businesses need authorizations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to meet certain other requirements established by the FAA.  This FAA link (click here) will take you to a FAA site from which details on this authorization process and other needed requirements can be found.

More than 5,000 businesses have been granted FAA authorizations as of June 2016.  The FAA maintains a database of the businesses' names, a brief summary of how the businesses intend to use UAVs, and the date of authorization.  This database can be searched at a FAA site (click here to go to the site).

It seems to me that the various technologies, many still developing, in support of current and estimated potential uses of UAVs commercially, offer opportunities for collaborations and vendor relationships between companies.  In this regards, the FAA authorization database could be useful in finding potential customers that can be marketed to.

For example, large chemical and energy companies, such as Dow, Eastman, Chevron, Anadarko Petroleum, Duke Energy, Peabody Energy, and Marathon Petroleum are in the database.  These companies could well be in need of various products and services provided by companies specializing in UAV technologies and their developments.  Applications for UAVs in the chemical and energy sectors are numerous and include inspections, monitoring, maintenance, and surveying.

Some Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Sales Data

Market research reports found on the Internet provide estimates of global sales amounts for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).   These estimates suggest that API sales in 2015 were around $150 billion and will be around $ 210 billion in 2020, assuming the sales compounded annual growth rate from 2015 to 2020 is 6.2%.

Searching the Internet found sixteen companies that report their API sales separately in annual reports. These companies, along with their most recent annual reported API sales, are shown in the following table:

company	country	sales 2015 (millions USD)
Teva	Israel	$                   748
Divis	India	$                   556
Cambrex	United States	$                   434
Aurobindo	India	$                   405
Dr. Reddy	India	$                   381
Biocon	India	$                   337
Siegfried	Switzerland	$                   333
Johnson Matthey	United Kingdom	$                   317
Daito	Japan	$                   270
Shandong Xinhua	China	$                   226
Albany Molecular Research	United States	$                   217
Dishman	India	$                   165
Sun	India	$                   160
Scinopharm	Taiwan	$                   125
RPG  Life Sciences	India	$                      41
Consort Medical	United Kingdom	$                      14
	total	$                4,729

As shown in the table, the total API sales reported by these companies are $4.729 billion.  This represents a very small percentage (3%) of the total estimated API sales ($150 billion) provided by market research reports ($4.729 billion/$150 billion = 3%).

One question with such a small percentage (3%) is how reliable is the $150 billion amount for total global 2015 API sales provided by market research companies.   Also interesting from the table's data is the extent of India’s API sales.   Seven of the sixteen companies listed in the table are Indian with their API sales representing 43% ($2.045 billion/4.729 billion) of the total sales.

Chemical and Material Shortage Alert – May 2016

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and material shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is May 2016.

Section I below lists those chemicals and materials that were on the previous month’s Chemical and Material Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply. Click here to read the April 2016 Chemical and Material Shortage Alert list.

Section II lists the new chemicals and materials (not on the April alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.   Chemicals and materials identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in short supply status are not listed.

Section I.   None

Section II.   Shortages Reported in May not found on the Previous Month’s List

Ethane:  Mexico; supply not keeping up with demand

Low density polyethylene (LDPE):  Russia; production not keeping up with demand

Stainless steel scrap:  global; supply not keeping up with demand

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as: 

1.  Mining not keeping up with demand: none

2.  Production not keeping up with demand: low density polyethylene (LDPE)

3.  Government regulations: none

4.  Sources no longer available: none

5.  Insufficient imports:  none

6.  Supply not keeping up with demand:  ethane; stainless steel scrap