Solutia Inc., based in St. Louis, Missouri, has announced that its Saflex(R) polyvinyl butyral (PVB) product portfolio will be subject to a 5% price increase effective 1 July 2011. The company reports…
Solutia Inc., based in St. Louis, Missouri, has announced that its Saflex(R) polyvinyl butyral (PVB) product portfolio will be subject to a 5% price increase effective 1 July 2011. The company reports that the price increase is directly related to the increase in raw material costs in 2011. Prices for currently contracted business will be adjusted as individual contracts allow. A company executive said that the key raw material feedstocks used to make Saflex interlayer, ethylene and propylene, are trading at or above historical highs, despite the fact that oil is well below its 2008 peak. They claimed that rising costs are most pronounced in the propylene markets, where the shift to lighter feedstocks affects supply, in addition to increasing demand. An executive in charge of commercial operations for Solutia“s Advanced Interlayers division said the price hike is necessary due to the unprecedented increases in raw material pricing seen in the 1H 2011. They claim that the company has recently made several significant investments to ensure long-term cost competitiveness and the stable supply of interlayer products to clients worldwide.