Supply Chain Research

Specialty chemicals maker Kuraray reported an 8.8% drop in Q2 revenues. It expects an 11.4% slide in the full year due to disruptions linked to COVID-19 with “ongoing stagnation in demand in the third quarter and beyond” while “effects will last into 2021 and beyond”. U.S. seaborne imports linked to the firm only dipped by 2.5% in Q2 and a further 2.7% in July, potentially leading to excess inventories. The situation in PVA shipments, used in the paper industry, is more extreme with Kuraray-linked imports to the U.S. surging 32.2% higher in July compared to a year earlier while total U.S...