World Chemicals $1 Billion Club Ranking

BASF tops Dow Chemical's rankings The US "Chem Weekly" just announced the latest ranking of the 2007 World Chemicals $1 billion club. Ranked in the 2006 chemical sales of the finalists, BASF topped Dow Chemical in the previous year. BASF’s chemical sales in 2006 increased by 19% to US$51.6 billion, while Dow Chemical increased by 6% to US$49.1 billion.
ExxonMobil Chemical and Shell Chemicals ranked third and fourth respectively. Of the top 10 companies in the $1 billion club rankings, oil companies with petrochemical operations occupy three seats. Total ranked 8th in this ranking, ranking 2nd behind 2006. All three oil companies’ chemical sales increased by more than 12%.
The biggest change in this year's ranking is Ineos. Ineos purchased BP’s Yinuo Petrochemical Business at the end of 2005, which increased its ranking from 47th in the previous year to fifth in the current year. Ineos sales increased sixfold to 36 billion U.S. dollars. DuPont dropped 1st to 6th. China Petrochemical Corporation still maintains seventh place. Lyondell Chemicals and Bayer rank ninth and tenth, respectively.
The distance between the sales of the three leading chemical manufacturers was first narrowed. BASF's sales are 5% higher than Dow Chemicals, and Dow Chemicals is less than 1% higher than ExxonMobil's sales. Among the top 10 manufacturers, the gap between the top companies and the latter is widening. Shell sales are 11% higher than Ineos and BASF is 150% higher than Bayer.
It's worth noting that BP's ranking dropped due to the transfer of its chemicals business, Econal, to Ineos. Sinopec Corp. disappeared from this ranking because the company merged with Nippon Oil in August 2006 and Nippon Oil Corporation did not disclose its chemical operating revenue. BASF acquired Japan's Takeda Co., Ltd.'s shares in BASF Takeda vitamin joint venture, and Mitsui acquired the shares of Takeda Co., Ltd. in Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd.
Experts believe that frequent mergers and acquisitions in the industry will change the rankings of the next year. Saudi Basic Industries Corporation completed its acquisition of GE Plastics with US$11.6 billion at the beginning of September, ranking 11th, with a revenue of US$19.7 billion for its chemicals business. This acquisition will likely bring Sabic into the top 10 of the next year.