HP Recycle Exchangers

News    ⋅    HP Recycle Exchangers Shipped

In an exciting project milestone, the HP Recycle Exchangers have been shipped from Funke Heat Exchanger Systems’ facility in Changzhou to our client’s site.

The plant, which is being built in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China by Guangxi Huayi Energy Chemical Co., Ltd. utilizes ECI Group’s Hybrid Technology on two copolymer lines and will be capable of producing 400,000 tonnes per year of EVA.

ECI Group provided the technology, design, and training for the two lines, and will continue to provide support through commissioning, start-up, and production.

ECI Group’s Hybrid Technology offering is unique in the industry as it allows for production of EVA and other high-value copolymers at capacities of 200 kta and higher, which was previously only possible with tubular reactors. The Hybrid technology offers the higher capacities of tubular lines with the expanded product capability of autoclave lines. In addition, ECI’s various proprietary design features and enhancements contribute to the overall effectiveness of the process and result in higher production with lower operating costs.

ECI Group is committed to developing localized solutions for our EVA licensed projects in China. The shipment of these HP Recycle Exchangers is a testament to the successful cooperation between ECI Group, Funke, and Huayi. Thanks to our combined efforts, these key equipment items will soon be installed on the plant, marking a major milestone in the plant construction.

200kta EVA/LDPE Award

News    ⋅     NZRCC Selects ECI Group’s HPPE Technology

Shanghai, China, April 29th, 2025

ECI Group, a world leading technology licensor and engineering services provider for the polymer industry, announced a contract award from Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company Limited (NZRCC) for a 200kta EVA/LDPE Plant using ECI Group’s proprietary hybrid reactor technology. This award marks a total of 1 million tonnes of nameplate capacity licensed by ECI Group since they began licensing their technology in 2021.

NZRCC is a key refining and chemical subsidiary of Sinopec in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. The 200kta EVA/LDPE plant will form part of a large ethylene and downstream facility being developed by NZRCC in Ningbo’s Zhenhai District. ECI Group’s technology will enable the plant to produce 200,000 tonnes per year of LDPE, EVA, and other high-value copolymer products, with the ability for future expansion of product capability.

“It is with great pride that we announce our client NZRCC has selected ECI Group’s technology for their project,” said Joaquin Flores, ECI Group’s President and CEO. “This award comes the same week that we launch ECI Group’s office in Shanghai and reinforces our position as technology of choice for HPPE plants. We look forward to successfully delivering this project for NZRCC and helping them to deliver their highly competitive polymer production facility.”

Abhi Shivraj, ECI Group’s Commercial Director, said, “This is a landmark award for ECI Group, crossing one million tonnes of nameplate LDPE/EVA capacity licensed using ECI Group’s autoclave and hybrid technologies. Our offering represents a modern approach to high-pressure polyethylene plant design, providing the best combination of flexibility and reliability for multiple products and capacities.”

ECI Group’s scope covers the technology license, process design package, expanded process design package, and detailed design for the high-pressure system for NZRCC, as well as technical procurement services for the project and on-site technical support during installation, start-up, and performance assessment.

ECI Group’s hybrid reactor technology offers a wide range of high-pressure polyethylene products, providing unrivalled operational efficiency, reliability, and flexibility. Building on ECI Group’s decades of experience within the polymer industry, their technology has been optimized to make use of modern materials, design techniques, standards, and industry best practices for construction, operation, and maintenance. In the four years since 2021, ECI Group has licensed plant capacities of 50kta, 100kta, 150kta and 200kta, all using ECI Group’s standardised design approach. This licensing agreement with NZRCC demonstrates the reputation and versatility of ECI Group’s hybrid reactor technology.

Opening Ceremony

News    ⋅     Shanghai Office Opening Ceremony

Shanghai, China, April 10th, 2025

ECI Group, a world-leading technology licensor and engineering services provider for the polyolefins industry, celebrated the opening of its new office in Shanghai. This expansion marks a significant milestone for the company as ECI Group continues to expand its licensing and service delivery capabilities.

“We are thrilled to open our new office in Shanghai,” said Joaquin Flores, President and CEO of ECI Group. “China is ECI Group’s most important market. Earlier this week, we agreed a new license that takes our total licensed capacity in China to over one million tonnes of LDPE, EVA, EnBA and other high-value copolymer products since we launched our proprietary technology in 2021. Our new base in Shanghai will allow us to not only provide better support to our licensees in China, but also expand our consultancy services and Professional Technical Services offerings to other operating customers in the region.”

The Grand Launch Ceremony for the office was held on 9^th April 2025. Over 90 delegates from petrochemical companies across China, as well as key equipment suppliers and other partners attended the opening event, with speeches and presentations followed by a lunch banquet.

Representatives from ECI Group’s ownership and Board of Directors, Chris Brock (Vice President and Director of High-Pressure Business Unit) Bob Armstrong (Chairman), Dennis Radford (Chief Technology Advisor), and Jay Jacobs (CFO), cut the ribbon to officially open the new office.

“Today marks a significant milestone for our company as we open the doors to our new office,” said Bob Armstrong, Chairman of ECI Group. “This space represents not just a physical expansion, but a testament to our growth, innovation, and commitment to excellence. We are excited to foster collaboration, creativity, and success in this new environment. Together, we will continue to achieve great things and drive our vision forward.”

ECI Group’s new office, located at Building A, Mango Plaza, No. 27 Longai Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, will provide technology and engineering support services to local customers. ECI Group’s Consultancy Services division will also expand into the Shanghai office, providing specialist consultancy services to the polyolefins sector in China: delivering technology support and plant optimization services to help operators achieve their safety, profitability, and sustainability goals.

UK-Türkiye Cooperation

News    ⋅    UK-Türkiye Waste to Value Cooperation

ECI Group’s Business and Technology Leader for Advanced Recycling, Shalini Malhotra, and our Commercial Manager, Graham Cox, recently had the pleasure of participating in the ‘UK-Türkiye Cooperation: Shape Waste to Value and Water Sectors in Türkiye’ initiative, organised by the Department of Business and Trade.

Shalini presented the benefits of The Wilson System®, a game-changing waste treatment technology that converts organic and municipal waste into valuable commodities such as biofuel pellets, biogas, bioethanol and SAF. ECI Group has an exclusive agreement to license and market Wilson Bio-Chemical’s pioneering process to global regions, including Türkiye.

You can read more about the technology here.

The delegates included key players from the Waste Management and Environmental Protection Control departments in Türkiye. It was a privilege to present this technology and showcase a trail run of the Wilson System® autoclave so they could see the pioneering process in action.

A huge thank you to the delegates for their time and attention, to DBT for organising the event, and Wilson Bio-Chemical for demonstrating their technology. It was an insightful visit, and we look forward to future opportunities of working together to build a circular economy!

Shanghai Office

News    ⋅     Shanghai Office Announcement

In exciting news, ECI Group is delighted to announce our plans to open an office in Shanghai!

China’s polyolefin industry is a key market for ECI Group. We have already sold seven lines of LDPE and EVA in China since we launched our proprietary technology in 2021. This new office will allow us to not only provide better support to our licensees in China but also expand our consultancy services business.

For more information, watch the latest #WalkWithJoaquin video—an Instagram exclusive series that shares thoughts and updates from ECI Group’s President & CEO, Joaquin Flores.

Click the image below to watch the video and stay tuned for a tour of the office space in Part 2!

The office will be officially opened in April, so watch out for more information in the coming weeks.

EFW 2025

News    ⋅     Energy from Waste Conference 2025

Last week ECI Group’s Business and Technology Leader for Advanced Recycling, Shalini Malhotra, our Engineering Division Director, Brian Cornah, and Mechanical Engineering Section Lead, Bimal Shukla, attended the Energy from Waste Conference in London.

It was a great event with a fantastic line-up of the industry’s technical experts, government policy makers, international leaders, and innovative developers. Everyone came together to connect, share insights, and explore the latest innovations in the energy from waste industry.

Key topics of discussion included:

• Policy updates for the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.
• DEFRA’s update on circular economy policies and the role of waste to energy.
• Updates on the UK’s CCUS Policy and implications for energy from waste.
• Waste to SAF: SAF mandate and the Revenue Certainty Mechanism.

ECI Group was delighted for the opportunity to network with some of the brightest minds in the industry and build connections that will help to deliver our Sustainability and Advanced Recycling goals.

ECI Group is experienced with a range of range of waste-to-energy and net zero processes that are helping the move towards a circular economy. We are investing in state-of-the-art technologies to increase the recycling of plastics by dissolution, and waste-to-value technology that converts organic and municipal waste into valuable commodities such as biofuel pellets, biogas, bioethanol and SAF.

Find out more about our Advanced Recycling technology and contact us today to see how we can support your project.

1st High Pressure Maintenance Workshop

News    ⋅    1st High Pressure Maintenance Workshop

ECI Group was delighted to attend and present at the first US High Pressure Maintenance Workshop. Organized by Uhde High Pressure Technologies, the conference took place in Houston, Texas between the 25^th and 26^th February 2025. Equipment suppliers and technology providers from across the high-pressure LDPE industry came together to share valuable case studies on LDPE related topics providing expertise and insights into key industry challenges and innovative solutions.

ECI Group’s Mechanical Engineering Subject Matter Expert, Chris Willy presented a case study on a Reactor Corrosion Root Cause Analysis (RCA) study ECI Group performed for a client in the Middle East.

After experiencing a loss of thickness in the high-pressure tubular reactor downstream of a peroxide injection point, the client requested that ECI Group perform a formal RCA. ECI Group worked with our partners in the Plant Improvement Alliance: Uhde High Pressure Technologies and Burckhardt Compression to deliver the study.

The RCA study utilised Apollo Methodology which starts with the final effect (in this case a failure of the high-pressure tubular reactor thickness) and works backwards to identify causes and conditions that must be present for the effect to exist. The RCA identified potential issues with the peroxide quality, peroxide dispersion, and presence of peroxide during shutdowns.

A Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) study was performed to evaluate the effect of several variables on the dispersion of peroxide into the main process stream.

ECI Group provided recommendations to improve raw material (peroxide) quality controls as well as improving installation and maintenance procedures to prevent future problems.

As well as insightful case studies, the workshop included training modules that covered key areas such as sealing surface rework, lens ring flange connection assembly, high-pressure tubing threading techniques, and maintenance practises for high-pressure hydraulic control values and injection pumps.

The workshop was a huge success. The training sessions allowed for in-depth discussions and practical applications of the topics presented, and it was great to network with key players from across the LDPE industry. We’re looking forward to attending future High Pressure Maintenance Workshops in the future!

For more information on ECI Group’s high-pressure capabilities, or the services offered by the Plant Improvement Alliance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

YECC Visit & PDP Review

News    ⋅    YECC PDP Review

ECI Group recently had the pleasure of hosting a visiting team from Shaanxi Yanchang China Coal Yulin Energy & Chemical Co., Ltd. (YECC) at our offices in Manchester for the Final PDP Review Meeting. 

ECI Group is providing YECC with a licensing package for a 150kta copolymer plant using our proprietary hybrid reactor technology. This project marks the first 150kta iteration of our license and, thanks to excellent collaborative approach with our client and cooperation at all levels, the final PDP was delivered in record time. 

By completing this critical project milestone more than two months ahead of schedule, we’ve enabled our client to progress the key aspects of their project. The EPDP phase is already under way, and ECI Group is delighted to continue supporting our client with achieving their project goals. 

Read more about this project here. 

Improvement Plans for the European Chemical Sector

News    ⋅    Improvement Plans for the European Chemical Sector in 2025

ECI Group’s Consultancy Services Director, Francisco Larenas, discusses the European Chemical sector’s outlook for 2025 and strategies for plant optimization.

In the face of economic challenges, it is natural to adopt cost-cutting measures as a survival strategy. However, while this approach is necessary during crises, it can jeopardize long-term competitiveness. Maintaining a continuous improvement mindset and a clear vision for the future can be the key to ensuring a company’s longevity.

European chemical firms are currently grappling with high costs of raw materials and energy, compounded by strict regulations that make operations and development expensive. This situation has led to a slowdown in investment and asset renewal, delaying the introduction of modern production capacity and eroding competitiveness. Structural issues such as natural resource availability and aging demographics are partly to blame, but resistance to building new infrastructure and exploiting natural resources has also contributed to high costs.

Based on our decades of experience within the chemical industry, ECI Group has seen time and again that it is the companies who plan investments to keep aging assets running reliably and safely, identify market trends, and implement zero-capital initiatives to deliver immediate value, who come out on top. ECI Group Consultancy offers comprehensive improvement plans that cover immediate gains, small expenses, and full capital projects for plant upgrades or asset life extension. We have helped many decades-old assets in the Polyolefins industry remain competitive by retrofitting the best available process technologies. Our Performance Improvement Programs are designed to deliver meaningful performance gains through zero-capital and low-cost initiatives, while also identifying and prioritizing capital projects with high-return on investment.

Despite the challenges, there are positives for the European sector, particularly in sustainability. Sustainability has driven significant innovation by attracting talent and driving positive dynamics. Projects like Vioneo’s fossil-free plastics from green methanol and Repsol’s use of photovoltaic energy and electrolyzed hydrogen to reduce carbon footprints are examples of this trend. ECI Group is active in advanced recycling technologies and energy efficiency initiatives. The enthusiasm around circularity and sustainability, if done well, has the potential to transform the industry for the better and position Europe as a leader in this transformation.

The state of Europe’s chemical sector for 2025 is undoubtedly challenging, and the threat of plant closures continues to loom. Without societal recognition of the benefits of a strong chemical sector, the status quo means a continuous downward slope.  However, ECI Group remains optimistic that companies who avoid short-sightedness and continue investing in long-term and short-term improvement initiatives will be able to stay competitive. Difficult times like these can sometimes lead to positive transformations. No cycle lasts forever, including downturns. Those who weather the storm and prepare for the upcycle will have potential for large gains. ECI Group Consultancy Services is dedicated to helping companies prepare for the future, ensuring they are ready to capitalize on the opportunities that arise once the industry recovers.

Visit our Consultancy services page for more information or reach out to our Consultancy Services Director, Francisco Larenas to see how ECI Group can help you achieve your profitability, safety, and sustainability goals in 2025.

LDPE Technical Seminar

News    ⋅     LDPE Technical Seminar

ECI Group’s Director of Sales and Business Development, Abhi Shivraj, delivered a presentation at the LDPE Technical Seminar in Tokyo, using a series of in-depth case studies to showcase ECI Group’s offering for operating plants. These services are of particular interest in Japan where the majority of HPPE lines have been operating for 40-50+ years.

The LDPE Technical Seminar also included presentations from Uhde High Pressure Technologies and Jansen + Tetenborg – Vibration and Pulsation Consulting, covering a range of relevant topics and common issues.

Thank you to Tsuyoshi Mizuno and his team at Tetsugen Jitsugyo for organizing this event. We were grateful for the opportunity to showcase our service offering and engage in interesting conversations about technical developments and best operating practises in the world of high-pressure polyethylene.

If you are interested in knowing more about how to ensure your plant is running at optimal efficiency and delivering its full potential, get in touch with us today.