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LyondellBasell (LYB) Unveils MFR 1500 Grade for Face Masks

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LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB - Free Report) introduced a new Melt Flow Rate (MFR) 1500 grade for melt-blown non-woven applications, Moplen HP560Z. The company will produce it through its facilities in Spain.

The availability of medical and safety equipment, particularly face masks, continues to be primordial amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company stated that MFR 1500 grades for melt-blown non-woven applications are mainly produced in Asian countries. In Europe, its demand has seen an increase with the growing number of protective equipment of regional production entities. This created the need for swift regional solution for a high-end medical grade in Europe. Notably, LyondellBasell is the first to offer this type of high-fluidity polypropylene grade in the region.

Further, the company commercialized Moplen HP560Z to support this continuous need for face masks and their local production in Europe. The high fluidity of the new grade enables the development of face masks.

Additional advantages of the Moplen HP560Z grade is that it can be tailored explicitly for the small-scale melt-blown non-woven machines that are mostly used for face mask production in Europe.

Shares of LyondellBasell have lost 3% in the past year against the industry’s 7.6% rise.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

LyondellBasell currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Pretium Resources, Inc. , BHP Group (BHP - Free Report) and Silvercorp Metals Inc. (SVM - Free Report) , all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

Pretium Resources has an expected earnings growth rate of 25.5% for 2020. Its shares have returned 10.3% in the past year.

BHP Group has an expected earnings growth rate of 27.9% for fiscal 2021. The company’s shares have gained 12.4% in the past year.

Silvercorp Metals has an expected earnings growth rate of 40% for fiscal 2021. The company’s shares have increased 19.5% in the past year.

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