BP’s Aromatics and Acetyls business consists of 15 sites across the world (5 in the Americas, 2 in Europe and 8 in Asia) as well as 10 leading joint ventures. INEOS announced its intention to purchase the global Aromatics and Acetyls businesses of BP for a consideration of $5 billion. Aromatics provide the building blocks … Read more
Reliance Industries Ltd said it is working to complete contours of a $15 billion deal with Saudi Aramco but did not give a timeline for its completion. In August last year, RIL ‘s Chairman & Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani, announced talks to sell 20% of the oil-to-chemical (O2C) business, which includes its twin oil refineries … Read more
Clariant Chemicals India Ltd., an Indian subsidiary of Clariant AG has reported financial results for the period ended March 31, 2020. Q4 Results The company’s net profit rose by 93.33% to Rs 15.37 crores ($2 million) for the period ended March 31, 2020 as against Rs 7.95 crores ($1 million) for the period ended March … Read more
Aramco has announced the successful completion of its share acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, for a total purchase price of SAR 259.125 billion ($69.1 billion), equating to SAR 123.39 ($32.89) price per share. The acquisition enhances … Read more
LG Chem announced on June 10 that it has recently signed a conditional contract with China’s chemical materials company Shanshan to transfer its LCD polarizer business for US$1.1 billion. LG Chem said that some product groups such as LCD polarizers for automobiles will be excluded from this sale as they are still lucrative. “We are … Read more
Saint-Gobain announced the completion of sale of its stake in Sika held by its subsidiary Schenker-Winkler Holding AG, netting it 1.54 billion euros ($1.69 billion). Saint-Gobain acquired its 10.75% stake in Sika as part of a global agreement with Sika and the Burkard family in May 2018. The Sika shares were held as an equity … Read more
Lotte Chemical has invested 161.7 billion won ($132 million) to acquire a 4.46% stake in Japanese chemical company Showa Denko, according to a Business Korea report. The move is seen as reflecting Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin’s intention to take over Japanese chemical companies with strong technologies. Lotte Chemical bought Showa Denko shares in March … Read more
Reliance Industries Ltd. is considering selling its stake in India’s largest paint maker valued at about $989 million as the conglomerate steps up efforts to trim its debt, said a report by Bloomberg. RIL is in discussions with banks for a potential sale of its 4.9% stake in Asian Paints Ltd. through a series of … Read more
DIC Corporation has acquired liquid inks for the packaging business from Liaoning Tianqi Technology, a manufacturer of liquid inks for packaging for the food and beverage industry based in China. The acquired company name will be DIC Graphics (Shenyang) Ltd. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is part of DIC’s efforts … Read more
India’s Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has taken initiatives to overcome the hurdles posed by Covid-19 pandemic and has suggested state-owned units to strengthen their performance by exploring Joint Ventures with global enterprises looking for investments. The initiative came on the directions of Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri DV Sadananda Gowda who has … Read more
Saudi Aramco is in early discussions with lenders for a loan of approximately $10 billion to help fund its purchase of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), according to a Reuters report. Last year, Aramco agreed to buy SABIC’s majority stake from the Kingdom’s wealth fund for $69.1 billion, signing one of … Read more
Borealis last week issued a force majeure declaration for its Stenungsund steam cracker in Sweden. A spokesperson from the company said that on 8th of April the company declared force majeure for its cracker operations in Stenungsund due to a “technical incident”. The cracker in Stenungsund can produce 625,000 metric tons of ethylene per annum. … Read more
Hexcel Corporation (HXL) and Woodward, Inc. (WWD) announced that the companies have mutually agreed to terminate their previously announced $6.4-billion merger deal. The decision has been duly approved by the boards of both companies. The companies decided to call off the mega-merger deal in response to the increasing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on … Read more
Sumitomo Chemical announced on 2nd April that it invested $30 million in Conagen, a U.S. biotechnology company. The company has conducted joint research with Conagen since 2018 on the biosynthesis of existing chemicals. The fresh investment will further promote its strategic business alliance with Conagen and develop innovative high functional products and processes by way … Read more
Air Products (NYSE: APD) has reached an agreement with PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE: PBF) that include the acquisition of $530 million of five hydrogen steam methane reformers (SMR) hydrogen production plants and the long-term supply of hydrogen to PBF refiners from those already operating plants. Located in Torrance and Martinez, California and Delaware City, the … Read more
Huntsman has signed a $300 million deal to buy CVC Thermoset Specialties, a specialty chemical manufacturer that supplies chemicals for the industrial composites, adhesives and coatings markets. The $300 million purchase price is subject to customary closing conditions. It is an all-cash transaction, funded from available liquidity by Huntsman. Depending on the full year of … Read more
Kraton Corporation announced that it has completed the sale of its Cariflex business to Daelim Industrial Co, Ltd. for $530.0 million in cash. “We believe Daelim is well-positioned to invest in and grow the Cariflex franchise as it continues to expand its global business,” said Kevin M. Fogarty, Kraton’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “As … Read more
Firmenich SA, a French flavors & fragrances company announced that it has entered into exclusivity with private equity firm Ardian, Tikehau Capital and family shareholders to acquire ingredients supplier Les Dérivés Résiniques et Terpéniques (“DRT”). DRT is a world leader in plant-based chemistry, mainly from pine trees, and is one of the leading suppliers globally … Read more
Austria’s OMV is in talks with Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company to acquire a controlling stake worth $4.68 billion in Borealis. The deal— which would increase OMV’s current shareholding in Borealis from 36% to 75%— is said to be potentially record-breaking and would shift OMV’s focus to petrochemicals. “The potential transaction would expand the value … Read more
SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) said on Tuesday that it had raised its stake in specialty chemicals maker Clariant. The state-owned company now owns 31.5% in Clariant, up from 24.99% previously, it said in a filing. The increase in stake holding was just short of the one-third ownership that would trigger a mandatory offer for … Read more