On Monday, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL), an Indian manufacturer of basic chemicals (Soda Ash, Sodium Bicarbonate) and consumer and specialty products, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for the transfer of lithium – ion cell technology from ISRO. ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) has developed technology to manufacture … Read more
Safic-Alcan UK, a major specialty chemicals distributor and Safic-Alcan Group subsidiary, announced on Monday that it has acquired 100% of Langley-Smith & Company. “The acquisition of Langley – Smith will strengthen our position as a leader in the distribution of specialty chemicals in the UK and Ireland and develop our capabilities in mainland Europe,” said … Read more
Royal DSM, a global science-based Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living company, informed its stakeholders that it has completed the increase of its stake in Yantai Andre Pectin Co. Ltd. (Andre Pectin) to 75 percent. The first announcement of the increase was made on 4 February 2019. In 2013, DSM acquired a 29 percent stake in … Read more
Honeywell today announced that Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical Co., Ltd. will use the C3 Oleflex technology from Honeywell UOP to produce 700,000 tons of polymer-grade propylene per annum at its Lianyungang City facility in the Jiangsu Province of China. Jiangsu Sailboat will expand its existing facility to produce ethylene and propylene using the Honeywell UOP Methanol-to-olefins … Read more
Asahi Kasei will expand its Li-ion battery (LIB) separator manufacturing infrastructure with completion planned for the first half of fiscal 2021. The company is investing around $270 million on this project. LIB is a thin polyolefin microporous film placed between the cathode and the lithium – ion battery anode. It prevents contact between the electrodes … Read more
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) intends to combine its two wholly owned subsidiaries, the Saudi Petrochemical Company (SADAF) and the Arabian Petrochemical Company (PETROKEMYA). The petrochemical giant said in a market report on Wednesday that SADAF will be fully merged into PETROKEMYA on the basis of the valuation set out in its latest financial statements. … Read more
Arkema and Hexcel have announced that a joint research and development laboratory will be opened in April in Les Avenières (Isère), France. The R & D facility is part of Arkema and Hexcel strategic alliance, formed in March 2018 to develop thermoplastic composite solutions for the aerospace industry, combining Hexcel’s expertise in carbon fiber with … Read more
The association of German chemicals and pharmaceutical manufacturers, VCI, cut its 2019 industry sales forecast by 2.5% to €198.5 billion ($223.92 billion). The association, which represents companies operating in Germany, has reported that demand is falling from its domestic and European markets, particularly the pharma sector. “The future is turning out less optimistic than in … Read more
Merck KgaA filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a preliminary proxy statement on Tuesday urging all Versum shareholders to vote against the merger with the rival Entegris. Merck has reiterated in the statement that “it is convinced that the proposed Entegris transaction is not the best option available to the Versum shareholders, … Read more
The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) today, in tandem with the start of the Fourth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4), released an analysis of the contributions of the chemical industry to the world economy: Global Chemical Industry – Catalyzing Growth and Addressing Our World’s Sustainability Challenges. According to the report, nearly every good-producing sector … Read more
Azelis has acquired Chemroy, a specialty food ingredients and chemical distributor from Canada. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. According to the company, the acquisition will strengthen its status as one of the leading distributors of specialty ingredients in Canada and will enhance its position in the coating, nutritional, personal care and food … Read more
AkzoNobel has opened a trailblazing laboratory complex that can test new products in conditions that imitate the most extreme environments in the world. The R&D campus at the Felling site will focus on delivering state-of – the-art innovation and products for the marine and oil & gas industries. The laboratory in the campus will be … Read more
On Friday, DowDuPont announced that its Board of Directors has agreed to the previously announced separation of its Materials Science Division. The division will become the new Dow on April 1. DowDuPont’s board of directors declared a dividend for the second quarter of $325 million to be paid on May 28, 2019, in the aggregate … Read more
Eni signed an agreement for the start of research projects to produce Hydrogen from plastic packaging waste with COREPLA, the National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging. Giuseppe Ricci, Eni Chief Refining & Marketing Officer, and COREPLA President Antonello Ciotti signed the agreement. The joint working group will assess the start … Read more
Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) has announced to build a world scale polymerization plant for its Expancel expandable microspheres at a location in the U.S. The plant will strengthen its leadership position significantly in expandable microspheres. Expancel microspheres are used as lightweight filler and blowing agent to lighten end products, obtain various surface effects, and … Read more
BP, Virent Inc. and Johnson Matthey (JM) have signed an agreement to further advance the commercialization of Virent’s Bioforming ® bio – paraxylene (PX) production process, a key raw material for renewable polyester production. Developed in partnership with JM, Virent’s Bioforming ® technology produces recycling products from renewable sources that can be used to produce … Read more
On Tuesday, Germany’s Merck KGaA called on Versum Materials shareholders to put pressure on the management of the electronic materials manufacturer to consider their takeover bid over a rival Entegris’ bid. Versum rejected Merck’s unsolicited $5.9 billion cash offer on Friday. The proposal made to the management was non-binding and has not been submitted to … Read more
On Tuesday, Huber Engineered Materials (HEM), a subsidiary of J.M. Huber Corporation, announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Dunes Point Capital, LP to acquire Miller Chemical & Fertilizer, LLC. The current team and management will continue to run the operations of Miller as a business unit within HEM. Huber looks forward … Read more
Celanese Corporation announced on Tuesday that the Donegani facility at Ferrara, Italy will expand its production capacity for Pibiflex ® and Riteflex ® TPC (thermoplastic copolyester) to support its ongoing growth of its global engineered materials business. Thermoplastic co – polyester (TPCs) constitute the block co – polymers combining favorable rubber properties with the easier … Read more
Evonik signed an agreement to sell its methacrylates business for € 3 billion ($ 3.4 billion) to Advent International. The sales price is 8.5 times the EBITDA of the business. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals in various countries and is due to close in the third quarter of this year. Globally, Evonik’s methacrylates … Read more