Plant Watch
Messer to construct $70-million air-separation unit in Arkansas
January 15, 2025 — Messer Group GmbH (Bad Soden, Germany; www.messergroup.com) has announced a strategic investment of over $70 million to construct a state-of-the-art air separation unit (ASU) in Berryville, Ark. This new ASU will also complement the company’s existing facility in Lewisville, Ark., enhancing production capacity for various gases. The ASU in Berryville is slated for completion in the second half of 2026.
Mitsui Chemicals to expand production capacity for ophthalmic lens materials
January 15, 2025 — Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo; www.mitsuichemicals.com) plans to boost production capacity for its MR series of high-refractive-index lens material by building a second MR plant at its Omuta Works site in Japan. MR is a thiourethane-based high-refractive-index lens material that offers a high Abbe value (minimizing chromatic aberration) and high refractive index, while being lightweight and impact-resistant. The new plant is slated to begin commercial operation in 2028.
AGC invests in a new glass production line in Lodelinsart, Belgium
January 14, 2025 — AGC Glass Europe, the European branch of AGC Inc. (Tokyo; www.agc.com), announced a major investment in a new insulating vacuum-glass production line at its Lodelinsart site in Belgium. The new production line is scheduled to start operations in 2026.
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies expands production site in Denmark
January 13, 2025 — Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, a group company of Fujifilm Corp. (Tokyo; www.fujufilm.com), completed its recent production expansion in Hillerød, Denmark. This first expansion at the site increases capacity from six to twelve bioreactors for mammalian cell culture, making the site the largest end-to-end biopharmaceutical manufacturing site in Europe.
Covestro to expand polycarbonate production site in Ohio
January 8, 2025 — Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) plans to expand its site in Hebron, Ohio, where it will construct multiple new production lines and infrastructure to manufacture customized polycarbonate compounds and blends. This project will significantly expand the capacity of Covestro’s Solutions & Specialties business for the U.S. market. Construction of the new production lines is scheduled to begin in 2025, with operations starting by the end of 2026.
Messer Group starts up “green” CO2 plant
January 2, 2025 — Messer Group has begun operations at a new plant producing “green” CO2 at its Vrdy site in the Czech Republic. At this site, Messer sources the CO2 as raw gas from a local bioethanol producer, reducing greenhouse gases emissions and lowering the dependency on fossil-based sources.
Mitsubishi Chemical targets batteries, semiconductors with expansion projects
January 2, 2025 — The Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG; Tokyo; www.mcgc.com) has announced two capacity expansions at its production sites in Japan. In the first project, MCG will increase its production capacity for synthetic silica powder used in semiconductor manufacturing at its Kyushu-Fukuoka plant. Operations are scheduled to start in September 2028, with a 35% increase over current production capacity. The second expansion focuses on anode materials for lithium-ion batteries at MCG’s Kagawa Plant, with the expanded operations scheduled to start in October 2026. The expansion should increase production capacity at the site to 11,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr).
Mergers & Acquisitions
Bayer acquires biofuel feedstock assets from Canadian firm
January 15, 2025 — Bayer AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayer.com) announced that it has acquired assets from Canada-based Smart Earth Camelina Corp. to expand its position in biomass-based feedstock markets. The acquired assets include intellectual property and materials assets related to camelina germplasm. Camelina is a novel intermediate oilseed crop with a promising low-carbon intensity for renewable fuel production. Bayer also recently announced a partnership with Neste Corp. (Espoo, Finland; www.neste.com) to develop canola-based biofuel feedstocks in the southern U.S.
Mosaic to sell phosphate mining unit in Brazil to Fosfatados Centro
January 15, 2025 — The Mosaic Co. (Tampa, Fla.; www.mosaicco.com) and Fosfatados Centro SPE Ltda. announced that they have entered into an agreement for the sale of a phosphate asset owned by Mosaic located in Patos de Minas, Brazil. Upon the closing of the transaction, Fosfatados Centro will assume responsibility for the Patos de Minas mine and tailings dams, and pay Mosaic $125 million over six years.
Ashland sells Avoca business line to Mane
January 9, 2025 — Ashland Global Holdings Inc. (Wilmington, Del.; www.ashland.com) agreed to sell its Avoca business to Mane S.A. (Le Bar-sur-Loup, France; www.mane.com), a global producer and supplier of fragrances and flavors. Ashland’s Avoca business supplies Sclareolide, a fragrance fixative, and operates a range of contract manufacturing capabilities from two production facilities in North Carolina and Wisconsin.
BASF to sell Styrodur insulation materials business
January 9, 2025 — BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) has signed an agreement for the sale of its Styrodur business line to insulation material manufacturer Karl Bachl Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH & Co. KG (Röhrnbach, Germany). Styrodur is an insulation material made from extruded polystyrene (XPS). The completion of the sale is expected by mid-2025, subject to the approval of relevant competition authorities.
Phillips 66 announces $2.2-billion EPIC NGL acquisition
January 7, 2025 — Phillips 66, Inc. (Houston, Tex.; www.phillips66.com) entered into a definitive agreement to buy EPIC Y-Grade GP, LLC and EPIC Y-Grade, LP, which own various subsidiaries and long-haul natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines, fractionation facilities and distribution systems (EPIC NGL), for a total cash consideration of $2.2 billion. The EPIC NGL business consists of two fractionators near Corpus Christi, Tex., approximately 350 miles of purity-distribution pipeline and an approximately 885-mile NGL pipeline.
Imerys completes acquisition of Chemviron business in Europe
January 7, 2025 — Imerys S.A. (Paris; www.imerys.com) has acquired the European diatomite and perlite assetw of Chemviron, a subsidiary of Calgon Carbon Corp. (Moon Township, Pa.; www.calgoncarbon.com). In 2024, this business generated around €50 million in revenue. With this transaction, Imerys acquires three mining and industrial assets in France and in Italy.
Wood completes sale of Ethos Energy stake for $138 million
January 3, 2025 — John Wood Group PLC (Wood; Aberdeen, U.K.; www.woodplc.com) has completed the sale of its stake in Ethos Energy Group Ltd., a joint venture (JV) focused on rotating equipment, to One Equity Partners for $138 million. Wood owned 51% of the Ethos Energy joint venture with its partner, Siemens Energy AG (Munich, Germany; www.siemens.com).
BASF sells food and health ingredients business
January 2, 2025 — BASF agreed to sell its Food and Health Performance Ingredients business, including the production site in Illertissen, Germany, to Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC), a global processor of plant-based ingredients. The acquired business comprises numerous product lines, including aeration and whipping agents, food emulsifiers, fat powder grades, plant sterol esters, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 oils for human nutrition and some smaller product lines. ■
Mary Page Bailey