Plant Watch
Sika more than doubles capacity at its largest manufacturing plant in Indonesia
August 13, 2024 — Sika AG (Baar, Switzerland; www.sika.com) has more than doubled the production capacity at the Bekasi plant, its largest manufacturing facility in Indonesia. This site, which opened in 2019, specializes in the production of adhesives and grouts, as well as wall and facade systems. Sika has four mortar plants in Indonesia.
Invista completes nylon 6,6 capacity expansion in Shanghai
August 9, 2024 — Invista (Wichita, Kan.; www.invista.com) completed the expansion of its nylon 6,6 polymer site at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP). The site expansion, at a total investment of 1.75 billion RMB ($240 million), has doubled the annual capacity of nylon 6,6 polymer to 400,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr). The expanded polymer site is fully integrated with existing Invista facilities, connecting upstream adiponitrile (ADN) and hexamethylene diamine (HMD) facilities.
Nippon Shokubai to construct new SAP plant in Indonesia
August 5, 2024 — Nippon Shokubai Ltd. (Tokyo; www.shokubai.co.jp) plans to build a 50,000-m.t./yr superabsorbent polymers (SAP) plant at its Indonesian subsidiary, PT. Nippon Shokubai Indonesia (NSI). This new plant will augment an existing SAP plant at NSI, which produces 90,000 m.t./yr currently. Mechanical completion of the new site is expected in January 2027, with commercial operations following in July 2027. The investment for the project is around $110 million. NSI also recently expanded its production facility for acrylic acid by 100,000 m.t/yr.
Verbio starts up ethanol production at biorefinery in Iowa
August 5, 2024 — Verbio SE (Leipzig, Germany; www.verbio.de) announced that its North American subsidiary has commenced the commercial production of corn-based ethanol at its biorefinery in Nevada, Iowa. Operating as a fully integrated biorefinery, Verbio has installed a total capacity to produce 60 million gal/yr of corn-based ethanol and 2.3 million MMbtu of renewable natural gas (RNG).
Lubrizol to invest $200 million to construct its largest plant in India
August 1, 2024 — Lubrizol Corp. (Cleveland, Ohio; www.lubrizol.com) announced plans to purchase a 120-acre plot in Aurangabad, India, where it intends to construct a new manufacturing facility to support the region’s growing industrial-fluid markets. The initial phase of the project represents a projected investment of approximately $200 million, the company’s largest ever in India. The plant will become the company’s second-largest manufacturing facility globally and its largest manufacturing facility in India when completed.
Kemira expands sodium chlorate capacity in Brazil
July 29, 2024 — Kemira Oyj (Helsinki, Finland; www.kemira.com) announced an investment to expand the capacity of its sodium chlorate manufacturing facility in Ortigueira, Brazil. The investment, a strategic priority for Kemira’s Pulp & Paper business, will enable Kemira to respond to the continued growth of the bleached-pulp market in South America, where Brazil is the leading producer in the region. The capacity increase of over 10% will be operational in the last quarter of 2024.
Enterprise to expand LPG terminal in Houston
July 30, 2024 —At the Enterprise Hydrocarbons Terminal (EHT) in the Houston Ship Channel, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (Houston; www.enterpriseproducts.com) announced that it is adding refrigeration capacity that will increase propane and butane export volumes by approximately 300,000 barrels per day (bbl/d). In addition to providing incremental capacity for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the expansion will increase instantaneous loading rates for propane and butane, while making additional capacity available for propylene exports. The expanded service is expected to begin by the end of 2026.
Invista announces $17-million investment in HMD plant in Ontario
July 29, 2024 — Invista announced its intention to invest approximately $23 million CAD ($17 million USD) in the re-commissioning of hexamethylene diamine (HMD) assets at its Maitland, Ontario, Canada, site. Upon regulatory approval, the project construction will begin, with the HMD plant expected to start production in the first quarter of 2025. HMD is a key ingredient in the production of nylon 6,6.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Evonik and Knauer collaborating on scaleup of lipid nanoparticle formulations
August 13, 2024 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is collaborating with Knauer Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH (Berlin, Germany; www.knauer.net) to improve the scaleup of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations. Evonik is a key supplier of lipids and LNP formulations to global pharmaceutical companies.
Aramco acquires majority share in Petro Rabigh complex
August 8, 2024 — Aramco (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; www.aramco.com) agreed to acquire an additional stake of approximately 22.5% in Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. (Petro Rabigh), the refining and petrochemical complex located on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, from Sumitomo Chemical Corp. (Tokyo; www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp) for $702 million. Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical currently each own a 37.5% stake in Petro Rabigh. Upon completion of the transaction, Aramco will become Petro Rabigh’s largest shareholder, with approximately 60%, while Sumitomo Chemical will retain an equity stake of 15%.
Parker Hannifin divests composites manufacturing business
August 5, 2024 — Parker Hannifin Corp. (Cleveland, Ohio; www.parker.com) announced it has signed an agreement to divest its North America Composites and Fuel Containment (CFC) Division to private investment firm SK Capital Partners. Parker’s CFC Division, a leading manufacturer of composites, fuel tanks and bladders, is headquartered in Erlanger, Ky. and has five additional locations across the U.S. and Mexico, with annual sales of approximately $350 million.
OCI Global to sell Texas ammonia project to Woodside
August 5, 2024 — OCI Global N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.oci-global.com) reached an agreement for the sale of 100% of its equity interests in its clean ammonia project under construction in Beaumont, Tex. to Woodside Energy Group Ltd. (Perth, Australia; www.woodside.com) for $2.35 billion. The ammonia project began construction in December 2022 and is expected to start production in 2025. It is designed for a production capacity of 1.1 million m.t./yr of ammonia in its first phase.
Veolia sells acid-regeneration business for $620 million
August 1, 2024 — Veolia S.A. (Paris; www.veolia.com) announced the divestment of Veolia North America Regeneration Services to private-equity firm American Industrial Partners (AIP) for an enterprise value of $620 million. Following AIP’s acquisition of Veolia’s Regeneration Services business, the acquired company has been renamed Nexpera. The acquired business unit includes Veolia North America’s sulfuric-acid, potassium-hydroxide and hydrofluoric-acid regeneration activities for petroleum refineries, as well as sulfur-gas recovery and sulfur-based products activities.
Merck KGaA to sell Surface Solutions pigments business
July 29, 2024 — Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany; www.emd.group.com) has agreed to sell its global Surface Solutions pigments business unit to Global New Material International Holdings (GNMI) Ltd. for €665 million. The Surface Solutions unit offers pigment solutions used in coating, industrial and cosmetic applications via its existing production facilities in Gernsheim, Germany, Onahama, Japan and Savannah, Georgia. ■
Mary Page Bailey