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A stainless-steel drum lifter that provides ample support

The 86-SS below-the-hook drum lifter (photo) is made from 304 stainless steel and provides lifting services for a wide range of industries, including construction, marine, oil-and-gas, food, pharmaceuticals and more. The stainless-steel construction makes the 86-SS model ideal for applications…

Construction-Cost Indices

Cost estimation is a critical dimension of project planning in asset-heavy industries such as the chemical process industries (CPI). Construction cost indices are useful tools in cost estimation and are used to compare plant construction costs from one time period…

Stuart Bradie becomes president and CEO of KBR…

Kane Sandmeyer Kelley Hambrecht Johnson Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (Pittsburgh, Pa.), a maker of specialized insulation and glass block products, names James Kane chairman and CEO, succeeding Phillip Martineau. R. Paul Sandmeyer III joins Sandmeyer Steel Co. (Philadelphia, Pa.) as materials…

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AkzoNobel inaugurates membrane-electrolysis plant in Germany, and more business news

Plant Watch Kemira to build sodium chlorate plant for pulp mill in Brazil May 9, 2014 — Kemira Oyj (Helsinki, Finland; www.kemira.com) will supply sodium chlorate to Klabin’s new pulp mill in Paraná, Brazil. Kemira will build, own and operate…

Current Economic Trends

The preliminary value for the March CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) fell 0.6% from the final February value. The decline was driven by lower Equipment and Construction Labor subindices. The Engineering Supervision and Buildings subindices increased slightly in March, but…

Specialty chemical market volumes were flat in April, ACC report says

Market volumes for U.S. specialty chemicals were flat in April, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The flat result in April followed a 1.3% gain in March and…

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Foster Wheeler awarded contract for steam-reformer heater in Kazakhstan  

Foster Wheeler AG (Zug; Switzerland; www.fwc.com) says that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by Marubeni Corp. for the engineering and material supply of a new Terrace Wall steam reformer heater, including…

Ineos process technology to be used for polystyrene production in Qatar

Ineos Technologies (Rolle, Switzerland; www.ineos.com) has announced that it has licensed its INEOS EPS process technology for the manufacture of regular and flame-retardant expandable polystyrene (EPS) to EPS Qatar at a new complex to be built in the Doha region,…

Commercial production begins at Solazyme Bunge Renewable Oils plant in Brazil

Solazyme, Inc. (South San Francisco, Calif.; www.solazyme.com), a renewable oil and bioproducts company, today announced that its joint venture with Bunge Global Innovation LLC (“Bunge”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bunge Ltd. (White Plains, N.Y.; www.bunge.com), has successfully produced its first…

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Dow awards Fluor EPC contract for Saudi RO-membrane manufacturing facility  

The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) has awarded Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for its reverse osmosis (RO) manufacturing facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Located in Jubail Industrial City II…