The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 1.6 percent in September on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, following a 2.7 percent gain in August. On a…
Sterling Auxiliaries Pvt. Ltd. (www.sterlingaux.com) and its parent company, Artek Surfin Chemicals Ltd. (Mumbai, India; www.artekchemicals.com) , a leading producer of specialty chemicals with manufacturing capabilities across four continents, have agreed to acquire the land and assets associated with Baker…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose by 0.6 percent in August, following a 1.0 percent gain in July and a 1.4 percent decline in June, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). During August,…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for July 2020 (the most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, reversing a three-month period of decline. a similar decline prior to July. Three of the four…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with the recovery in the U.S. economy slowing, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose by 0.5 percent in August, off from an upwardly-revised 2.2 percent gain in July, a 5.0…
Deloitte's oil, gas and chemicals lead Duane Dickson discusses a recent analysis from Deloitte on the current state of the chemical industry.
ICIS (London, U.K.; www.icis.com) has announced its annual ICIS Top 100 Chemical Companies listing of global producers ranked by 2019 sales. This year, Germany’s BASF SE (Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com) regained the lead as the world’s largest chemical company with sales of…
Ascend Performance Materials (Houston, Tex.; www.ascendmaterials.com) today announced it has completed its acquisition of Italian firms Poliblend and Esseti Plast. With this purchase, Ascend expands its portfolio into other engineered plastics, recycled resins and masterbatches. “Poliblend and Esseti Plast complement…
In March of this year, the World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19, a pandemic. Now, six months later, we are still deep in the grips of this crisis as we experience its far-reaching effects and navigate how…
Plant Watch Phillips 66 to transform refinery into world’s largest renewable-fuels plant August 13, 2020 — Phillips 66 (Houston; www.phillips66.com) plans to reconfigure its petroleum refinery in Rodeo, Calif. to produce renewable fuels from used cooking oil, fats, greases and…