Plant Watch Arkema starts up photocure resin expansion in China April 11, 2019 — Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) started up the 30% capacity extension of its photocure liquid-resin production plant in Nansha, located near Canton, China. This new production line…
Mike Lassas has been appointed to the position of President of Proco Products, Inc. (Stockton, Calif.; www.procoproducts.com), effective May 1, 2019. In his new position as President, Lassas will handle all day-to-day operations at Proco. Lassas was born and raised…
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) fell by 0.4 percent in March, following a revised 0.3 percent decline in February and a 0.1 percent gain in January. During…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 0.5 percent in April on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, the second monthly gain after several weak months. On…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes eased 0.2 percent in March, after flat activity in February and a 0.3 percent gain in January. All changes in the data are reported on…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) for February 2019 decreased from the previous month's value. In addition, the final value for the January 2019 CEPCI was downwardly revised by a modest amount…
To determine the impact of the chemical industry’s contributions to the global economy, the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA; www.icca-chem.org) commissioned Oxford Economics to provide a detailed assessment. Last month, the results were released in the report: The Global…
Plant Watch Asahi Kasei plans LIB separator capacity expansions March 14, 2019 — Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) will enhance its manufacturing infrastructure for lithium-ion battery (LIB) separator products at the company’s existing facilities in Moriyama, Japan and North…
These cautionary tales provide insight that can lead to best practices for scientists who are seeking patents for their inventions Publish or perish is a maxim in the scientific community, where scientists are encouraged to share their work quickly and…
This column is based on “Polyacrylonitrile Production – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/polyacrylonitrile-production-cost. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is a polymer resin mainly composed of acrylonitrile. This important acrylic resin is used in the production…