Plant Watch AkzoNobel opens paint manufacturing facility in the U.K. September 12, 2017 — Akzo Nobel N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has opened its €100-million paints production plant in Ashington, U.K. The factory will be capable of doubling AkzoNobel’scurrent U.K.…
The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index showed a pronounced slowdown in August, reflecting the effects of Hurricane Harvey, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Growth in U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes expanded only 0.1 percent in…
The preliminary value for the July CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, and June final numbers were downwardly revised from what were previously reported. The July values for all four of…
IHS Markit (Houston, www.ihs.com), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, is releasing periodic updates on the impact of Tropical Storm Harvey on the crude oil, refining and chemical sectors. A summary of the latest update follows below…
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that global chemicals production rose 0.6 percent in July, a quicker pace than June and May, as measured on a three-month moving average (3MMA)…
The following information describes recently published books relevant to the chemical process industries (CPI): Engineering Energy Storage, By Odne Stokke Burheim, 2017, Academic Press, 252 pages, $125.00. Energetic Materials: Advanced Processing Technologies for Next-Generation Materials. Edited by Mark Mezger, Kay…
I recently saw a television commercial that caught my attention and provided “food for thought.” The ad begins with a young girl opening a birthday gift, and is delighted when she sees that it is a Millie Dresselhaus doll. A…
Plant Watch $8-billion phosphate megaproject starts up in Saudi Arabia August 11, 2017 — Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) announced that the Ma’aden Wa’ad Al-Shamal Phosphate Co.’s Umm Wu’al Phosphate Project in Saudi Arabia has started production. Fluor is providing…
IHS Markit (Houston; www.ihs.com), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, is releasing periodic updates on the impact of Tropical Storm Harvey on the crude oil, refining and chemical sectors. A summary of the latest update (as of…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that the third quarter started on a good note, with growth in U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes expanding 0.4 percent in July, following an upwardly revised 0.6 percent gain in June.…