The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), expanded 0.4 percent in July following a revised 0.7 percent increase in June, 0.8 percent increase in May and 0.6 percent…
U.S. specialty chemical market volumes declined in June by 0.4%, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The June decline follows a 0.3% drop in May and a 1.1%…
ExxonMobil (Houston, Tex.; www.exxonmobil.com) announced today plans to expand its specialty elastomers plant in Newport, Wales. The company said the project, expected to be completed in late 2017, will result in a 25-percent increase in its global capacity to manufacture…
The May 2016 preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) is higher than the previous month, with the Equipment and Buildings indices rising by a significant amount. The preliminary May 2016 CEPCI value is…
The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) slipped 0.4 percent in June. This follows a 0.3 percent decline in May and a 0.5 percent decline in April. All data…
Houghton International Inc. (Valley Forge, Pa.; www.houghtonintl.com) announced today that it has acquired Wallover Enterprises, a North American metalworking fluid and industrial lubricant manufacturer headquartered in Strongsville, Ohio. This acquisition marks Houghton’s latest strategic investment in the specialty metalworking and…
The Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI), compiled by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) shows that the 2nd quarter continued on a soft note, with the headline index rising only 0.1% on a 3MMA basis. This…
Plant Watch Unipetrol breaks ground on Czech Republic’s largest petrochemical project June 10, 2016 — Unipetrol a.s. (Prague, Czech Republic; www.unipetrol.cz) has officially broken ground for the construction of a new polyethylene unit, said to be the largest investment in…
Technip (Paris, France; www.technip.com) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Hummingbird ethanol-to-ethylene technology from BP Chemicals Ltd. (London, U.K.; www.bp.com). Utilizing a proprietary catalyst operating under mild operating conditions, the technology converts ethanol to ethylene through…
LACC LLC, the joint-venture company formed by Axiall Corp. (Atlanta, Ga.; www.axiall.com) and Lotte Chemical Corp. (Seoul, South Korea; www.lottechem.com), today held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Calcasieu Parish, La. construction site. This follows a Dec. 17, 2015 announcement that…