The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), progressed further during the first quarter of 2016, rising 0.1 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis in February after a…
Zymergen Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.; www.zymergen.com) and Arzeda (Seattle, Wash.; www.arzeda.com) announced a multi-year agreement to develop strains and processes to manufacture novel, high utility molecules and materials utilizing Arzeda’s pathway and enzyme design and Zymergen’s strain construction capabilities. “The development…
The annual value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) was calculated to be 556.8, down significantly from the annual value for 2014. The monthly preliminary value for the January 2016 CEPCI (the most recent available) continued to fall from…
Overall, industrial production decreased in February by 0.5%, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). However, a breakdown reveals mixed results, depending on industry sector. For example, although there…
Anellotech Inc. (Pearl River, N.Y.; www.anellotech.com), a sustainable technology company focused on producing cost-competitive renewable chemicals from non-food biomass, today announced that the company has received an additional $3 million equity investment from an unnamed and confidential multinational strategic investor…
The Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) rose 0.5% in January on a three-month-moving-average (3MMA) basis, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economics Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The January rise follows similar…
Plant Watch Evonik to expand capacity for special PA12 powder in Marl February 10, 2016 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.de) plans to build a new production line for special polyamide 12 powder (PA12) in Marl, Germany. The…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose in January, by 0.5%, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The gain in January follows 0.4% and 0.7% gains…
The preliminary value for the December 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) was down compared to the previous month’s data, continuing a string of declines in recent months. All subindices saw declines in December, except Engineering…
Chemical equity prices, as measured by the S&P index for chemical companies, fell by 10.4% in January, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The benchmark S&P 500 index…