Latest News: Business
CAB suggests stronger headwinds for U.S. economy, ACC says
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), featured a slight decline of 0.1% in October, which is a deceleration from the 0.1% gain in September, as measured on…
Outotec to modernize Norilsk Nickel’s smelter in Russia
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has been awarded a contract by JSC MMC Norilsk Nickel to modernize and rebuild Norilsk Nickel’s nickel flash-smelting furnace at Nadezhda smelter in Norilsk, Russia. The contract value in these types of total rebuilds is…
Yokogawa and Murata form alliance for development of wireless-device communication modules
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan; www.murata.com) and Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.yokogawa.com) announce that they have reached an agreement whereby they will cooperate in the development of communication modules for field wireless devices used in plants. Under the…
Fluor and Technip JV awarded contract for Sasol’s La. ethane cracker and derivatives complex
Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com), in a joint venture (JV) with Technip (Paris, France; www.technip.com), was awarded a contract to continue to support Sasol with the detailed design, procurement and construction of its world-scale ethane cracker and derivatives complex in…
U.S. CPRI continues to rise in September, ACC says
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (CPRI) continued its rise, gaining 0.6% in September, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The September gain follows an upwardly revised…
Westlake to expand ethylene capacity in Lake Charles
Westlake Chemical Corp. (Houston; www.westlake.com) has announced that it will expand its ethylene capacity and make other capital improvements in Lake Charles, La. with an investment in excess of $330 million. This expansion is expected to be completed in late…
AkzoNobel starts operations at China vehicle refinishes plant
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has started operations at its state-of-the-art vehicle refinishes plant in Changzhou, China. It is the company's 30th manufacturing facility in the country. The new factory adds around 25 million liters of capacity for Sikkens,…
Caloric wins its first project in the U.K.
Caloric Anlagenbau GmbH (Gräfelfing, Germany; www.caloric.com) has won its first contract in the U.K. for a small, industrial onsite carbon-monoxide-generation plant (40 Nm³/h of pure CO). The plant will be delivered to a chemical company in the UK and will…
New Air Products Lab will help oil recyclers optimize hydrotreatment processes
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) is building a hydrogen laboratory at its corporate headquarters in Allentown, Pa., that will support the fast growing oil recycling industry. A key feature of the new laboratory is a hydrotreatment unit capable of…
Fluor and Technip awarded RAPID Refinery Facilities Project in Malaysia
Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com), in a joint venture (JV) with Technip (Paris, France; www.technip.com), was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract by PRPC Utilities and Facilities Sdn. Bhd. for the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development…