Latest News: Business
AkzoNobel exits paper chemicals market with divestment of Eka Synthomer JV
AkzoNobel N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has announced the €5 million divestment of its 50% share in non-consolidated joint venture (JV) Eka Synthomer Oy, to Synthomer. The divestment of these shares follows a strategic review of the businesses within AkzoNobel's…
UOP phenol technology selected by Cepsa Chemical in China
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com), a Honeywell company, says that Cepsa Chemical (Shanghai) Co. will use UOP process technology to meet demand in China for key petrochemicals used to make plastics for the fast-growing domestic construction and automotive industries.…
CCPS names new executive director
The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) of AIChE (the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; New York; www.aiche.org) announced that Shakeel Kadri, currently director, global process safety and risk management for Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (Allentown, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) will…
Manufacturing software provider Camstar acquired by Siemens
Siemens AG (Munich, Germany; www.siemens.com) has entered into an agreement to acquire Camstar Systems, Inc., one of the proven market leaders in enterprise Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) software. The acquisition will build on Siemens’ industrial digitalization strategy by broadening its…
Chemtura expanding antioxidant production capacity in Italy, Canada and Taiwan
Chemtura Corp. (Philadelphia, Pa.; www.chemtura.com) has announced that three of its major production sites are now increasing capacity for its Naugalube alkylated diphenyl amine (ADPA) liquid antioxidants to prevent predicted future shortages of antioxidants in the automotive petroleum additive industry…
Endress+Hauser invests in tank-calibration technology in Japan
Endress+Hauser (Reinach, Switzerland; www.endress.com) has invested €2.7 million in the new test rig for the calibration of high-precision tank-gaging instruments developed and produced at its site in Yamanashi, Japan. The plant is equipped with state-of-the-art laser technology, and can precisely…
Celanese acquires conductive polymer company Cool Polymers
Celanese Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.celanese.com) has announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Cool Polymers, Inc., based in North Kingstown, R.I. The acquisition will accelerate Celanese’s growth in the conductive polymers market by building on Cool Polymers’…
Kemira expands production capacity at San Giorgio site in Italy
Kemira Oyj (Helsinki; www.kemira.com) will make a multimillion-Euro investment in a production line expansion of process and functional chemicals at the San Giorgio site in Italy. The production commences in early 2015 and is expected reach full production capacity by the…
Kuraray divesting polyvinyl butyral business for $15.3 million
Kuraray Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.kuraray.co.jp/en) has reached an agreement to sell the European polyvinyl butyral (PVB) film business formerly owned by subsidiaries of DuPont (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) to GVC S.A., a Luxembourg-based subsidiary company of GVC Holdings, Inc. (Montvale, N.J.;…
U.S. industrial production and chemical production rose in Sept., ACC says
Citing recent data from the U.S. Federal Reserve (Washington, D.C.; www.federalreserve.gov), the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) said that overall industrial production, as well as production within the chemical industry rose in September. In the latest ACC…