Latest News: Business
BASF increases global capacity for hexanediol
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) will increase its annual global capacity for manufacturing the chemical intermediate 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) by more than 20% to more than 50,000 ton/yr by 2014. For this purpose, the company will further optimize its production processes,…
Metso acquires ExperTune
Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) has acquired U.S. software company ExperTune Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisc.). ExperTune's products are widely used as software tools to analyze and monitor the performance of industrial processes and to identify the associated maintenance and…
Endress+Hauser sets up a new subsidiary in Indonesia
In over two decades since it entered the market, Endress+Hauser Endress+Hauser (Reinach, Switzerland; www.endress.com), a global leader in instrumentation and process automation solutions, has established itself in Indonesia as a supplier of high-quality measuring instruments and solutions. To strengthen this…
Clariant divests several businesses to SK Capital
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) has signed an agreement to divest its textile chemicals, paper specialties and emulsions businesses to SK Capital, a U.S.-based private investment firm with a focus on the specialty materials, chemicals and healthcare sectors. The divestment…
KBR’s first VCC-technology processing unit in Russia enters construction phase
In February 2012, KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) signed an agreement with TAIF-NK (www.en.taif.ru) to establish a Veba Combi Cracker (VCC) technology processing unit to be implemented at the Nizhnekamsk petroleum refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia (www.chemengonline.com/only_on_che/latest_news/9005.html). The unit, whose…
Renewable farnesene facility starts production in Brazil
The renewable chemicals and fuels company Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.; www.amyris.com) today announced it has started production of renewable farnesene at its purpose-built industrial fermentation facility in Brazil. The Amyris brand of farnesene is known as BioFene. The company also…
BASF to sell Meyco Equipment business to Atlas Copco
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has signed a contract with Atlas Copco to sell its Meyco Equipment business providing concrete spraying machines to the tunneling and mining industries. The machinery manufacturer, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, will continue operations…
Chemical production slips globally; U.S. flat, says ACC
Overall production of chemicals, as measured by the Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI), slipped 0.3% in November, while chemical production in the U.S. was flat, according to data from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). …
Evonik expands U.S. production of precipitated silica
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) plans to increase its annual production capacities for precipitated silica at its site in Chester, Pa. by around 20,000 metric tons. The new facility, which received an investment in lower double-digit euros range, is…
Technip awarded EPC contract by BASF
Technip (Paris, France; www.technip), in a consortium with Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/chemicals, was awarded by BASF SE a lump sum turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, for the expansion project of a chlorine plant (chlor-alkali). The plant…