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GEA increases activities in the solar-thermal business

GEA Ibérica, the Spanish subsidiary of the GEA Group AG (Bochum, Germany; www.geagroup.com), has acquired Caldemón Ibérica S.A., a leading manufacturer of shell-and-tube heat exchangers and surface condensers, commonly used in solar thermal power plants. In 2008, the company expects…

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Hoerbiger concludes acquisition of Altronic

Hoerbiger Holding AG (Zug, Switzerland; www.hoerbiger.com) has acquired Altronic, Inc. (Girard, Ohio), effective January 1, 2009. Hoerbiger will integrate the company into the Business Division Engine Solutions, and therefore into the Strategic Business Unit Compression Technology. Altronic has locations in…

AkzoNobel strengthening European chemicals portfolio

AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is to enhance its chemicals portfolio after making an irrevocable bid on German-based LII Europe. Financial details were not disclosed. LII Europe operates a multi-client chlorine cluster on the Hoechst Industrial Park near Frankfurt. As…

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Siemens installs photovoltaic plant 

Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany; www.siemens.com/energy) has installed a turnkey photovoltaic (PV) plant on the roof of the Siemens Healthcare X-ray systems manufacturing plant in Forchheim, Germany. After a planning and construction time of less than three months, the unit went…

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Rahu and OMG ink global coatings and composites agreement                                 

OM Group, Inc. (OMG; Cleveland, Ohio; www.omgi.com) and Rahu Catalytics Ltd. (Nottingham, U.K.; www.rahucat.com) have agreed to develop a long-term global license and supply agreement for novel technology in the field of additives for coatings, inks and composites. According to…

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Baytubes now also available in the U.S.

Bayer MaterialScience (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayermaterialscience.com) has received regulatory approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.) for Baytubes, BMS’ multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CE, December 2005, p. 16). This enables the company to sell Baytubes on the American…

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BASF to increase capacity of Glissopal

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) is increasing its production of low molecular weight, highly reactive polyisobutene (HR PIB). Between now and 2010 the company will increase its annual capacity by 25,000 metric tons (m.t.). The polymer, marketed worldwide under the…

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Uhde wins several contracts for aromatics plants

Uhde GmbH (Dortmund, Germany; www.uhde.biz) has been awarded a contract by Risun Chemical Co. of China to build an aromatics plant at Tangshan (Hebei Province), some 150 km east of Beijing. The new plant will produce top-quality benzene, toluene and…

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Foster Wheeler awarded EPCM contracts for Thailand facility

Foster Wheeler Ltd. (Hamilton, Bermuda; www.fwc.com) announced today that its subsidiary Foster Wheeler International Corp. (Thailand branch), part of its Global Engineering and Construction Group, has been awarded contracts by MTP HPPO Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Siam Styrene…

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Evonik to produce catalysts in China next year

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com), has started building a catalyst manufacturing plant, for producing precious-metal powder catalysts, in Shanghai, China. The plant will start operation in the fourth quarter of 2009. Precious-metal powder catalysts are used in the synthesis…