Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) put its precipitated-silica production plant in Americana (São Paulo, Brazil) into operation on July 20, 2016. This high-growth silica is used mainly for high-quality low rolling resistance tires. In addition, by building this new…
Last week, ASTM International (West Conshohocken, Pa.; www.astm.org) Committee E15 on Industrial and Specialty Chemicals voted to merge into ASTM Committee D16 on Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Related Chemicals. “Merging these two important committees will help consolidate chemical industry expertise in standards…
The May 2016 preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) is higher than the previous month, with the Equipment and Buildings indices rising by a significant amount. The preliminary May 2016 CEPCI value is…
Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) has announced the planned acquisition by its specialty adhesives business line, Bostik, of Den Braven, a leader in sealants for insulation and construction in Europe. With this acquisition, Arkema is actively pursuing the development of its…
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) says it will build a new plant and associated infrastructure in the Pukou Economic Development Zone (PKEDZ), Nanjing, eastern China, to supply ultra-high purity gases to its customers in the park. The PKEDZ is…
The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) slipped 0.4 percent in June. This follows a 0.3 percent decline in May and a 0.5 percent decline in April. All data…
Sandvik AB (Stockholm, Sweden; www.sandvik.com) has signed an agreement to divest its Mining Systems operations, reported in the Sandvik income statement as discontinued operations, to the private equity company CoBe Capital. Sandvik will maintain ownership of ongoing projects that are…
Another question that we often hear from our customers is, what pump do I need? The right answer depends upon a variety of factors - such as the nature of the process or application, the working pressure and/or flow rate…
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) has entered a share purchase agreement (SPA) to transfer operations within its Jacobs France subsidiary to NOX SARL in France. The transaction value was not disclosed, and was settled in cash at completion.…
WorleyParsons Ltd. (North Sydney, Australia; www.worleyparsons.com) has been awarded an Integrated Project Management Team (IPMT) contract by LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com), one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. LyondellBasell proposes to build a propylene oxide and…