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The Chemical Resistant of VACUUBRAND’s Pumps

For many people, one of the most important features to consider when sourcing a vacuum pump is the ability of that pump to hold up over the long term.  Pumps are exposed to a wide range of operating conditions that…

Current Economic Trends: April 2016

The April 2016 preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) rose from the previous month, with all four major subindices experiencing increases. The March final values were upwardly revised from the values reported last…

U.S. specialty chemicals continue 2nd quarter on soft note, ACC says

The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) continued the second quarter of 2016 on a soft note, slipping 0.3 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis in May.…

PPG to sell European fiber glass operations to Nippon Electric Glass

PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.ppg.com) announced that it has signed an agreement for the sale of its European fiber glass operations to glass manufacturer Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd. (NEG). The transaction is subject to completion of employee consultation…

Honeywell UOP opens new catalyst production line in Shreveport

Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com) opened a new production line at its catalyst manufacturing facility in Shreveport, La. The $150-million investment will enable Honeywell UOP to produce a new range of catalysts for the oil refining industry at the…

GE Aviation breaks ground on factories for ceramic-matrix-composite materials

GE Aviation (Evendale, Ohio; www.geaviation.com) broke ground in Huntsville, Ala. on two adjacent factories to mass-produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composite components (CMCs) for jet engines and land-based gas turbines for electric power. GE Aviation…

Asahi Kasei establishes European operating base in Dusseldorf

Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) held an opening ceremony for Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH on June 16, 2016, in Dusseldorf, Germany. The ceremony was attended by some 200 people including Mr. Burkhard Hintzsche, City Director of Dusseldorf; Mr. Ryuta…

Covestro launches industrial production of plastics using carbon dioxide

Covestro AG Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) is now, for the first time, using CO2 to produce plastics on an industrial scale. Today, the company opened a production plant for an innovative foam component made with 20% CO2 at its Dormagen site…

Siemens to merge wind power business with Gamesa

Siemens AG (Munich, Germany; www.siemens.com) and Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica (Zamudio, Spain; www.gamesacorp.com) have signed binding agreements to merge Siemens' wind power business, including wind services, with Gamesa to create a leading global wind power player. Siemens will receive newly issued…

BASF to acquire global surface-treatment provider Chemetall

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has signed an agreement to acquire Albemarle’s global surface treatment business, Chemetall (Frankfurt, Germany). The purchase price is $3.2 billion. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant authorities and is expected to close…