May 2025
Company News
- » M&As: Honeywell to acquire Johnson Matthey's catalyst biz for £1.8 bn; DKSH acquires specialty polymers distributor APN Plastics in Australia and Malaysia
- » Buyout offer made for Braskem by Brazilian businessman
- » M&As: Indorama takes 25% stake in Indian packaging company EPL; BASF buys out Alsachimie jv partner Domo Chemicals
- » ConocoPhillips withdraws from US$3 bn oil/gas project in Sarawak; Petronas/state govt at loggerheads
- » M&As: Synthomer to sell off inorganic chemistry business; Celanese to divest Micromax ink and paste business
- » Recycling: DePoly secures US$23 mn to launch 500-tonne/yr recycling plant; RecycLiCo Battery Materials/Zenith Chemical terminate li-ion battery recycling joint venture
- » Tie-ups: Sumitomo Corp/NFC in jv for sulphuric acid tank terminal; Lotte Chemical Indonesia to supply ethylene to Asahimas Chemical in ten-year contract
- » M&As: Aster Chemicals acquires Chevron Phillips’s Singapore ops; Azelis acquires distribution business of India’s Amit Group
Materials News
- » Green news: Emirates Biotech/Sulzer advance on PLA facility in UAE; Borealis invests EUR100 mn in recyclable PP solutions in Germany
- » Plants: Huntsman to close European maleic anhydride plant; Sumitomo Chemical to expand semiconductor chemicals capacity in South Korea
- » Green news: OMV inaugurates ReOil/electrolyser facilities in Vienna; Avantium in Michelin-led consortium for biobased chemical HMF
- » Expansions: Dongsung Chemical opens PU facility in Indonesia; Constantia Flexibles invests EUR50 mn in Austrian plant with rolling mill
- » Expansions: Sinopec’s Ningbo Zhenhai opts for ECI’s HPPE tech for new Chinese plant; BASF invests in new semiconductor-grade sulphuric acid plant in Ludwigshafen
- » Plants: PPG to invest US$380 mn in aerospace coatings/sealants facility in US; Kraton to close Ohio site, exit dimer and polyamides lines
- » Expansions: Borouge to expand olefin/polyolefins capacity in Ruwais; Vioneo awards FEED to Wood for Belgian biopolymer project
Machinery News
April 2025
Company News
- » Dow to expand European assets review, puts on hold Canadian project to lower costs
- » Economy disruptions expected due to tariffs imposed by US govt
- » Industry upheavals: TotalEnergies to shut cracker in Antwerp; Ascend files for bankruptcy to restructure
- » Investments: BASF sells Chinese BDO jv shares to Singapore’s Verde Chemical; PureCycle raises US$27 mn from sale of bonds
- » M&As: Shell completes sale of Singapore refinery to Chandra Asri-Glencore jv; Lanxess completes sale of urethane biz to Ube
- » M&As: Stavian Chemical acquires Turkish distributor Core Polymer; Kuraray acquires US start-up firm Nelumbo
- » Country Focus: Clean energy and EVs boosting China’s economy April issue
Materials News
- » European plant closures: Indorama to divest PTA plant in Portugal; Eni shutters two Versalis crackers to curtail losses
- » Packaging: Smart, recyclable solutions for the packaging sector April issue
- » Kraiburg TPE: Goods and gold for sustainability
- » Green tie-ups: Agilyx/Circular in jv for recycled plastics; Braskem/SCG jv for feedstock agreement with Mitr Phol Bio for ethanol-to-ethylene project in Thailand
- » Green news: Project to transform UK's organic waste into commercial goods gets extra £700k funding; Freepoint delivers pyrolysis oil to Shell US
- » Expansions: Perstorp starts up Dutch esters plant; Emirates Biotech appoints Samsung E&A to build PLA plant
- » Expansions: Lubrizol opens tech/innovation centre in India; BASF sets up production for anode binders in US
- » Expansions: KazMunayGaz breaks ground on US$7 bn ethane cracker/PE project in Kazakhstan
- » Expansions: ExxonMobil to invest US$100 mn in upgrading isopropyl alcohol facility; Wanhua Chemical/IBU-tec to develop European LFP battery material
- » EU draws up new safety rules for toys; to ban use of PFAS/bisphenols
- » Emerging innovations, sustainable solutions leading the industry April issue
- » Additives extending the potential of materials April issue
- » Tie-ups: Syensqo/Sinopec partner on advanced materials/specialty chemicals; Clearpoint Recycling to supply Enviroo waste PET for recycling plant
- » Thermoplastic Elastomers: Growing footprint of TPEs in key industries April issue
- » Tech tie-ups: Econic in licensing agreement with Saudi Aramco for C02 polyols; Clariant teams up with Technip for new catalyst for styrene production
- » Strong growth for bio-based polymers; Asia in the lead April issue
- » Plants: Saudi Aramco/Sinopec to expand Yasref petrochem complex; Maruzen Petrochemical to shut ethylene unit in Chiba
Machinery News
March 2025
Company News
- » M&As: Lone Star acquires Radici’s speciality chemicals/polymers business; XSYS completes buy out of MacDermid Graphics
- » M&As: Private equity firm to buy stake in Nextchem for EUR110 mn; Constantia Flexibles completes acquisition of majority shares in Aluflexpack
- » Adnoc/OMV merger to create US$60 bn chemical giant Borouge Group
- » Investments: Lotte Chemical to sell 25% stake in Indonesian ethylene project; Xycle obtains funding for Rotterdam recycling plant
Materials News
- » Green tie-ups: Elix collaborates with Repsol/AnQore for 100% recycled resins; ABG, BASF and Sto use recycled PS in insulation board in pilot project
- » LyondellBasell/Covestro to permanently shut down jv propylene/styrene monomers unit in Netherlands
- » Green news: Braven to supply recycled feedstock to BASF in US; Agilyx’s Styrenyx reduces CO2 footprint of styrene manufacturing by up to 86%
- » Green tie-ups: Aduro Clean/NexGen Polymers to collaborate on HCT demo plant; OMV receives EU funding for industrial-scale chemical recycling plant in Austria
- » Plants: Covestro modernises Dormagen TDI plant; Mitsui Chemicals establishes coating centre in India
- » Green news: Avantium proceeds to commercialisation of PEF production; Evonik advances pyrolysis oil capability with launch of Purocel series
- » Green news: TotalEnergies Corbion/Benvic partner on PLA for auto/electronics sectors; Versalis to start recycled polymer production plant in Italy
- » Green tie-ups: Resonac/Microwave Chemical launch microwave-chemical recycling tech; Kemira/IFF in jv for biobased materials
- » Expansions: SCGC progresses on ethane feedstock project in Vietnam; LyondellBasell to expand propylene capacity in Houston
- » Green news: Syensqo achieves breakthrough in mechanical recycling of PVDC; BASF develops biomass-balanced PESU, claims it’s the first in world
- » High performance TPEs for electronics and automotive
- » Chinaplas 2025: Malaysia’s industrial growth to push demand for plastics
- » Expansions: Covestro ups capacity for PC films in Thailand; Jindal launches BOPA nylon films in India
Machinery News
February 2025
Company News
- » M&As: Lotte Chemical sells Pakistani PTA business for US$68 mn; Sumitomo Chemical acquires Syensqo’s liquid crystal polymer neat resin business
- » LyondellBasell/Covestro consider shutting POSM facility in Netherlands
- » Neste to refocus from sustainable polymers/chemicals to fuels
- » M&As: Hexpol acquires majority share in Turkish cable compounder for EUR54 mn; BASF sells Brazilian decorative paints biz to Sherwin-Williams for US$1 bn
- » Dow to cut 1,500 jobs in line with US$1 bn cost savings
- » M&As: Resonac sells packaging materials affiliate to Dai Nippon; Trelleborg acquires US firm CRC Distribution
Materials News
- » Kraiburg TPE expands sustainable TPEs in cutter manufacturing; partners with Vinmar Polymers America
- » Chinaplas 2025: Auto industry drives demand for sustainable plastics
- » Biomass can meet 20% of carbon demand in chemicals sector by 2050
- » Expansions: Lanxess inaugurates application centre in India; Toyobo to boost capacity of PET film by 30%
- » Recycling: EU Commission approves French aid for chemical recycling; Oerlikon Barmag/Evonik partner for chemical recycling of PET
- » Green updates: Aduro progresses in chemical recycling pilot plant; LG Chem to produce 100% plant-based acrylic acid
- » Kraiburg TPE showcases advanced TPE solutions at Chinaplas 2025
Machinery News
January 2025
Company News
- » Clariant to defend EUR1.4 bn claim by BASF related to ethylene purchasing cartel
- » M&As: BASF to sell Styrodur XPS business to Bachl; DKSH acquires Malaysian calibration equipment provider
- » M&As: Orlen to acquire Azoty’s polyolefins business in Poland; Alpla takes over shares of Egyptian jv
Materials News
- » Green initiatives: Ikea to invest EUR1 bn to increase recycling infrastructure; UNDP/Coke tie-up to scale up management of plastic waste in Asia
- » Kraiburg TPE’s advanced TPE solutions for mobility and everyday applications
- » Synthomer/Neste/PCS to launch biobased NBR latex for gloves
- » Expansions: Covestro expands production of PC in US; Vioneo opts for Honeywell methanol-to-olefins tech for Belgian green polymers plant
- » Expansions: Shell/CNOOC expand third phase of petchem complex in China; BPCL to build US$700 mn refinery/petchem project in Andhra Pradesh
Machinery News
- » Farrel Pomini offers cost effective system for processing recycled/virgin PVC
- » Green news: Sidel launches rPET lightweight bottle base for still products
- » Chinaplas showcases Green, Smart, and High-Tech solutions for sustainable plastics and rubber industries
- » Colines, Gneuss and ExxonMobil collaborate on LLDPE stretch film with recycled content
- » Maag acquires centrifugal pellet dryer technology
- » Chinaplas 2025: Indonesia strengthens position as hub for high-growth industries
- » China’s CR Beverage takes delivery of Sidel aseptic complete lines to meet the growing market demand
