H.B. Fuller Company, the biggest pureplay adhesives company in the world, has acquired ND Industries, a leading provider of specialty adhesives and fastener locking and sealing solutions serving customers in the automotive, electronics, aerospace, and other industries.
In a move to enhance global supply of its antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) portfolio, AstraZeneca intends to build a $1.5 billion facility in Singapore for the manufacturing of ADCs.
Hungarian energy and petrochemicals group MOL has inaugurated its €1.3 billion polyol complex in Tiszaújváros, Hungary, with a capacity of around 200,000 t/y of polyol, a widely used plastic raw material.
BASF is to invest in the expansion of its advanced additives plant at Nanjing, China. The expansion includes a state-of-the-art production line for the company’s high-performance controlled free radical polymerization (CFRP) dispersants used in the coatings industry. The new line is planned to start up by the end of 2025.
US-headquartered specialty chemicals company Orion announced plans to invest in Alpha Carbone, a French tire recycling company. The partnership will enable Alpha Carbone to scale up its facility in Dole, France, and produce commercial volumes of tire pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black.
The American start-up Zila Bioworks is transforming hard-tech manufacturing with drastically cleaner, greener chemistry, while supporting rural communities.
On Monday, Paris-based French drugmaker Sanofi announced plans to invest more than €1 billion at three facilities in France to create new bioproduction capacity.
Life science group Sartorius and biopharmaceutical firm Sanofi are partnering to create a platform for continuous downstream bioprocessing. Sartorius will use its engineering and manufacturing skills to commercialize integrated and continuous biomanufacturing (ICB) platforms, using Sanofi’s prototypes. In exchange, Sanofi will provide Sartorius with exclusive access to its ICB platform knowledge and patents.
The top management of life sciences companies is very optimistic about 2024 and 2025, with over 80% of pharmaceutical, medical technology and biotechnology executives expecting profit growth for the current year and over 90% for the coming year. Around one in two companies expect profits to rise by more than 5% this year and 70% next year. These are the findings of the annual survey "Life Sciences Executives Flash Report" by consulting company Horváth.
US specialty chemicals producer Ashland has signed a definitive agreement to sell its nutraceuticals business to Turnspire Capital Partners. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial details of the transaction were not given.
Neste has appointed Heikki Malinen as president and CEO of Neste, effective Nov. 2, 2024, at the latest. He succeeds Matti Lehmus, who decided to leave the company. Malinen is currently a member of Neste’s board of directors, but will step down before taking up his new role.
Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo, takes on the role as president of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), succeeding Martin Brudermueller, effective today.
Ineos Oxide and LyondellBasell have completed the sale of LyondellBasell’s Ethylene Oxide & Derivatives (EO&D) business and associated production facilities located in Bayport, Texas to Ineos.
Swiss drugmaker Novartis agreed to acquire Mariana Oncology, a US biotechnology company based in Watertown, Massachusetts, that develops novel radioligand therapies (RLTs) for the treatment of cancer.
The European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), through its subgroup European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG), joined the Critical Medicines Alliance, an initiative of the European Commission to strengthen the supply of critical medicines in Europe.
Japan’s Ono Pharmaceutical agreed to acquire US cancer-therapy company Deciphera Pharmaceuticals for approximately $2.4 billion. Deciphera focuses on innovative cancer therapeutics, and specializes in kinase biology.
Arkema agreed to acquire Dow’s flexible packaging laminating adhesives business, a leading producer in this market with annual sales of approximately $250 million (€233 million). This acquisition will expand Arkema’s flexible packaging solutions portfolio, positioning the group as a key player in the industry.
China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) will construct 18 giant liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels for QatarEnergy under a deal worth $6 billion.
Syensqo announced the acquisition of JinYoung Bio, a specialty cosmetic ingredients supplier based in South Korea. This investment expands Syensqo’s portfolio toward more natural and high-value specialty skin care solutions with functional and active ingredients.
On Wednesday, China’s Wanhua Chemical opened its R&D center in Cornellà de Llobregat near Barcelona, Spain, providing technical support and services to downstream customers in fine chemicals and materials on topics like product performance, application methods, and raw material selection.
On Thursday, Syensqo broke ground on its new battery-grade polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) facility in Augusta, Georgia, US. When complete, the site will be the largest PVDF production facility in North America, the company said.
Asahi Kasei announced that it will construct an integrated plant in Ontario, Canada for the base film manufacturing and coating of Hipore wet-process lithium-ion battery (LIB) separator. Asahi Kasei and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) have reached a basic agreement about the plant and are currently exploring the possibility of a joint investment.
Kühne Holding has agreed to purchase Aenova Group, a pharma contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), from BC Partners. BC will reinvest and retain a minority stake in Aenova. The financial terms remain undisclosed.
French biotech company Pili, a manufacturer of sustainable colorant and pigment, has produced several tons of anthranilic acid, a 100% biobased aromatic compound which the company already converts into dyes and pigments.
US-based multinational contractor KBR has been awarded a contract by SABIC Fujian Petrochemicals to license its phenol technology in China.
Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco has entered into discussions with Hengli Group regarding the potential acquisition of a 10% stake in Hengli Petrochemical, subject to due diligence and required regulatory clearances.
Biopharmaceutical company CureVac has announced a co-development and licensing agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop novel mRNA-based cancer vaccines.
Last week, LyondellBasell and Genox Recycling have opened their plastics recycling joint venture (JV) in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, China, which will operate under the name Guangdong Genox LyondellBasell New Material Co.
Linde announced that – through its subsidiary White Martins – will build, own and operate a second 5-MW pressurized alkaline electrolyzer to produce green hydrogen in Jacareí, São Paulo, Brazil. Start-up of the facility is expected in 2025.
Sumitomo Chemical has announced to divest all of its shares in two of its flat panel display (FPD) process chemical subsidiaries in China to Zhenjiang Runjing High Purity Chemical Technology (Runjing Tech). The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of May this year. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Belgian chemical major Solvay has opened a new facility in Rosignano, Italy, for the production of Alve-One, a chemical blowing agent for the thermoplastic foaming industry.
Arkema is set to acquire a 78% stake in Proionic, a start-up specializing in ionic liquids production. These components are crucial for future lithium-ion batteries. This acquisition expands Arkema’s solutions and strengthens its position in the materials sector across various battery technologies.
BASF has started operations at its prototype metal refinery for battery recycling in Schwarzheide, Germany. The plant enables the development of operational procedures and the optimization of innovative battery recycling technology, processing end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery production scrap, the company said.
The Mexican start-up Neptunus Biotech extracts bioactive compounds from marine microalgae which are used as a bio-stimulant for crops. The assimilation of these molecules makes the plants more resistant to environmental stress.
US-based Vantage Specialty Chemicals is to expand taurate capacity at its major manufacturing site in Leuna, Germany, in particular for the production of N-methyltaurine.
