Behavior Based Safety
Every chemical company has safety rules, analysis tools, dashboards and a keen awareness of safety processes.
News
BP Studies Hydrogen Hub in Egypt
BP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian Government under which the multinational energy giant will explore the potential for establishing a green hydrogen production plant in the country.
Saudi’s Dussur Buys into Italmatch Chemicals
Dussur, the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company, has agreed to buy a stake in Italian specialty additives manufacturer Italmatch Chemicals from private equity group Bain Capital. The Riyadh-based group will also invest €100 million in Italmatch as a capital increase.
CEFIC Chemicals Trends Report November 2022
Following months of deteriorations, the latest global manufacturing flash PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) reading has, for the first time since mid-2020, crossed the threshold of 50. This signals a contraction in manufacturing, CEFIC says in their Chemicals Trends Report (CTR) for November 2022.
Air Products and AES Plan US Mega-Scale Hydrogen Plant
Industrial gases company Air Products and utility group AES have announced plans to invest $4 billion in a mega-scale hydrogen plant, powered by wind and solar energy. The companies said the facility, which will be capable of producing more than 200 t/d, will be the largest green hydrogen plant in the US when it starts up in 2027.
Plastics Industry Slams new US Legislative Proposal
US chemicals and plastics producers have expectedly slammed a new legislative initiative called Protecting Communities from Plastics Act (PCPA) introduced by Democratic Party senators and representatives in both houses of Congress at the beginning of December.
Germany’s Merck Buys Erbi Biosystems
Germany’s Merck has acquired Erbi Biosystems, a developer of the 2 ml micro-bioreactor platform technology known as the Breez. Financial terms were not disclosed. The company is based in the US state of Massachusetts.
Röhm to Acquire SABIC’s PC Sheet and Film Business
PMMA specialist Röhm plans to acquire SABIC’s polycarbonate-based Functional Forms business in a deal due to close in H1 2024. The company said the buy is key to its strategy to advance its transparent semi-finished products business into a leading multi-polymer global player.
CropEnergies Proceeds with German Ethyl Acetate Plant
Germany’s CropEnergies has given the go-ahead for its proposed 50,000 t/y renewable ethyl acetate plant to be built at the Zeitz Chemical and Industrial Park in Elseraue. Total investment will be between €120-130 million, with startup scheduled by summer 2025.
Nouryon Buys Singapore Alkoxylation Plant
Nouryon has bought an alkoxylation plant in Singapore. The company said the plant on Jurong Island will enhance its ability to serve growing regional demand in key end-markets, such as agriculture and food, home and personal care, natural resources, and paints and coatings.
Pfizer Files Rebuttal of Moderna’s Patent Claim
Faced with a lawsuit from US rival Moderna, alleging that Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech infringed one of its patent for their top-selling Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty, the New York US drugs giant said in a court filing that Comirnaty was based on independent research and wasn’t a Moderna copy.
Ineos and Sinopec Agree Fourth Venture in China
Ineos has agreed a fourth joint venture with Sinopec that will see it take a 50% share in the Tianjin Nangang project, which is currently underway and due to go on stream at the end of 2023.
Borealis Invests in Solar Power for Austria
Olefins and polyolefins producer Borealis has joined forces with Austrian energy utility company Verbund to supply solar energy to its production site at Schwechat, Austria.
AstraZeneca Sells US Site to National Resilience
Two weeks after annnouncing that it would no longer seek to market its Covid-19 vaccine in the US, Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has unveiled plans to sell its production site at West Chester, Ohio, to privately-held biomanufacturing company National Resilience.
Reaction Biology Buys Germany’s Bioassay
US contract research organization Reaction Biology has acquired German contract laboratory Bioassay Labor für biologische Analytik and its wholly owned subsidiary Peptide Specialty Laboratories (PSL).
Azelis Expands Asia-Pacific Presence with Chemiplas Acquisition
Consolidation in the distribution sector continues apace. Specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor Azelis has entered into an agreement to take over Chemiplas, a leading distributor of specialty chemicals, plastic raw materials and ingredients in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Flow Chemistry
Executives and industry experts share their views on drivers as well as barriers for the use of flow chemistry in pharmaceutical manufacturing and the prospect for this technology in their industry sector.
Curiosity, Disillusionment, Persistence, Success
Given the challenges the pharmaceutical industry is facing – secure material supply, reduce operation cost and increase flexibility, enhance sustainability and safety, innovate and reduce time-to-market – the sector is poised for a breakthrough of flow chemistry.
Chemistry and the „Next Normal”
Numerous crises such as climate change, energy shortages, raw material shortages, war in Ukraine and the consequences of the pandemic are putting value chains worldwide to the test.
The Re-Emergence of Global Geopolitical Risks
The 2022 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, compiled by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), is published at a moment of tremendous turmoil.
EU Renews Glyphosate License for One Year
The European Commission has provisionally renewed the license of the herbicide active ingredient glyphosate until the end of 2023. Earlier this year, the EU governing body had asked all member states to approve a one-year extension.
Pfizer Doubles Dublin Biologicals Capacity
Pfizer has announced plans to invest more than €1.2 billion at its site in Grange Castle, Dublin, Ireland, to double capacity for biological drug substances.
Catalent Completes Shanghai Plant Expansion
US-headquartered CDMO giant Catalent has completed the expansion of its clinical supply facility in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Shanghai, China.
Ineos Orders Ethane Carriers to Supply LNG
UK-steered petrochemicals giant Ineos has signed long-term charter agreements with Japan’s IINO Kaiun Kaisha line for delivery of two Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) with a volume of 99,000 cbm, initially to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany.
UK’s CPI Opens Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Center
The UK’s Center for Process Innovation (CPI) opened its Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Center in Glasgow on Nov. 30, with the aim of accelerating new technologies in the pharma industry.
SABIC, Aramco Invest in PKN Orlen
SABIC, Saudi Aramco and PKN Orlen have signed a joint development agreement to assess the technical and economic feasibility of a petrochemical project in the Polish city of Gdansk. The project would include a steam cracker and downstream plants.
WuXi STA Opens new Parenteral Formulation Line
WuXi STA has started up a new parenteral formulation line at its drug product site in Wuxi City, China. The company’s second line for parenteral drug product clinical and commercial manufacturing to go on stream this year has an annual capacity of 10 million units.
Ireland Seeks Role as Exporter of Renewable H2
Ireland wants to harness its huge offshore wind potential to become a major exporter of renewable hydrogen to other European nations but will have to take significant steps to realize its vision, the country’s environment ministry says.
Corteva Pays $1.2 Billion for Stoller
US agricultural chemicals and seeds group Corteva has agreed to buy Stoller Group, a compatriot producer of biostimulants and plant nutrition products, for $1.2 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2023.
Elementis to Sell Chromium Business to Yildirim
UK specialty chemicals company Elementis has agreed to sell its chromium business to the Yildirim Group for $170 million. The deal values the business at 7.3 times the EBITDA posted in fiscal 2022 (30 June.)
EU Fines Styrene Buyers for Cartel
The European Commission has fined five companies a total of €157 million for forming a styrene cartel that operated from May 2012 to June 2018. Affected are Sunpor, Synbra, Synthomer, Synthos and Trinseo. As the member that blew the whistle in 2017, Ineos escaped a fine.
AstraZeneca Boosts Cancer Portfolio with Neogene Buy
AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire Neogene Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and manufacture of next-generation T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts) – a promising and novel cell therapy approach to target cancer.
Unlocking Forward-looking Data Analytics Synergies in the Materials Sector
Interview with Lisa Z. Mobech and Bjol R. Frenkenberger, MIR Insight
Germany Inks Major LNG Deal with Qatar
QatarEnergy, teamed with US energy major ConocoPhillips, has agreed to supply Germany with around 2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually over 15 years, starting in 2026.
Invista Breaks Ground on US Nylon Expansion
To help supply the expanding global demand for PA 6.6, which it markets as Nylon, US-based trademark owner Invista, now part of Koch Industries, is building a new plant at its Camden, South Carolina, production site, where groundbreaking ceremonies were recently held.
