Arkema has announced the launch of its Carat Project at its Carling site in France. This initiative aims to enhance the capabilities and sustainability of the facility, which specializes in producing acrylic monomers and superabsorbent polymers.
The 15% capacity expansion of Arkema’s PVDF production site in Calvert City, Kentucky, represents an investment of approximately $20 million (€19 million).
Arkema recently finalized the acquisition of Dow’s flexible packaging laminating adhesives business. This acquisition will significantly expand Arkema's portfolio of solutions for flexible packaging, positioning the company as a key player in this attractive market.
French specialty materials manufacturer Arkema has opened its new technologies innovation lab for ultraviolet-light-cured (UV-cured), light emitting diode (LED-cured) and electron-beam-cured (EB-cured) curable resins and additives for specialty coating and adhesive applications at the company’s Kyoto Technical Center (KTC).
French chemical producer Arkema has reported a breakthrough in new manufacturing processes that incorporate up to 40% recycled content from old packaging into its powder coating resins.
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.
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.
Arkema has signed long term renewable energy agreements for its US sites in Calvert City, Kentucky, Beaumont, Texas, Chatham, Virginia, and West Chester, Pennsylvania, as well as for all Bostik sites in the United States. The company said that these agreements are part of its climate plan.
Arkema has increased its global manufacturing capacity for Pebax elastomers by 40% at its Serquigny plant in France, which is utilized in particular in the sports and consumer goods markets.
French chemical producer Arkema announced that it will become a shareholder of Tiamat, a start-up that designs, develops, industrializes and markets sodium-ion batteries, a new lithium-free technology. Tiamat was spun off from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in 2017.
On Dec. 1, 2023, French chemicals and materials company Arkema has finalized the acquisition of Glenwood Private Equity’s 54% – based on a €728 million enterprise value – stake in South Korean company PI Advanced Materials (PIAM). Arkema said in a statement that this acquisition acquisition – first announced last June – complements its portfolio of high-performance technologies for the high-growth markets of advanced electronics and electric mobility.
Arkema board of directors has unanimously expressed its confidence in the company’s chairman and CEO Thierry Le Hénaff to execute the strategy announced during Arkema’s capital markets day on Sep. 27 and proposed the renewal of his term of office for four years at the company’s next annual shareholders meeting in May 2024.
Arkema starts Sartomer UV/LED resin production at its Nansha, China facility, doubling capacity to fuel sustainable solutions for emerging Asian markets like advanced electronics and renewable energies.
Arkema plans a two-and-a-half-fold increase of its organic peroxide production capacities at the Changshu site in China. This investment of around €50 million, the company said, will enable it to support its Asian customers in fast-growing markets, particularly in renewable energies.
French specialty chemicals company Arkema plans to acquire the 54% majority stake held by Glenwood Private Equity in South Korea-listed PI Advanced Materials (PIAM) for €728 million and fully consolidate the holding. The remaining 46% of equity will continue to be listed in South Korea.
Arkema is acquiring Polytec PT, a German company specializing in developing and manufacturing specialty adhesives and thermal interface materials for the electronic, electrical and automotive industries. The transaction is expected to close during Q2 2023.
Arkema has finalized the divestment of Febex, a company specialized in phosphorus-based chemistry, as a further step in what it calls its ”dynamic portfolio management strategy.” Buyer is Belgian group Prayon; the acquisition price was not disclosed.
Arkema has doubled capacity for its Reafree-branded powder polyester resins at its Navi Mumbai facility in India. The French chemical producer said the upgrade reinforces its leadership position in the global powder coatings market and its commitment to developing very low-VOC technologies.
As part of its “dynamic portfolio management,” French specialty chemicals producer Arkema said it has agreed to sell its subsidiary Febex, a global player in phosphorus derivatives, to Belgian group Prayon.
Arkema has boosted its previously announced expansion plans for Pebax elastomer at its Serquigny site in France. The company will now increase capacity by 40% rather than the 25% it announced in January this year.
French chemicals and materials company Arkema is participating in a Spanish consortium to explore and advance the recyclability of post-consumer polyester resin (PET from bottles and other items) in order to regain monomers for use in more sustainable powder coatings.
French specialty chemicals producer Arkema has announced it will acquire privately owned Mexican company Polimeros Especiales, a producer of high performance waterborne resins for applications in architectural and decorative paints, textiles, pressure sensitive adhesives and construction.
Arkema has closed its acquisition of South Africa’s Permoseal, a move designed to strengthen and complete the portfolio of its adhesives subsidiary Bostik.
Arkema is buying Shanghai Zhiguan Polymer Materials (PMP), a Chinese company that specializes in reactive hot-melt polyurethane (HMPUR) adhesives for the consumer electronics market. Financial terms of the deal, which is scheduled to close this quarter, were not disclosed.
Reacting to the comet-like rise in demand for lithium oxide batteries used as separators and cathode binders in electric and hybrid vehicles, Solvay is expanding production of its Solef-branded polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) at its site in Tavaux, France.
Citing strong demand for lithium-ion batteries, as well as from other important markets, Arkema said it is now planning to increase its fluoropolymer capacity at Changshu, China by 50%, rather than 35% as announced earlier. The expected start-up date at the end of 2022 remains unchanged.
Arkema is lifting global capacity for its Pebax elastomers at its plant in Serquigny, France. The specialty chemicals manufacturer said the investment will benefit both the bio-circular Pebax Rnew and the traditional Pebax ranges. The expansion will be in place by mid-2023.
Arkema is to double capacity for its Sartomer UV curable resins at its Nansha plant in China. The French multinational chemical company said the expansion will support fast-growing demand in Asia for cutting-edge solutions in electronics, driven by 5G technology, and in renewable energies.
Chemical MNCs show strong verbal commitment to China, but the real situation is somewhat underwhelming.
French chemical producer Arkema has announced it will build a new plant for bio-based polyamide 11 powder at Changsu, China, with start-up planned for 2023. The investment runs parallel to the company’s €350 million mega project taking shape on Singapore’s Jurong Island, the latter encompassing both a PA resins unit and a plant to produce its feedstock, 11-aminoundecanoic acid.
Arkema has announced it is selling its epoxides business for $38.8 million to US agriculture giant Cargill. The agreed price for the activities with sales of around $40 million and some 45 employees is equivalent to around 10 times EBITDA.
As it sheds more commodity-oriented products in its plastics portfolio, French specialty chemicals producer Arkema has announced plans to acquire Agiplast, an Italian compounder regarded as a leader in the regeneration of high performance polymers, in particular specialty polyamides and fluoropolymers. The deal is expected to close next month.
French specialty chemicals producer Arkema said it plans to acquire Edge Adhesives Texas, as “a complementary asset” that will boost subsidiary Bostik’s offerings in high performance adhesives in the US. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Arkema has completed the sale of its PMMA business to US plastics and rubber producer Trinseo, a deal announced in December 2020. The French chemical company said the divestment is “fully in line” with its ambition to become a pure specialty materials player by 2024, with the three complementary segments of Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials and Coating Solutions.
Arkema has confirmed it is on track to begin production of its polyamide 11 high performance polymer and feedstock aminoundecanoic acid at a new plant on Singapore’s Jurong Island in the first half of 2022. The project announced in 2017 calls for a 50% increase in its global PA 11 capacity. Starting material for the biopolymer is castor oil.
