Perstorp Opens New Penta Plant in India
Sweden-based specialty chemicals company Perstorp has built and commissioned a new ISCC Plus-certified plant in western India to meet the growing market demand for Penta chemicals.
investment
Solvay Completes Coal Phase-out at Wyoming Soda Ash Plant
Brussels, Belgium-headquartered chemical company Solvay has completed the coal phase-out initiative at its US site in Green River, Wyoming.
AkzoNobel Completes Expansion of its Largest Powder Coatings Plant
The major capacity expansion was completed at AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings site in Como, Italy. The expansion is aimed to secure supply to customers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Air Liquide and Dow Renew Supply Deal for German Site
Air Liquide and Dow renewed their industrial gas supply agreement for Dow’s chemical production site in Stade, Germany. Under the long-term agreement, Air Liquide will supply industrial gases and invest almost €40 million in modernizing its facilities to increase operational efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions.
AstraZeneca to Construct New US Cell Therapy Facility
In a move to launch its cell therapy platforms for critical cancer trials in the US, AstraZeneca is investing $300 million in a new facility in Rockville, Maryland. The site will initially focus on the production of T-cell therapies, with the possibility of supporting other disease areas in the future.
Brenntag Acquires a Chemical Logistics Site in Italy
Brenntag announced the agreement to acquire a chemical logistics site of Chimica D’Agostino in Italy. The site is located in the industrial area of the city of Bari, well connected with Adriatic highway, and with easy access to harbours on the seaside.
AbbVie to Build New Biologics Manufacturing Site in Singapore
Last week, AbbVie broke ground on a new Singapore manufacturing facility located in Singapore's Tuas Biomedical Park. The company will invest $223 million in the site which will add 24,000 l of biologics drug-substance capacity to AbbVie's global manufacturing network and support current products as well as emerging immunology and oncology compounds within its pipeline.
Gedeon Richter Becomes Strategic Investor of Formycon
Hungary-headquartered specialty pharmaceutical company Gedeon Richter becomes a strategic investor of German biosimilars company Formycon via cash capital increase of 9.08% of Formycon’s share capital, which corresponds to €82.84 million.
Olon to Open New High Potency API Suite in US
Olon Group is building a state-of-the-art High Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HPAPI) suite at its Olon USA site in Concord, Ohio. This expands the company's capabilities for handling HPAPI, with investments totaling around €40 million ($43 million) in recent years.
Solvay and Huatai Expand Hydrogen Peroxide Capacity in China
In a move to meet the rising demand from the photovoltaic industry, Solvay is expanding the is hydrogen peroxide capacity of its Shandong Huatai Interox Chemical site in China, a joint venture (JV) with Huatai Chemical.
Birla Carbon to Build New Carbon Black Plants in India and Thailand
Leading Indian carbon black player Birla Carbon announced to establish two new carbon black manufacturing sites in Naidupet, Andhra Pradesh, India, and Rayong, Thailand.
Boehringer to Expand Greek Production Site for New Medicines
German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim is investing €120 million in an upgrade and expansion of its facility in Koropi, Greece, that will increase the company's capacity to produce existing and new medicines. Main disease areas, Boehringer said, include cardio-renal-metabolic (CRM) diseases, mental health, and pulmonary fibrosis.
WuXi Biologics Expands Production Capacity at Massachusetts Site
China-headquartered contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) WuXi Biologics plans to increase the manufacturing capacity of its US facility in Worcester, Massachusetts to 36,000 l, 12,000 l more than the originally planned 24,000 l.
Solenis to Expand in Virginia
Solenis to invest €176 million ($193 million) in City of Suffolk facility expansion. The company will build a new 7430-square-meter (80,000-square-foot) production facility, packaging facility, and tank farm. This new facility will be used to grow the existing polymer product line and add additional capacity of this critical monomer to the existing supplier.
Arkema Acquires a Stake in Battery Start-up Tiamat
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.
Nouryon Completes US Site Capacity Expansion for Colloidal Silica
Nouryon has completed a production capacity expansion of nearly 50% for its Levasil colloidal silica products at its US manufacturing facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Sumitomo Starts up New CO2-to-Methanol Pilot Plant
Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical has completed the construction of a pilot facility using a highly efficient process for producing methanol from CO2 at its Ehime Works facility, located in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, and has started operations at the facility.
BASF Completes Geismar Specialty Amines Expansion
BASF has completed its capacity expansion for key specialty amines manufactured at its US site in Geismar, Louisiana. The project, announced in June 2022, allows the company to increase production of polyetheramines and amine catalysts marketed under the Baxxodur and Lupragen brands.
Preparing for Sustainability-Driven Growth
Rising demand for sustainability-related products will create a huge growth opportunity for chemical companies.
Umicore Breaks Ground for Fuel Cell Catalyst Plant in China
At the end of last week, Belgian chemicals and recycling company Umicore held the groundbreaking ceremony in Changshu, Jiangsu province, China, for its new large-scale fuel cell catalyst plant.
Asahi Kasei Invests in Canadian Anion Exchange Membranes Manufacturer
Japanese manufacturer Asahi Kasei invests in Canadian startup Ionomr Innovations, known for its high-performance anion exchange membrane (AEM). The membrane has applications in cost-efficient and scalable green hydrogen production.
Capchem USA Evaluating €320 Million Investment in Louisiana
Capchem Technology USA Inc., a subsidiary of Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co., may invest €320 million ($350 million) in building an integrated carbonate solvent and lithium-ion battery electrolyte facility in Louisiana, USA.
SK Bioscience to Expand Production Capacity for Pneumococcal Vaccine in Korea
South Korea-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) SK Bioscience wants to expand its vaccine manufacturing plant located in Andong, South Korea to approximately 4,200 m2 through joint investment with Sanofi.
Elementis Plans New R&D Unit in Portugal
UK’s Elementis, a global specialty chemicals company, will be opening a new unit in Portugal, featuring a center of excellence and R&D laboratory. The new unit, which will be headquartered in Porto and is scheduled to open in the first half of 2024, will support the company’s business segments Personal Care and Performance Specialties and also reinforce the current R&D capacity of the Elementis' laboratories in Asia and the Americas.
UK Government Unveils £29.5 Billion of Investment at Global Business Summit
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced £29.5 billion ($36.8 billion) of private sector investment in Britain at a gathering of global executives intended to showcase Britain’s appeal to global investors.
Novo Nordisk to Invest €2.1 Billion in French Production Site
Novo Nordisk wants to make another major capital investment in production capacity for its diabetes and obesity therapies. The Danish drugmaker announced to spend more than 16 billion Danish kroner (€2.1 billion euros) starting in 2023 to expand its production site in Chartres, France, adding aseptic production and finished production processes and an extension of the current Quality Control Laboratory.
Ineos and Sinopec Open New ABS Facility in China
Ineos Styrolution, a styrenics producer, has opened a new world-scale ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) facility located in Ningbo, China, together with its joint venture partner Sinopec. The facility has an annual nameplate capacity of 600,000 tons.
Orion Opens Second Plant in China
Orion opens its first greenfield project – a carbon black plant in eastern China that will supply fast-growing demand in Asia.
AGC Expands Production Capacity for Agrochemicals and Pharmaceuticals in Japan
AGC Wakasa Chemicals, part of Japanese group AGC, has completed a new large-scale production line at its Kaminaka Plant in Fukui prefecture, Japan, as it expects demand for agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to grow steadily against a backdrop of population growth and improvement of living standards.
Brenntag Supports Energy Sector with New US Site in Louisiana
German chemicals and ingredients distributor Brenntag has opened its new facility in Maurice, Louisiana, USA. Strategically positioned along the US Gulf Coast, the new site will be the primary operations hub for Coastal Chemical, a subsidiary of Brenntag, in addition to serving other areas in the region, the company said.
AkzoNobel to Build Facility for Bisphenol-Free Coatings in Spain
AkzoNobel is investing €32 million in a new plant at its Vilafranca site in Spain, which will produce bisphenol-free coatings for the metal packaging industry in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). AkzoNobel expects facility to be operational by mid-2025 and to create around 40 jobs.
OCI Global and Röhm Announce Production of MMA Using Bio-Ammonia
OCI Global, the world’s third largest nitrogen fertilizer and ammonia producer, is supplying Röhm, a leading manufacturer of methacrylates, with bio-ammonia for the production of methyl methacrylate (MMA), an important precursor for Plexiglas.
Fujifilm Diosynth Announces New US Cell Culture Production Facility
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies unveiled its new $2 billion large-scale cell culture manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, US.
Novo Nordisk to Invest €5.6 Billion in Expansion of API Production in Denmark
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk plans to invest more than 42 billion Danish kroner (about €5.6 billion) starting in 2023 to expand existing manufacturing facilities at the company’s Kalundborg, Denmark, site to meet future market demands.
Olon to Nearly Double Production Capacity of Indian Site
Olon, an Italian CDMO and API producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), plans to invest €10 million in a multi-year expansion of its production site in Mahad, India.
