Indorama Ventures Public Ltd. (IVL; Bangkok, Thailand; www.indorama.net) and Compañía Española de Petróleos S.A.U. (Cepsa; Madrid, Spain; www.cepsa.com) announced the expansion of their strategic partnership with the signing of an exclusive supply agreement for meta-xylene, a key feedstock for the…
Sekisui Plastics USA, a subsidiary of Sekisui Plastics Company, Ltd. (Osaka, Japan; www.sekisuiplastics.com) has announced the establishment of a new corporation in Mexico, Sekisui Plastics Mexico, S.A. de C.V., and the opening of its new $7 million manufacturing facility in…
KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a construction contract by The Chemours Co. (Wilmington, Del.; www.chemours.com) for the construction of its new Opteon YF (HFO-1234yf) facility in Corpus Christi, Tex., USA. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will…
Johnson Matthey (London; www.matthey.com) and 3M (St. Paul, Minn.; www.3m.com) have entered into a patent license agreement that aims at further expanding the use of Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIB) for automotive applications. Under the agreement, 3M…
Zeon Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.zeon.co.jp) and Sumitomo Chemical Co. (Tokyo; www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp) have reached a basic agreement to commence a joint study on possible consolidation of both companies’ Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber (S-SBR) businesses. Zeon Corp. and Sumitomo Chemical will look…
Evonik (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has recently completed a significant capacity expansion at its sodium methylate plant in Mobile, Alabama. The company has increased capacity to 72,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr). Although sodium methylate is used in various applications including…
PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.ppg.com) announced that it is investing $20 million to upgrade its fiber glass manufacturing facility in Chester, South Carolina. The facility, which employs 150 people, manufactures direct-draw fiber glass products used in filament winding, pultrusion,…
The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) announced that Melanie Kalmar, global director Information Systems, has been named chief information officer (CIO). Kalmar’s proven leadership and track record for driving business results positions her well to drive Dow’s vision for…
Huntsman Corp. (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.huntsman.com) announced that Innospec Inc. (Littleton, Colo.; www.innospecinc.com) has committed to purchase Huntsman’s European surfactants business. Under the terms of the planned transaction, Innospec would acquire Huntsman’s manufacturing facilities located in Saint-Mihiel, France; Castiglione delle…
Emerson (St. Louis, Mo.; www.emerson.com) has announced the divestment of three of its business units: Network Power, Leroy-Somer and Control Techniques. Emerson will sell Network Power to Platinum Equity and a group of co-investors. The transaction is valued at $4…