Dr. Ulrich Küsthardt has been named the new chief innovation officer at Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com), effective the beginning of 2015. Küsthardt, who succeeds Dr. Peter Nagler, plans to continue strengthening the company’s innovation capacity, continuing his predecessor’s…
Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. (IVL; Bangkok, Thailand; www.indorama.net) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Indorama Netherlands B.V. has signed a share-purchase agreement to acquire a 100% equity stake of Polyplex Resins San. ve Tic. A.S, Turkey (Polyplex Turkey) from…
Praj Industries (Pune, India; www.praj.net) has signed a contract with Kakira Sugars, a leading sugar and power producer in Uganda, for a large ethanol plant. The plant, to be located in Uganda, will produce fuel ethanol, as well as premium-grade…
Mitsubishi Rayon Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.mrc.co.jp) and Mitsubishi Plastics Inc. have agreed to integrate the Pitch-based Carbon Fiber Business of Mitsubishi Plastics and the Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based Carbon Fiber Business of Mitsubishi Rayon with the purpose of enhancing the Carbon…
Mexichem S.A.B. de C.V. (Tlalnepantla, Mexico; www.mexichem.com) has acquired the distribution and sale license for pharmaceutical grade hfc-227ea/p product for the regulated medical and pharmaceutical propellant market from DuPont fluorochemicals. For $4.1 million, Mexichem’s Mexichem Limited UK Ltd subsidiary, a…
BioAmber Inc. (Montreal, Canada; www.bio-amber.com), has announced that chief financial officer (CFO) Andrew Ashworth retired on December 31, 2014 and Francois Laurin has been hired to succeed Ashworth as the company's CFO. Andrew Ashworth is retiring after three and a…
Honeywell (Morristown, N.J.; www.honeywell.com) announced that it has started full-scale commercial production of a low global-warming-potential (GWP) material used as an aerosol propellant, insulating agent and refrigerant. The material, known by the industry designation HFO-1234ze and marketed by Honeywell under…
SRF Ltd. (New Delhi, India; www.srf.com), a refrigerant manufacturer in India, signed a binding agreement to purchase DuPont’s global HFC-134a regulated medical-pharmaceutical propellant business. This DuPont Fluorochemicals business is part of the Performance Chemicals segment of DuPont, which is anticipated…
Ferro Corp. (Mayfield Heights, Ohio; www.ferro.com) announced that it has completed the sale of the majority of the assets of its Polymer Additives business to Polymer Additives, Inc., a wholly owned portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, LLC, for approximately $154 million in…
Sasol Ltd. (Johannesburg, South Africa; www.sasol.co.za) announced the completion of a $4 billion credit facility for its ethane cracker and derivatives at an existing site in Lake Charles, Louisiana. “Securing this financing facility is another key milestone in advancing a…