The supervisory board of the specialty chemicals company Altana AG (Wesel, Germany; www.altana.com) has appointed Martin Babilas to become the chief executive officer (CEO). On January 1, 2016, he will succeed Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, who will retire. Martin Babilas…
AkzoNobel Performance Coatings (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is investing around €3 million ($3.4 million) to expand its research and development (R&D) facilities in Houston, Texas. The upgraded facility will support the company’s Protective Coatings, Marine Coatings and Specialty Coatings businesses. Completion is due in early 2016. “The expanded facility will provide a central, state-of-the-art technical resource for our…
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.; www.thermofisher.com) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alfa Aesar, a leading global manufacturer of research chemicals and part of Johnson Matthey Plc (London; www.matthey.com), for £256 million (or approximately $405 million) in cash.…
Assiut Oil Refining Co. (ASORC) of Egypt has selected Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France www.axens.net) to supply technologies for its refinery-upgrade project, which consist of a new complex for the production of high-octane gasoline. This project aims to satisfying domestic market needs…
DuPont’s (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) Performance Polymers business has increased production capacity of DuPont Zytel PA 66 and PA 6 at its Uentrop facility in Hamm, Germany by 20% to meet growing demand primarily in the global automotive industry. Lightweight, high-performance…
PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.ppg.com) has reached a definitive agreement to acquire IVC Industrial Coatings, Inc., a U.S.-based specialty-powder and liquid-coatings manufacturer with 2014 sales of more than $100 million. The transaction is expected to close in the third…
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has started production at its two new large-scale and “on-pipe” alkoxylation facilities in Moerdijk, the Netherlands, and in Singapore. Both units are located in integrated petrochemical hubs and receive ethylene oxide via dedicated pipelines, providing…
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) announced that it has been awarded a major contract to supply industrial bulk gases and bulk specialty-gas supply system for a new semiconductor fab in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Air Products will build…
Sumitomo Chemical Co. (Tokyo; www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp) has announced plans to more than double its production capacity for lithium-ion secondary battery separators, which are marketed under the Pervio brand name. The production at its Ohe Works in Niihama, Ehime Pref., Japan will…
Total S.A.’s (Paris, France; www.total.com) Total Fluides (www.totalspecialfluids.com) and Neste Oil Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.nesteoil.com) have signed a collaborative agreement for the supply of Neste’s proprietary NEXBTL renewable isoalkane to be used by Total Fluides as feedstock to produce innovative…