The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 1.0% in February on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 1.8% increase in January. On a year-over-year (Y/Y)…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for December 2020 (the most recent available) shows a pronounced increase from the previous month’s value. The current increase is the third consecutive monthly increase, although the November value was…
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) is pleased to announce the recent startup of its new dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) unit at its Nanjing, China site. The addition will significantly increase the company’s DMAE capacity, support additional sales in Asia, and further…
U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes expanded by 1.2% in December following an upwardly-revised 0.6% gain in November, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Of the 28 specialty chemical segments monitored by ACC, 23 expanded in December,…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI), rose 1.2% in December, following a 0.6% gain in November and a 1.2% increase in October, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). During December, chemical output grew in…
Darling Ingredients Inc. (Irving, Tex.; www.darlingii.com) and Valero Energy Corp. (San Antonio, Tex.; www.valero.com) jointly announced today that their 50/50 joint venture, Diamond Green Diesel (DGD), has received approval from both companies' boards of directors to proceed with the construction…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 1.5% in January on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 1.3% increase in December. On a year-over-year (Y/Y)…
In a development toward a circular economy for plastics, SABIC (Jubail, Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com) and Plastic Energy Ltd. (London, U.K.; www.plasticenergy.com) are set to commence construction on the first commercial unit to produce its flagship certified circular polymers, part of…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top) for November 2020 (the most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value. The increase for November is the second consecutive monthly increase, and this month’s rise is…
The following is a list of recently published books of potential interest for CPI professionals Digital Transformation for the Process Industries: A Roadmap. By Osvaldo Bascur and PJ O’Rourke, CRC Press, 2021, 320 pages, $130.00. Data Science in Chemistry:…