Plant Watch
Air Liquide to supply ultra-high-purity gases to semiconductor fab in Arizona
July 16, 2026 — Air Liquide S.A. (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) announced a new investment of over $160 million to build, own and operate a new large-scale production facility in Arizona to supply ultra-high-purity gases to the latest fab expansion of a global leader in advanced semiconductor materials. Set to begin operations in 2028, Air Liquide’s state-of-the-art facility will deliver, among other gases, ultra-pure, low-carbon hydrogen.
BASF inaugurates new production plant for specialty emollients in Germany
July 16, 2026 — BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has inaugurated a new plant in Düsseldorf, Germany, to produce specialty emollients, particularly for skincare and sun-protection products. Düsseldorf is BASF’s third-largest site in Europe and the company’s largest site for the production and development of cosmetic ingredients.
Sumitomo Bakelite to expand production capacity for epoxy-molding compounds
July 14, 2026 — Sumitomo Bakelite Co. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan; www.sumibe.co.jp) will expand production capacity for semiconductor encapsulation materials by adding new production lines for epoxy-molding compounds at its site in Suzhou, China. The new lines will expand the company’s production capacity in China by approximately 30%. Commercial operation of the expanded capacity is planned for around December 2028.
Air Liquide to build new partial oxidation unit at Oxea’s Bay City site
July 13, 2026 — Air Liquide is investing $200 million to construct a new partial oxidation (POX) unit at the Bay City, Tex. site of Oxea GmbH (Monheim am Rhein, Germany; www.oxea.com). The new POX unit is scheduled for startup in early 2029. The facility will partially replace some existing facilities and will reduce net CO2 emissions by approximately 64,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr).
Syensqo breaks ground on manufacturing expansion in Maryland
July 9, 2026 — Syensqo S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.syensqo.com) has broken ground on a manufacturing expansion at its site in Havre de Grace, Md. The expansion adds over 30% capacity. The investment reinforces the company’s supply of high-performance structural adhesives and surfacing products for commercial aerospace, defense, propulsion, space, advanced air mobility and automotive customers.
INEOS and Recuro to build plastics recycling facility in Norway
July 9, 2026 — INEOS (London, U.K.; www.ineos.com) and Norwegian recycling company Recuro plan to develop an advanced recycling facility at INEOS’ Bamble polymer site in Norway. Once commissioned, the plant will process up to 33,000 m.t./yr of end-of-life plastic waste.
Evonik investing $100 million to expand API production site in Indiana
July 8, 2026 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is expanding manufacturing capabilities at its Tippecanoe Labs site in Lafayette, Ind. The site is home to one of the world’s largest facilities for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Over the next five years, Evonik will invest $100 million to modernize key equipment at the site, including large reactors.
Mergers & Acquisitions
ABB to acquire automation specialist Rotork for $5.5 billion
July 16, 2026 — ABB Ltd. (Zurich, Switzerland; www.abb.com) agreed to acquire Rotork plc (Bath, U.K.), a provider of instrumentation, for an enterprise value of $5.5 billion. Upon closing, Rotork is expected to operate as a separate division within ABB’s Automation business area.
Solstice to acquire Element Solutions in $14.5-billion deal
July 6, 2026 — Solstice Advanced Materials (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.solstice.com) and Element Solutions Inc. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) have entered into a definitive agreement for Solstice to acquire Element in a transaction valued at approximately $14.5 billion. Closing is expected in the first half of 2027.
Yara to acquire Gulf Coast Ammonia facility in Texas
July 2, 2026 — Yara International ASA (Oslo, Norway; www.yara.com) reached an agreement to acquire Gulf Coast Ammonia’s facility in Texas City, Tex. for a consideration of $1.3 billion. The ammonia plant has an expected nameplate capacity of 1.3 million m.t./yr. The acquisition includes the ammonia synthesis loop and related ammonia storage and exclusive use of loading infrastructure.
Covestro acquires Vencorex chemical plants in Thailand and Texas
July 2, 2026 — Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) completed the acquisition of two former Vencorex production sites for hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) derivatives in Rayong, Thailand and Freeport, Tex.
–Mary Page Bailey