Plant Watch
Solstice Advanced Materials to expand uranium conversion site in Illinois
February 11, 2026 — Solstice Advanced Materials (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.solstice.com) has invested in debottlenecking projects at its facility in Metropolis Works, Ill., resulting in a production expansion for uranium hexafluoride (UF6) that is projected to reach over 10,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) during 2026. This represents an approximately 20% increase from its planned output in 2024. Metropolis Works is the only UF 6 conversion facility in the U.S.
Fujifilm Biotechnologies opens new manufacturing center in the U.K.
February 11, 2026 — Fujifilm Corp. (Tokyo; www.fujifilm.com) announced that Fujifilm Biotechnologies has opened an expanded manufacturing site in Teesside, U.K. The significantly expanded site, funded through a total investment of approximately£400 million from Fujifilm, includes the opening of the largest single-use biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) facility in the U.K. The expansion introduces 2,000- and 5,000-L single-use bioreactors with a total capacity up to 19,000 L to provide small- and mid-scale antibody manufacturing. The site also includes a laboratory for both high-throughput and continuous process-development capabilities.
Evonik expands global production of hydroxyl‑terminated polybutadienes
February 6, 2026 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is strengthening its global production network for hydroxyl-terminated polybutadienes (HTPB) with the construction of a new plant in Germany, which is scheduled to go onstream in the second quarter of 2027. Concurrently, Evonik has also initiated the engineering phase for a new production facility in the Asian region. This follows significant investments made over the past two years, including the expansion of HTPB production capacity at Evonik’s Marl site in 2024 and the establishment of a new production facility for polybutadienes in Shanghai, China in 2025.
Arlanxeo inaugurates new rubber plant in China
February 4, 2026 — Arlanxeo (Maastricht, the Netherlands; www.arlanxeo.com) has inaugurated its new hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) plant in Changzhou, China. The new plant has a design capacity of 5,000 m.t./yr, producing high-performance HNBR for use in automotive components, oil-and-gas systems, industrial equipment, aerospace technologies and next-generation batteries. The first phase of the plant, with a production capacity of 2,500 m.t./yr, was successfully commissioned in October 2025.
Givaudan to build a new manufacturing facility in Mexico
February 3, 2026 — Givaudan S.A. (Zurich, Switzerland; www.givaudan.com) plans to build a new manufacturing facility for fragrance products in Pedro Escobedo, Mexico. The new facility will have a capacity of up to 20,000–25,000 m.t./yr as customer demand grows and will be operational during 2029.
Covestro completes expansion project at TDI plant in Shanghai
February 3, 2026 — Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) completed a major debottlenecking project at its toluene diisocyanate (TDI) production facility in Shanghai. The company has increased the site’s production capacity from 310,000 to 370,000 m.t./yr, representing a 20% expansion.
AkzoNobel to launch a new aerospace-coatings facility in Dubai
January 29, 2026 — The Aerospace Coatings division of AkzoNobel N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is preparing to launch a new color-blending and distribution facility in Dubai, U.A.E. The new site in Dubai will offer automated precision blending, as well as streamlined access to primers, topcoats and thinners.
Solvay inaugurates Europe’s first bio-circular silica facility in Italy
January 28, 2026 — Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) inaugurated its new bio-circular silica facility at its plant in Livorno, Italy. The new unit produces highly dispersible silica (HDS) using bio-based sodium silicate derived from rice-husk ash, an agricultural byproduct. This process reduces CO2 emissions by 35% per ton of silica compared to traditional methods, according to Solvay.
Covestro begins production at new TPU site in Zhuhai, China
January 23, 2026 — Covestro has commenced production at its new thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) manufacturing site in Zhuhai, a coastal city in South China. The first phase of operation will produce approximately 30,000 m.t./yr of TPU. The Zhuhai site will be developed in three phases across a 45,000-m2 area, with maximum production capacity estimated to reach 120,000 m.t./yr upon completion of the final phase, expected in the 2030s. This will then make it the company’s largest TPU production facility globally.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Kemira to acquire coagulant manufacturer in Germany
February 11, 2026 — Kemira Oyj (Helsinki, Finland; www.kemira.com) is strengthening its Water Solutions business in Europe by acquiring SIDRA Wasserchemie (Ibbenbüren, Germany), a coagulant producer with two production facilities located in Germany. The purchase price is around €75 million. The acquisition is subject to merger clearance and is expected to close during the first half of 2026.
Synthomer and Godavari partnering on bio-butyl acrylate
February 9, 2026 — Synthomer plc (London, U.K.; www.synthomer.com) is partnering with Godavari Biorefineries Ltd. (GBL; Mumbai, India; www.godavaribiorefineries.com) to develop bio‑based alternatives to existing fossil‑based monomers. Through this partnership, Synthomer is commercializing bio-based butyl acrylate using bio-based butanol produced by GBL at its integrated biorefinery facilities.
Axens completes acquisition of Eurecat
February 6, 2026 — Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France; www.axens.net) announced the successful closing of the acquisition of 100% of Eurecat, following the completion of the required regulatory approvals. With this transaction, Axens becomes the sole owner of Eurecat, a world-leading provider of catalyst services, including regeneration, rejuvenation, recycling of spent catalysts and ex situ activation of fresh catalysts, as well as reactor services, such as catalysts loading and unloading, for the refining, biofuels, chemicals and industrial gas markets. The company operates industrial facilities in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Henkel to acquire coatings firm Stahl Group for €2.1 billion
February 4, 2026 — Henkel AG (Düsseldorf, Germany; www.henkel.com) has agreed to acquire coatings company Stahl Group (Waalwijk, the Netherlands; www.stahl.com) for a purchase price of €2.1 billion. Stahl is a manufacturer of specialty coatings for flexible materials, including leather-finishing coatings and high-performance packaging and graphics coatings.
Celanese completes divestiture of Micromax to Element Solutions
February 3, 2026 — Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.; www.celanese.com) announced that it has completed the divestiture of the Micromax business to Element Solutions Inc. Celanese received approximately $500 million in cash from the transaction.
Cabot completes acquisition of Mexico Carbon Manufacturing
February 3, 2026 — Cabot Corp. (Boston, Mass.; www.cabotcorp.com) announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of Mexico Carbon Manufacturing S.A. de C.V. (MXCB) from Bridgestone Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.bridgestone.com). MXCB is strategically located near Cabot’s existing facility in Altamira, Mexico and manufactures a broad range of reinforcing carbon products. ■
–Mary Page Bailey