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Thermo Fisher Scientific opens manufacturing center of excellence in North Carolina

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.; www.thermofisher.com) the world leader in serving science, recently announced the grand opening of its innovative manufacturing center of excellence facility in Mebane, N.C. The new 375,000-square-foot carbon-neutral site will be capable of producing at…

Wevo Chemie establishes company in India

Wevo Chemie GmbH (Ostfildern-Kemnat, Germany; www.wevo-chemie.com) has founded Wevo Chemical India Private Limited, headquartered in Gurugram, south-west of New Delhi. With the new company, Wevo is strenghtening its presence in India’s high-growth market for polyurethane solutions. A local sales team…

Entegris plans $700 million investment in U.S., including Illinois technology center

  Entegris, Inc. (Billerica, Mass.; www.entegris.com) announced $700 million in domestic R&D spending over the next several years to accelerate semiconductor innovation. This investment in R&D projects and related capital expenditures will span its two divisions, Materials Solutions and Advanced…

Asahi Kasei to double production for photosensitive polyimide for semiconductor industry

Diversified global manufacturer Asahi Kasei (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.com) will increase PIMEL™ photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) production capacity at its Fuji City facility in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. PSPI is a key material for the global electronics industry, mainly used for buffer coatings…

Velocys and Sekisui Chemical sign MoU for e-SAF production technology

Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (Osaka City, Japan; www.sekisuichemical.com) and Velocys Inc. (Houston, Tex.; www.velocys.com) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic partnership to advance production technology for electro-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (e-SAF), a CO2-derived synthetic fuel. This partnership…

The shifting workforce landscape

A recent Wall Street Journal article [1] described numerous job postings in which employers bluntly describe that they expect employees to hustle and work long hours. The article quotes, for example, a listing that says “If you’re looking for work-life…

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Business News: August 2025

Plant Watch Wacker commissions new ultra-pure polysilicon plant in Burghausen, Germany July 17, 2025 — Wacker Chemie AG (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) commissioned its new production line for the manufacture of ultra-pure semiconductor-grade polysilicon at its Burghausen production site in Germany.…

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Executive Insights: AVEVA

In this exclusive interview, Stephen Reynolds, industry principal for Chemicals at AVEVA, offers his perspective on the goals, challenges and accomplishments of the company A chemical engineer by training, Reynolds worked in chemical operations throughout his career, focusing on continuous…

2025 CEPCI updates: May (prelim.) and April (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for May 2025 (most recent available) rose compared to the previous month’s value. The May value is the highest in the past two years. The jump in the May CEPCI…

Air Liquide to invest 250 million euros to support Europe’s semiconductor industry

Air Liquide (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) has been awarded a long-term contract to build new state-of-the-art industrial gas production units in the heart of “Silicon Saxony” in Dresden, Germany. Under this new long-term contract, Air Liquide will supply large volumes of…