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Global chemical production ends Q1 with slight decline, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council’s  (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that the first quarter ended on a soft note, with headline global production slipping back 0.1 percent in March, as measured on a three-month…

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Business News – May 2017

Plant Watch LyondellBasell announces HDPE technology license in Dalian April 12, 2017 — LyondellBasell’s (Rotterdam, the Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com) Hostalen ACP process technology was selected by Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Chemical Co. for a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit to be built in…

U.S. specialty chemical market finish Q1 on strong note, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes ended the first quarter on a strong note, rising 0.6 percent in March. This follows a similar 0.6 percent gain in February. Volumes have generally…

Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) shows strong Q2 opening, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), marked the second quarter by posting a robust 5.6 percent year-over-year gain, suggesting continued growth through year-end 2017. The barometer posted…

Current Economic Trends: February 2017 CEPCI

The preliminary value for the February CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) represents a gain from the previous month’s value. Significant increases in the Equipment and Engineering & Supervision subindices offset a small decrease in the Construction…

ABB acquires B&R

ABB today announced the acquisition of B&R, the largest independent provider focused on product- and software-based, open-architecture solutions for machine and factory automation worldwide. B&R, founded in 1979 by Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer is headquartered in Eggelsberg, Austria, employs…

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Business News – April 2017

Plant Watch SNC-Lavalin wins EPC contract for ammonia plant in Oman March 9, 2017 — SNC-Lavalin (Montreal, Que., Canada; www.snclavalin.com) has been awarded a contract by Salalah Methanol Co. LLC (SMC) for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of an…

Global production of chemicals continues growth, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that headline global production rose 0.3 percent in February, following a 0.5 percent gain in January, as measured on a three-month moving average (3MMA)…

U.S. specialty chemical markets accelerated in Feb., ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose a strong 0.6 percent in February. This follows an upwardly revised 0.4 percent gain in January. Volumes have generally been moving up since May.…

Chemical Activity Barometer sees strongest Y/Y gain in years, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), posted its strongest year-over-year gain in nearly seven years. The 5.5 percent increase over this time last year reflects elevated consumer…