Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com), a world leader in specialty chemicals, today opens its first global R&D center for haircare ingredients. Located in São Paulo, Brazil, the new global Competence Center Haircare (gCCH) puts Clariant’s experts at the heart of the…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), posted a strong gain in February of 0.4 percent, following a similar 0.4 percent gain in January. This follows a steady…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose 0.2 percent in January. This follows a downwardly revised 0.3 percent gain in December. Volumes have generally been moving up since May. All changes…
On January 31, Nidec Corporation completed the acquisition of Leroy-Somer and Control Techniques, Emerson Electric’s motors, drives and electric power generation businesses. The acquisitions broaden Nidec’s motor offering and product lineup, including variable speed drives and a complete range of…
The preliminary value for the December CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) was higher than the previous month’s value by a signficant margin for the second consecutive month. The jump was due to a rise in the…
Clariant (Munich, Germany; www.clariant.com), a world leader in specialty chemicals, announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Dongguan Grand Resource Science & Technology Co. Ltd. to develop a new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in cooperation with CB&I…
Archroma (Reinach, Switzerland; www.archroma.com), a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, today announced that it will invest in a new production facility for tetrasulfonated optical brightening agents (OBAs) at its existing production site in Prat del Llobregat, Spain. The…
Plant Watch Arkema plans $90-million upgrade at Clear Lake acrylic acid plant January 11, 2017 — Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) is investing $90 million at its Clear Lake, Tex. site to replace two acrylic-acid reactors, each with a capacity of…
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that headline global production ended the year on a stronger note, rising 0.4 percent in December after a 0.2 percent gain in November, on…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), started the year on a strong note, posting a monthly gain of 0.4 percent in January. This follows a 0.3 percent…