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March 2025 Economic Indicators: Catch up data

Editor's note: This post includes data that represents a "catch-up" from data previously missed due to the U.S. federal government shutdown in October 2025. The CEPCI data are now restored to their previous schedule.  The preliminary value for the CE…

Economic Indicators: March 2025

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top) for November 2025 (most recent available) rose slightly compared to the previous month’s value. It was the third consecutive monthly increase since August, and the ninth monthly increase since…

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Economic Indicators: January 2026

A federal government shutdown in the U.S. from October 1 to November 12, 2025 disrupted the release of producer price index (PPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), so the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) is behind schedule.…

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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…

Executive Insights: Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA)

In this exclusive interview, Jennifer Abril, president and CEO of SOCMA, offers her perspective on the goals, challenges and accomplishments of SOCMA, its members and the specialty chemical industries As President & CEO of SOCMA, Jennifer Abril has been dedicated…

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Executive Insights: Wacker Chemical Corporation

In this exclusive interview, Christoph Kowitz, president and CEO of Wacker Chemical Corporation, offers his perspective on the goals, challenges and accomplishments of the company, as well as the challenges faced by the chemical process industries Christoph Kowitz is the…

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Chem Chronicles: A Look Back on 80 years of Thin-Film Evaporation

Eighty years ago, in 1944, Dr. Hans Müller from Winterthur, Switzerland filed a patent application for a device designed to process liquid substances at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property in Bern. Liquids prone to fouling on heated surfaces,…

Executive Interview: Covestro LLC

In this exclusive interview, Samir Hifri, Covestro's chairman and president, offers his perspective on the goals, challenges and accomplishments of the company, as well as the challenges faced by the chemical process industries Samir Hifri joined Bayer, the predecessor to…

Executive Interview: Clariant Catalysts Business Unit

In this exclusive interview, Jens Cuntze, member of Clariant’s Executive Steering Committee, offers his perspective on the goals, challenges and accomplishments of the Business Unit Catalysts, as well as the challenges faced by the chemical process industries Jens Cuntze is…

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Chem Chronicles: The first patent holder in the U.S. was a ‘Pott Ash Maker’

Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford — these are some of the larger-than-life figures who spring to mind when reflecting on the history of innovation and invention in the U.S. But the first person in American history to…