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ThyssenKrupp strengthens plant technology capabilities in Russia

  The industrial and technology group ThyssenKrupp is strengthening its plant technology capabilities in Russia by integrating OOO Uhde and OOO Polysius to become OOO ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (RUS). The step will come into effect as of May 13, 2015.…

Borealis appoints new controlling group vice president

Borealis AG (Vienna, Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) has announced the appointment of Anja Krusel as vice president, Group Controlling effective May 1, 2015. Anja Krusel succeeds executive board member Mark Tonkens, who assumed the position of chief financial officer (CFO) as of…

Jacobs awarded EPCM contract by Huntsman for Singapore polyetheramine expansion

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract for an expansion program at Huntsman Corp.’s world-scale polyetheramine facility in Singapore. Company officials did not disclose the contract value. The Jurong…

Plastic resin production in first quarter improves on last year, ACC report says

U.S. production of major plastic resins totaled 6.7 billion pounds during March 2015, a 5.1% increase over the same month last year, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).…

Cargill acquires fermentation technology from OPX Biotechnologies

Cargill (Minneapolis, Minn.; www.cargill.com) has acquired Colorado-based OPX Biotechnologies’ proprietary fermentation-based processes and systems. These technologies are used to produce bio-based chemicals from sugars for use in non-food applications such as lubricants, detergents, plastics, agrichemicals and personal care products. Cargill…

BASF Corp. names new CEO

BASF (Ludswighfen, Germany; www.basf.com) has announced Wayne T. Smith as the new chairman and chief executive officer of BASF Corp., headquartered in Florham Park, N.J., effective May 1, 2015. He succeeds Hans Engel, who as chief financial officer for BASF…

Victrex commissions U.K. polyaryletherketone plant

Victrex plc (Thornton Cleveleys, U.K.; www.victrex.com) has successfully commissioned the first production stream of its new $138-million (£90 million) third polyaryletherketone (PAEK) manufacturing plant. The capacity increase is also a further foundation to progress Victrex’s pipeline of future opportunities, which…

Schneider Electric acquires software provider Limeware

Schneider Electric (Palatine, Ill.; www.schneider-electric.com) has acquired LimeWare, a provider of system-analysis and auditing software for Schneider Electric’s Foxboro Evo process automation and I/A Series distributed control systems (DCS). The acquisition provides Foxray software to help customers pinpoint and address…

Showa Denko to transfer ownership of phenolic resins business

  Showa Denko Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) has announced a transaction in which it will transfer its phenolic resins business to Aica Kogyo Co. Ltd. Annual sales of the business were ¥4 billion in 2014. SDK plans…

Celanese to construct VAE emulsions plant in Singapore

Celanese Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.celanese.com) has begun construction of a vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions production unit at the company’s acetyls facility on Jurong Island, Singapore. The unit is expected to begin production by mid-2016. This Singapore unit will be…