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Latest News: Business

Olin to merge with Dow chlor-alkali business

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow; Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) and Olin Corp. (Clayton, Mo.; www.olin.com) have announced that the boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Dow will separate a significant portion of its chlorine…

Asahi Kasei forms plastics subsidiary in Mexico

Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) has finalized a decision to establish a subsidiary for plastic compounds in Mexico, through its U.S. subsidiary Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. (APNA). Continued demand growth for plastic compounds is forecasted in…

BASF expands pigment production capacity in Ludwigshafen

BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) will expand its capacity for the production of Paliocrom effect pigments by more than 20% by 2017 in Ludwigshafen. The investment will enable the company to accommodate for the growing demand of its aluminum-based effect pigments…

AkzoNobel to invest in organic peroxide operations in the U.S. and Europe

AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has announced plans to invest more than €20 million in its organic peroxide production facilities in Mons, Belgium, and Houston (Pasadena), Tex., in the U.S. In Mons, the company is introducing new technologies to increase…

Asahi Glass raising PVC production capacity in Vietnam

Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (AGC; Tokyo; www.agc.com) announced plans to increase the production capacity of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) facility at Phu My Plastics & Chemicals Co. (PMPC), AGC’s subsidiary business in Vietnam. PMPC’s PVC production capacity will be increased…

Praxair start-up supplies world’s largest glass container manufacturer

Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has started up a 180-ton/d, non-cryogenic plant for Owens-Illinois (O-I), the world’s largest glass container manufacturer. O-I has converted a conventional air-fuel glass furnace to oxy-fuel using Praxair’s oxy-fuel combustion technology and, under a long-term…

Statoil appoints new chief operating officer

Statoil (Trondheim, Norway; www.statoil.com) has appointed Anders Opedal as as chief operating officer (COO) in the corporate executive committee (CEC), effective 1 April. Opedal will be responsible the corporate improvement programs and for driving operational efficiency across Statoils business areas.…

LyondellBasell to expand tri-ethylene glycol capacity in Texas

LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, The Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com) announced plans to expand tri-ethylene glycol (TEG) production capacity at the company's existing ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol plant in Pasadena, Tex. The additional capacity of 50 million pounds per year would more than double…

Fluor awarded engineering contract for new Chinese polysilicon plant

Fluor Corporation (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) was awarded a contract by Shaanxi Non-Ferrous Tian Hong REC Silicon Materials Co., (TianREC; Shanghai, China) to provide detailed design services and technical support for its new polysilicon plant to be located in Yulin, Shaanxi…

Orpic awards Amec Foster Wheeler three-year contract in Oman

Amec Foster Wheeler (London, U.K.; www.amecfw.com) has announced the award of a technical-services agreement contract by Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company SAOC (Orpic) for the Mina Al Fahal Refinery and Sohar Refinery, Aromatics and Polypropylene plants in Oman.…