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Latest News: Business

Solvay to acquire alkoxylation plant in the Netherlands

Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has agreed with Emery Oleochemicals and ERCA Group to buy their jointly-owned new alkoxylation facility, ERCA Emery Surfactant B.V., in the Moerdijk integrated industrial park in the Netherlands. As an on-pipe facility, commissioned in 2014,…

Evonik to acquire Monarch Catalysts

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has signed an agreement with Monarch Catalyst Pvt. Ltd., Dombivli (India) to acquire 100% of the company’s shares. The transaction is expected to close during the first half year of 2015 after the required…

Johnson Matthey commissions high-containment manufacturing capacity in Edinburgh

Johnson Matthey (West Deptford, N.J.; www.matthey.com) has announced completion and commissioning of new high containment facilities for potent product manufacture at its Edinburgh, U.K. site (Macfarlan Smith). Macfarlan Smith is an established provider of opiates, controlled substance and highly potent…

Alcoa expands titanium, specialty metal offerings with RTI acquisition

Alcoa Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.alcoa.com) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire RTI International Metals, Inc., a global supplier of titanium and specialty metal products and services for the commercial aerospace, defense, energy and medical device markets. Alcoa will purchase…

Data analytics company Wood Mackenzie acquired by Verisk

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (Jersey City, N.J.; www.verisk.com) a leading data analytics provider, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wood Mackenzie (www.woodmac.com) from Hellman & Friedman and other Wood Mackenzie shareholders. Wood Mackenzie is a global leader in…

Arkema to expand production of PEKK specialty polymer in the U.S. and France

Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) is actively developing its new Kepstan PEKK (Poly-Ether-Ketone-Ketone) ultra-high-performance polymer with applications in the fields of carbon fiber composites and 3-d printing. Success in these fields has prompted Arkema to increase its production capacities in France…

Sonoco acquires majority stake in Brazilian packaging firm

Sonoco Products Co. (Hartsville, S.C.; www.sonoco.com), announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in Graffo Paranaense de Embalagens S/A (Graffo), a closely held flexible packaging business located in Pinhais, Curitiba, Brazil. Terms were not disclosed,…

Wacker expands production capacity for dispersions in the U.S.

Wacker Chemie AG (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) is expanding its existing vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions production facilities in the U.S. Wacker will add a new reactor with an annual capacity of 85,000 metric tons (m.t.) at its Calvert City, Ky.…

Chemical equities outpace S&P 500 since start of the year, ACC says

The S&P index for chemical companies is up 5.6% from the beginning of 2015, while the wider S&P 500 Index is up only 2.2%, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington,…

Chemical Heritage Foundation names new vice president

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF; Philadelphia, Pa.; www.chemheritage.org) has named Kathryn Humphreys vice president of development. Humphreys comes to CHF from Cornell University, where she provided leadership and direction for fundraising, alumni programs, donor relations, and stewardship in the College…