The Manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Manager’s Index) for the U.S. rose by 4.5 points in July to 55.4, its highest level in two years, according to data from the Institute for Supply Management that was included in the American Chemistry Council’s…
Messer (Bad Soden/Frankfurt, Germany; www.messergroup.com), the largest owner-managed industrial gas specialist worldwide, continues to drive its development in China. In the Paojiang industrial zone located in Shaoxing in Zhejiang province, the company is building a new air separation plant to…
During remarks at the U.S. Energy Dept.’s (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) Biomass 2013 annual conference, Secretary Moniz today highlighted the important role biofuels play in the Administration’s Climate Action Plan to increase our energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions…
Nikkiso Co. (Tokyo, Japan) the manufacturer of fluid control technologies, has acquired Geveke B.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), a sales company and system integrator of industrial pumps and compressors, as a strategic investment at this end of July 2013. Nikkiso is…
Specialty chemical maker Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) is proceeding with a 50% expansion in capacity at its Azo pigments and pigment preparations plants in Roha, India. This recently approved investment will also enhance the capabilities and output at the site…
The U.S. Energy Department (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) today recognized the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production at Ineos Bio’s Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Florida. Developed through a joint venture between Ineos Bio and New Planet Energy,…
Foster Wheeler AG (Zug Switzerland; www.fwc.com) has announced that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a project management and consultancy (PMC) services contract by the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Limited Liability Company for…
Eastman Chemical Company (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) has announced plans to increase the Tritan copolyester capacity at its Kingsport, Tenn. facility. Through a series of capital projects, the company plans to expand its capacity from 60,000 metric tons (m.t.) to 76,000…
Pexco LLC (Atlanta, Ga.; www.pexco.com), a North American specialty plastics extruder-processor, has acquired Scandia Plastics, Inc. of Plaistow, New Hampshire. Scandia is a custom extrusion business specializing in high-performance thermoplastic extrusions and down-stream machining capabilities. Scandia sells to the filtration,…
Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) announced today that it was awarded a contract by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold to provide construction management (CM) services for the expansion of the Cerro Verde mine in Peru. Fluor previously provided engineering and procurement…