Plant Expansions

Henkel has acquired Molecule Corp., a privately owned, technology-driven enterprise focused on product innovation in additive manufacturing. Molecule Corp. provides advanced solutions for 3D printing applications – including medical device, aerospace, automotive and a wide variety of consumer goods – as well as industrial inkjet materials, impacting a wide variety…

Dutch chemicals firm DSM says that it has reached agreement with SRF Ltd., to acquire its Engineering Plastics business. DSM will pay a consideration of EUR38 million to SRF Ltd. The acquisition is expected to close in Q3 2019, subject to customary closing conditions. The acquisition will further cement DSM…

Italian chemical producer, Versalis (Eni), and Montello S.p.A., an Italian company focused on post-consumer plastic recovery and recycling technologies are jointly developing a new range of polyethylene (PE) products made from recycled packaging. Advances in consolidated technological and commercial expertise in the PE industry has enabled the two companies to…

German specialty chemicals company Lanxess says it has completed the expansion of its Macrolex dyes production plant at the Chempark Leverkusen. With an investment of more than EUR5 million, the capacity was increased by around 25%. The expanded plant was officially put into operation at the beginning of May. “By…

Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation is to increase the production capacity of SoarnoL ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) resin by 3000 tonnes/year to 41 000 tonnes/year at its consolidated subsidiary Noltex LLC’s facility located in La Porte, Texas, in the US. The production increase is slated to take effect in the…

Germany’s Covestro has started building additional production lines for its polycarbonate films. The new co-extrusion lines are scheduled for completion by the end of 2020 and will cover the increasing demand. “With this capacity expansion, we are strengthening the Dormagen site as a competence centre for specialty films,” said Dr.…

French chemical firm Arkema says it has chosen the location of Jurong Island in Singapore to build its new world-scale plant dedicated to the manufacture of the amino 11 monomer and its flagship Rilsan polyamide 11 resins. With this 50% increase in its global capacities announced in July 2017, it…

Italian extrusion machinery maker Amut recently supplied two extrusion lines for the production of waterproofing membranes in PVC and TPO to Jiangsu Canlon. “We are becoming the largest supplier of waterproofing materials around China reaching a productivity capacity of 10,000,000 sq m/year of waterproofing membranes in polymer and 20,000,000 sq…

US petrochemicals major ExxonMobil plans to invest an additional US$2 billion to expand its Baytown, Texas, chemical plant. The expansion, expected to start up in 2022, includes a new Vistamaxx performance polymer unit that will produce about 400,000 tonnes/year of polymers. The project will also enable ExxonMobil to enter the…

Chemical firm Trinseo says that it is evaluating “strategic alternatives” for its polycarbonate (PC) resin activities but it has not set a timeline for this evaluation process. It adds that it is analysing options for its PC production facility in Stade, Germany. It says that it is fully committed to continue serving…