Plant Expansions

France’s automotive parts supplier Plastic Omnium has opened two R&D centres in Belgium and China with an investment of EUR100 million, and which are focused on emissions control and fuel systems, as well as new energy developments. The Chinese centre, known as ω-Omegatech, housing 150 engineers and technicians in Wuhan,…

3D printing offers unique opportunities to produce three-dimensional, often complex shaped parts in one single step. While predominantly prototypes and sample parts have been produced in small numbers so far, many industries are increasingly interested in industrial mass production. Silicon Valley based company Carbon has developed Digital Light Synthesis (DLS)…

apan’s Nippon Shokubai recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of its acrylic acid plant in Cilegon, Banten, Indonesia. Acrylic acid, one of Nippon Shokubai’s core businesses, shows steady growth of demand as a key material for superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and acrylates (AES). In recent years, the demand and…

Invista’s technology and licensing group, Invista Performance Technologies (IPT), Sichuan Shengda Chemical New Material Co., Ltd (Sichuan Shengda) and Sichuan Energy Investment Chemical New Material Co., Ltd (Sichuan Energy) announce the successful start-up of Sichuan Shengda’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant. On-specification production was achieved on May 24, 2019. This…

In what is termed to be a “deal of the year”, Hillenbrand Inc., which owns compounding extruder maker Coperion and auxiliary equipment firms K-Tron and Rotex, is to acquire compatriot machinery firm Milacron Holdings Corp. in a cash and stock transaction valued at US$2 billion, including net debt of approximately…

US processor for the medical sector Tekni-Plex has purchased Brazilian closure liner manufacturer Geraldiscos, which will become part of Tekni-Plex’s Tri-Seal business. Headquartered in Santana de Parnaiba, a suburb of São Paulo and set up in 1964,, Geraldiscos is known for manufacturing innovative closure liners and induction seals for a…

Additives/chemicals maker SI Group, a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners, is selling the majority of its global industrial resin businesses and its Brazilian specialty business to ASK Chemicals, a portfolio company of private equity firm Rhône Group LLC. The transaction includes SI Group’s industrial resins products and associated manufacturing…

Hong Kong-headquartered injection moulding machine manufacturer Chen Hsong has established a new German subsidiary in Kempen on the Lower Rhine, to better serve the German market, said Managing Director of Chen Hsong Germany GmbH Andreas Bexte, speaking to journalists during a pre-K2019 event in Dusseldorf recently. The 60-year old manufacturer…

Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG), the petrochem arm of Malaysian oil and gas firm, Petronas, and one of the largest integrated chemicals producers in Southeast Asia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK chemical recycling company, Plastic Energy Ltd, to collaborate in addressing plastic waste that cannot be recycled by…

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess has started the production of high performance prepolymers at its site in Porto Feliz, Brazil. With this measure, the Urethane Systems business unit is expanding its production capacity for prepolymers. In addition, application development and technical services is provided from its state-of-the-art laboratory at the site.…