and flexibility characteristics required by PolyOne’s customers.
The new location offers a specially designed layout for customer
meetings, training and collaboration, as
well as state-of-the-art manufacturing.
Allnex Italy Powder Coating
Resins Plant Recognized
with National Safety Award
The Allnex Romano d’Ezzelino, Italy facility was recently honored with the national Premio Imprese per la Sicurezza
Award for continuous improvement in its
safety performance.
Sponsored by the National Industry
Association (Confindustria) and the
National Institute of Insurance on
Work Injuries and Professional Diseases
(INAIL) under the High Patronage of
the President of the Italian Republic, the
Premio Imprese per la Sicurezza Award
recognizes companies that have demonstrated a concrete commitment towards
the continuous improvement of their
safety and health performance.
Located in Northeastern Italy near
Venice, the Romano facility manufactures polyester resins, crosslinkers and
additives for the formulation of powder
coatings, which are used in industrial, automotive, architectural and other decorative applications.
BASF and Renmatix Jointly
Scale Up the Renmatix
Plantrose Process
BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany, and
American technology provider Renmatix
Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will
jointly scale up the Renmatix Plantrose
process for the production of industrial
sugars based on lignocellulosic biomass.
The two companies signed a non-exclu-sive joint development agreement. The
parties have agreed to key financial terms
for future commercial licenses, which
BASF can exercise at its discretion. The
collaboration follows BASF’s $30 million
investment in Renmatix in January 2012.
The Plantrose technology developed
by Renmatix enables industrial sugar to
be produced, at competitive costs, from a
variety of non-edible biomass (lignocel-
lulose) sources. The proprietary process
breaks down lignocellulosic sources (e.g.
wood, agricultural-residues or straw)
into industrial sugars using supercritical
water (water at high temperature and
pressure). Industrial sugars are impor-
tant building blocks for various basic
chemicals and intermediates that can
be produced, for example, by fermenta-
tive processes. The availability of these
industrial sugars in sufficient quantities
and at competitive cost is important to
enable both environmentally-friendly
and cost-competitive bio-based prod-
ucts. Incorporating biomass feedstocks
as a first step in the value chain, creates
a raw material change that can reduce
reliance on fossil raw material sources
like naphtha as principal feedstock.
According to the company, projects relating to the topic of raw material change
make up one important technology field
in BASF’s Research Verbund. BASF experts are engaged in identifying interesting processes for utilizing alternative raw
materials, such as renewables, natural gas
and carbon dioxide.
Clariant Chemicals (India)
to Acquire Plastichemix
Industries
Clariant has plans to acquire Plastichemix
Industries, a masterbatch business in
India, located in Vadodara with production facilities in Rania, Kalol and
Nandesari in Gujarat, India. Plastichemix
Industries is a leading supplier of black,
white, filler and color masterbatches, additive masterbatches, flushed pigments
and mono-concentrates as well as engineering plastics compounds.
With this acquisition, Clariant
Chemicals (India) Limited (CCIL) gains
a leading position in the masterbatches
business in India. The deal enables the
company to offer a strong and extensive product portfolio with customized
products and solutions and to expand its
customer base significantly. As part of the
future business approach an upgraded
Technical Service Laboratory will be introduced to offer the market highly innovative and customized products.
“This acquisition is part of our global
strategy to explore business opportuni-
ties in our Masterbatches business and to
focus on emerging markets like India. The
strong growth perspective of the plastics
industry results in a bright future for the
masterbatches business in India”, said
Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant.
Oman Oil Completes
Acquisition of Oxea
Oman Oil Company (OOC) has successfully concluded the acquisition of Oxea
which was announced in October. Oxea
is one of the largest global manufacturers
of Oxo chemicals.
“Oxea is an impressive company with
a strong track record, highly diversified
product portfolio and strong customer
base. With its international presence in
Europe and North America, leading technology, efficient platform and long-standing experience in the Oxo segment, Oxea
will support our further expansion into
the chemical sector,” said H.E. Nasser bin
Khamis Al Jashmi, chairman of Oman
Oil Company.
Based at Frankfurt, Oxea produces
more than 1.3 million tons of oxo products and derivatives annually. Its sales in
2012 totalled €1.5 billion. The portfolio
of more than 70 products is sold to producers of coatings, dyes, lubricants, flavors and fragrances.
AkzoNobel Completes Sale
of Primary Amides Business
AkzoNobel has completed the sale of
its Primary Amides chemicals business
to PMC Group. Under the terms of the
agreement, a manufacturing facility in
Kyungju, South Korea and all 37 employees will transfer to PMC Group with immediate effect, along with the erucamide,
oleamide and other primary and secondary amides sold under the Armoslip
trade names.The sale follows a review
of the business’ fit within AkzoNobel’s
Functional Chemicals portfolio, where it
operated as a standalone activity.
“Our focus is on extending our leading market position in organic peroxides
and metal alkyls, as evidenced by our
recent expansion investments in China,
the U.S. and Mexico,” explained Werner
Fuhrmann, AkzoNobel’s executive
committee member responsible for the
Specialty Chemicals business. CW
