Fujifilm has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire KMG Corporation, the semiconductor high purity process chemicals (HPPC) business of Entegris for $700 million. This will bring it 12 new sites, including seven manufacturing sites in the US, Europe and Singapore, employing about 560.

The company said that it will now be able to offer a wider range of electronic chemicals, including KMG’s line of HPPCs for etching and cleaning silicon wafers. It will also add KMG’s Total Chemical Management (TCM) business, which includes logistical services in Southeast Asia and Europe.

Evonik has begun construction of a new production plant for alkoxides on Jurong Island in Singapore. Described as a “mid double-digit million-euro investment” this will complement sites in Germany, Argentina and the US, supplying the growing Asia-Pacific market when it comes onstream at the end of 2024. The aim is to achieve zero Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.

CordenPharma is entering synthetic oligonucleotide manufacturing via an investment at its CordenPharma Colorado site. This will draw on its solid-phase peptide manufacturing experience and downstream processing capabilities to offer a fully integrated drug substance and drug product offer.

DSM and Firmenich have completed their merger and will henceforth operate under the name of DSM-Firmenich. The new company will have about 30,000 employees and will operate in four divisions:

Perfumery & Beauty

* Taste, Texture & Health

* Health, Nutrition & Care

* Animal Nutrition & Health

EuroAPI has begun an initial, multi-million-Euro, four-year manufacturing agreement with Novéal, part of the L’Oréal Group. Under this, its CDMO business will develop and industrialise the manufacturing of cosmetic ingredients, with a focus on developing eco-responsible processes.

The deal encompasses several projects, the first of which will take place at the Frankfurt site, which has a dedicated line of complex chemistry production. Chief CDMO officer Cécile Maupas described cosmetics as “a new and growing segment for the business”.

A centralised knowledge management system can help chemical manufacturers retain valuable tacit knowledge from retiring or exiting workers, according to Andreas Eschbach, CEO and founder of Eschbach

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a ban on most uses of methylene chloride (or dichloromethane) under the Toxic Substances Control Act, on the grounds that exposure can lead to severe health impacts. This makes it the second chemical, after asbestos, to undergo risk management under the reformed process created by the 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.