Ashland is to carry out strategic review of its Performance Adhesives business unit, with a sale among the options, aided by Citi. This is expected to be complete by the end of the year. CEO Guillermo Novo said that the business has “demonstrated exceptional financial performance” and that a combination of available finance, low interest rates and improving global macroeconomic conditions should “create a supportive backdrop” for the sale.
Cepsa, the world’s largest producer of linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and cumene, has begun operations at its first site to use Detal technology in place of hydrofluoric acid, in the Puente Mayorga chemical plant at San Roque in southern Spain. LAB is the most widely used biodegradable surfactant in laundry detergents.
Cepsa developed the patented Detal technology with UOP. This was named in the Spanish section of the 2020 European Business Awards for the Environment and also won a technological innovation award at the ICIS Surfactants Awards, among others.
Global speciality chemicals and ingredients distributor IMCD has made two acquisitions in short order to bolster its position in Latin America and the Caribbean: Andes Chemical and, via its Colombian subsidiary, Siliconas y Químicos. It has also acquired Shanghai Yuanhe Chemicals in China.
Speciality life science materials player Aceto has made two further acquisitions, both in the pharmaceutical field, in the form of Oregon-based Cascade Chemistry and Finar in India. Terms were not disclosed in either case.
These bring the total number of acquisitions the new-look firm has made to five in the past 15 months. “With each of our acquisitions, Aceto looks to add companies that enhance our business capabilities and support our growth strategy, while aligning with our core business values,” said CEO Gilles Cottier.
BASF has agreed a deal to source green electricity for hydrogen production at the Ludwigshafen verbund site from a 2 gigawatt offshore wind farm that German energy giant RWE already has at the planning stage. This will also enable BSAF to electrify the production of multiple basic chemicals and 2.8 million tonnes/year of CO2 emissions at the site.
Alongside city and Commonwealth of Virginia officials, Ampac Fine Chemicals (AFC) has announced that it will invest over $25 million to expand the capabilities of its former Boehringer Ingelheim plant at Petersburg Industrial Park in Petersburg. The site, which Ampac acquired in 2016 and brought back into operation in 2019, was chosen over others in California and Texas
Mica Zuniga and Fiona O’Carroll of Xenon Arc look at how the chemicals and materials industries can tap into enhanced digital strategies to improve their customer experience
