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Oil and gas players merge

Imperative Chemical Partners and RSI Chemicals are joining forces to create one of the largest land oil and gas chemical businesses in the US under the joint ownership of Hastings Equity Partners and One Equity Partners. Both are based in Texas.

BASF cuts back at Ludwigshafen

In its 2022 result presentation, BASF announced measures that are expected to yield cost savings of €500 million/year, mainly in Europe and about half of them at the largest verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. These will be implemented in 2023 and 2024, focusing mainly on the service, operational and R&D divisions and corporate functions. All this will lead to a net loss of about 2,600 jobs and a €200 million/year reduction in fixed costs by the end of 2026.

Nippon Shokubai in HDO licence

Nippon Shokubai has concluded a licence agreement with its Japanese compatriot and affiliate company, Rena Therapeutics, to make and sell heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO) as a research reagent to industry and academia in all countries where it is covered by patents. Rena has existing licences with Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceutical.

Solvay to recycle rare earths

Solvay has agreed to source mixed rare earth oxides (rMREOs) recycled from permanent magnets at the Ontario site of Canadian cleantech start-up Cyclic Materials for use in automotive, renewable wind energy and electronics applications at its site in La Rochelle, France (pictured).

Second shareholder asks Brenntag to split

Engine Capital, an investment firm with a 1% stake in Brenntag, has become the second to advise the company to separate out its two businesses. PrimeStone, which owns 2%, had urged similar action in December, when Brenntag itself was in discussions with Univar Solutions about a possible merger.

Piramal starts APIs at Riverview

Piramal Pharma Solutions has begun production of initial batches of APIs in new reactor suites at its facility in Riverview, Michigan. This, the company said, represent the first in a three-step process for the development and manufacturing of Phase II clinical trial materials. As part of the programme, technicians are scaling up material from 10-15 kg to 75-80 kg.

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