Lanxess has announced that it will be entering the battery chemistry business from 2022. It will produce electrolyte formulations for lithium-ion batteries for China’s Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology using a plant operated by Saltigo in Germany. Further details were not disclosed.
Archroma and Huntsman Textile Effects have both announced alliances in textile technology. The former has joined Jeanologia to launch the Pad-Ox G2 Cold dyeing process, while the latter has formed a strategic partnership with Sciessent in antimicrobial and odour-control technology.
New Jersey-based PMC Group International, a diversified manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, has acquired Cobra Investments Management from a consortium of previous owners. This includes Copperhead Chemical, which has a 350-hectare site at Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Terms were not disclosed.
Kemira and its pension fund, Neliapila, have signed a pre-agreement and lease agreement with a consortium of Ahlström Capital, Kirkon Eläkerahasto and Aktia Life Insurance. Under this, they will build a new research centre for Kemira as part of the Green Chemistry Park within a 5.5-hectare site at Espoo, near Helsinki in Finland.
Within the space of ten days in mid-March, Atotech announced that its new production site in China and its R&D centre are both fully operational. The company, which is based in Berlin, specialises in advanced electroplating. These developments bring its total network of sites to 17, including eight in Asia.
Raybow USA, the North American subsidiary of Chinese pharmaceutical CDMO Raybow Pharmaceuticals, is panning to invest $15.8 million to expand its site at Brevard, North Carolina, over the coming five years. This will triple capacity and add 74 jobs to the existing 24, including research chemists, pilot-plant personnel and supervisors.
Done the right way, a heightened digital buying experience can strengthen relationships with customers, create new revenue streams, and insulate a company from disruption, say Mark Carlson (above) and David Dunn of SAP
