BASF has begun a six-week period of change negotiations at its precursor cathode active materials (pCAM) plant in Harjavalta, Finland. This may include layoffs for an indefinite period, potentially impacting all employees. The company added that it remains committed to driving pCAMs, which it will continue to do via its facility in Schwarzheide, Germany.

Orion has formally broken ground on a new plant at La Porte, southeast of Houston, to make acetylene-based conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries, as well as in high-voltage cables used for wind and solar farms. It will source the acetylene from Equistar Chemicals’ nearby site. Start-up is scheduled for Q2 2025

Syensqo has opened some new application development laboratories (ADLs) at Bollate, Italy, where it opened its ‘dry room’ laboratory for lithium batteries last year. They will focus on developing specialty polymers for applications in green mobility, energy-efficiency and sustainable sourcing, among others.

During its 2023 results presentation, Evonik announced that it will establish a new organisational structure by the end of 2026. Under ‘Evonik Tailor Made’ it will eliminate administrative activities that do not directly support its businesses and bundle key tasks in the new structure.

Australia’s Orica is to buy Cyanco from an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management for $640 million, 7.5x 2023 EBITDA, on a cash-free, debt-free enterprise value basis. This will be funded by existing cash and undrawn committed debt facilities, plus an A$400 million underwritten institutional placement.

Synergies of about $100 million are expected three years after completion. This is expected to be at the end of the 2024 financial year, subject to the expiration of certain regulatory waiting periods and other customary closing conditions.

Under a new supply contract worth about $18.7 billion, LG Chem will supply  General Motors (GM) with over 500,000 tonnes of cathode materials from its new plant in Tennessee between 2026 and 2035. This equates to powering 5 million units of high-performance pure electric vehicles (EVs) with a range of 500 km on a single charge.

UK-based precious metal recovery specialist Mastermelt has acquired both IEX Technologies, a supplier of advanced ion exchange materials and process technology to the pharmaceutical industry, and a solvent distillation plant from Green Lizard Technologies, which is a University of Belfast spinout. Terms were not disclosed.