The American Chemistry Council in a response to the virtual G20 summit states that leaders must increase access to life saving products and equipment which are needed to fight coronavirus.

Digital assistant for the control room — A battle for supremacy rages in the consumer world of voice-controlled digital assistants. Google, Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft are the trailblazers on this market and want to make their assistant an integral part of our everyday life. But when you look to industrial applications, the search still comes up empty. This is about to change, because useful applications are manifold and a prototype is now entering the pilot phase.

The mega package is part of a turnaround strategy to reduce India’s dependence on China; states Prashant Khadayate, Pharma Analyst, Global Data. Three API manufacturing parks will also be set up in different parts of the country to enhance production.

Siluria Technologies, a pioneer in the commercial production of fuels and chemicals made from clean and abundant natural gas, and The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company, announced that they have entered into a collaboration agreement.

An explosion on March 4 at a naphtha cracker of the South Korean chemical company Lotte Chemical had serious consequences. At least 31 people were injured in the resulting fire. Production in the affected cracker was suspended until further notice.

Wacker Chemie is expanding its production capacity for dispersible polymer powders in Germany. The Munich-based chemical company is currently building a new spray dryer with an annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons at its Burghausen site, investing an amount of around € 20 million. The facility is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015 and will be one of the largest of its kind worldwide.

Lödige Process Technology will present a Ploughshare mixer at its Ifat booth (A4.441) in Germany. The mixer is an example of the manufacturer’s sturdy, durable process engineering systems for mechanical, chemical and thermal processing of sludges, sewage sludges, ashes, dusts and other waste materials.

The specialty chemicals group Altana has completed the acquisition of the overprint varnish specialist Schmid Rhyner.

German chemical giant BASF announced the construction of a new plant for polyalkylene glycol (PAG)-based lubricants at its Ludwigshafen site. The manufacturing facility will start operations by the beginning of 2016 and produce PAG lubricant base stocks and formulated blends.

Chevron has decided to reduce its 2020 capital spending plan by 4 billion dollars and Permian production guidance by 20 %. These measures are expected to protect the dividend, prioritise long-term value, and support the industry leading balance sheet.