The OPC Foundation (OPCF) and the Fieldcomm Group (FCG) have got together to drive multi-vendor interoperability of instrumentation devices based on OPC UA and the extensions for the field level, named OPC UA FX. The partnership is expected to harmonize OPC UA-based field instruments and increase the development and adoption in automation.

Under a joint venture, SK Geo Centric and Weixing Chemical have plans to establish a new Ethylene Acrylic Acid (EAA) production facility in China in the background of growing demand in Asia. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025 and begin commercial production with an annual capacity of 40,000 tons.

The following article describes the influence of the material features and critical process parameters inside a full continuous direct compression plant. A quality by design (QBD) approach was set up to evaluate the critical quality attributes of the tablet press, final blend, and tablet characteristics in a continuous direct compression process.

BASF, Sabic and Linde have begun construction work on the world’s first demo plant for large-scale electrically heated steam cracker furnaces in Ludwigshafen, Germany. With this project, the consortium aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the chemical industry by at least 90 % as compared to other technologies of today.

Global energy company BP unveiled plans to invest around 60 million dollars in a new, state-of-the-art electric vehicle battery testing centre and analytical laboratory in the UK. The company aims to advance development of engineering, battery technology and fluid technology and engineering into new applications.

Leybold has introduced the Varodry Vdi vacuum system with an integrated Vacontrol Cab control which assists its customers to carry out smart performance management and achieve high energy efficiency.

Under the terms of the agreement, BP will sell its 50 % stake in the BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in Ohio to its joint venture partner Cenovus Energy for 300 million dollars. BP and Canada-based firm Cenovus are also expected to enter into a multi-year product supply agreement.

The 4th ‘China International Import Expo (CIIE)’ showed where the chemical industry in China is heading. At the beginning of November, while climate negotiations were taking place in Glasgow, keywords such as ‘low carbon,’ ‘green,’ or ‘circular economy’ also dominated the presentations of Chinese and international chemical companies at the Expo in Shanghai.

Six key take aways from Parenteral Drug Association’s (PDA) recent workshop have been summarized by the author. The association intends to host a number of workshops to educate and help the industry implement the revision of the new Annex 1: ‘Manufacture of Sterile Products’.

The introduction of robotics into manufacturing plants benefits both products and staff, delivering greater operational flexibility, safety, quality and process efficiency compared to what traditional mechanical solutions allow. However, the price to achieve this is a reduction in production rates.