Speciality materials company Celanese plans to reduce acetate tow production at its site in Lanaken, Belgium, by 50 percent. The company states that these plans are a reaction to changing markets and declining demand in Europe.

German based speciality chemicals giant Lanxess plans to streamline its rubber chemicals production by shutting down a South African plant and bundle activities in the US and Europe.

Bayer Crop Science announced its intention to pursue plans to construct a world-scale glufosinate-ammonium herbicide production plant in the United States near Mobile, Alabama. The new facility will contribute significantly to the company’s target of more than doubling global production capacity for this ingredient. The start-up of the new plant is anticipated for the fourth quarter of 2015.

The explosion at Wacker's plant in Charleston on September 7 was caused by a technical defect prompting a leak of hydrogen which subsequently caught fire, thereby severely damaging a small, but important facility of the production plant.

Coal and lignite are the principal fuels used in many power plants world wide. Although their characteristics appear to be almost same, some differences do exist which set them apart totally. Variations in boiler design also present many challenges and system design has to take care of these issues.

Succinity, the joint venture between Corbion Purac and BASF for the production and commercialization of biobased succinic acid, has announced the successful start-up of its first commercial production facility.

New materials for new markets: Lanxess strengthens its Asian presence by establishing local research and development facilities. The German company has recently opened a new facility for the devlopment of plastics and polymers in Honk Kong...

Holding company J.P. Morgan buys speciality chemicals firm: One Equity Partners, a global private investment arm of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co has taken over Peroxychem, the former FMC division FMC Global Peroxygens.

Device integration: The first stage finish has been reached—the FDI specification has been approved and handed over to the IEC, while simultaneously the first version of the developer tool has been made available. Is that the end of it? On the contrary, as all protagonists assert. Things are just getting started!

If you want to see the checkered flag, you need to get your pit stop strategy right. The same applies to plant inspection, maintenance and revamp. With good turnaround organization and management, a plant shutdown can be turned into a competitive weapon. We were in The Netherlands to witness a refinery turnaround.