Akzo Nobel Specialty Chemicals has started design work for a second expansion of chloromethanes capacity at its site in Frankfurt, Germany. The project will take place in several steps over the next five years and will raise total capacity by up to 50 %.

Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions about the trends, opportunities and challenges facing Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions — Asked Helmut Knauthe, Head of Technology, Innovation and Sustainability, sees the business unit’s customer proximity and concerted efforts to boost its competitiveness, develop products and services tailored to customers’ needs, and research into areas such as resource efficiency, renewable energies, climate protection and digitization as key to delivering better technological solutions.

Under the contract, PTT Global Chemical will supply feedstock Paraxylene while Tocgc will supply Mono Ethylene Glycol, both essential raw materials for PTA and PET. On the other hand, Mitsui Chemicals will offer technology know-how, technical support as well as marketing and sales network.

The firm has undertaken this move in order to support the growing demand for acrylic monomers in Asia Pacific. The expansion plan is expected to be complete by 2021.

With natural gas prices down by three-quarters since 2005, cheap raw materials and energy fuel the US reindustrialisation. Market analyst IHS believes that up to € 70 billion will be invested by 2025, doubling North America’s production of basic chemicals and plastics — is America the promised land for the process industry?

As of April 1, 2016, Dr. Robert Gnann (51) has taken over as president of Wacker Silicones. He succeeds Dr. Christian Hartel, who was appointed to the Wacker Group’s Executive Board in early November 2015.

Process digitalization: The Solvay/Butachimie chemical platform in Chalampé is an illustrative example for the factory of the future — Using the simulation tool Simit from Siemens the company realizes the changeover from the previously used process control system to the PCS 7 system, which is a Siemens tool too.

The times in which one could optimise process developments or regulation in isolation are long past. Nevertheless, there is still obviously a lack of mutual understanding between chemical/process engineers and the colleagues in process automation technology. What is the reason for this, and how can it be changed? NAMUR chairman Wilhelm Otten, leader of business line technology at Evonik Industries, faced this and many further questions by PROCESS—and makes a clear plea for process automation technology.

Celanese concluded the sale of its atmospheric (vinyl and acrylics) emulsions unit in La Canonja, Spain. The Tarragona-based petrochemical company IQOXE is acquiring the operation The company is specialized in the production of ethylene oxide, glycols and ethylene oxide derivatives. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Elix Polymers has announced a new investment amounting to $ 4.7 million, to optimize its ABS powder production facilities in Tarragona, Spain. The company expects to begin executing this new project in 2018, which it will continue to develop and consolidate throughout this year and 2019.