BASF commissioned Rockwell Automation to modernize an automation system in a loading bay used for polymer dispersions at the company’s Ludwigshafen Verbund site in Germany. With only eight months to plan the new system and just three days for commissioning, the project required an extraordinarily structured approach and an intensive test phase. The result is a system with high levels of flexibility and availability as well as easier maintenance.

Users increasingly look at the foreseeable lifetime costs of a planned investment when making their investment decisions. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is, in that regard, always also a question of how good the seal engineering is. How long do seals in fact last? The Parker Seals group has developed processes which not only investigate this question, but provide the answers. They make forecasting of lifetimes possible where previously they were impossible in this way.

India's vaccine industry ranks third in terms of volume globally in the world. Yet the question remains of why deaths are being reported even after immunization against a disease. One of the reasons for this is the improper transport of vaccines which cause the vaccine to lose its effectiveness. Use of phase change materials (PCMs) can help reduce vaccine wastage during transportation.

NatureWork overhauls its bio–polymers prododuction: New production technology will increase capacity at the NatureWorks' Blair, Nebraska, facility to 150,000 metric tonnes per annum, making new performance grades available in the second quarter 2013.

Industry is under pressure to develop sustainable processing methods. With this in mind, the List kneader processor provides an alternative to the stirred-tank reactor for the production of polymers, allowing solvents to be eliminated from the reaction step. The kneader processor is also an alternative to the extruder for polymer devolatilization.

Brussels/Belgium – Solvay Solexis, a world leader in Polyvinyledene fluoride (PVDF), will increase the production capacity for this specialty fluoropolymer, which it markets under the Solef brand name.

Food and beverage packaging drives the demand for inks and coatings: More than half of the global demand comes from these demanding branches. But what are the major trends that shape tomorrow’s inks and coatings market? And which companies are likely to take the lion’s share? A recent report provides valuable insights…

Lanxess announces major milestone for the world's biggest Nd-PBR plant in Singapore: The German based specialty chemicals company celbrated the groundbreaking for its new 140,000 metric tons/year rubber production on Jurong Island. Lanxess plans to invest some € 200 million in the site.

When considering a pneumatic conveying system, the simple purchase price is no longer the most important business criterion. Today, and especially in the chemical industry, the analysis of costs and benefits goes far deeper: More important than a supposedly low purchase price are total cost of ownership and overall equipment effectiveness — especially when dealing with the transfer of powders and bulk materials.

Arkema is investing US$ 90 million on its Clear Lake Texas site to replace existing acrylic acid production units with modern facilities.