The severe and unusual storms in the USA have already forced numerous companies to shut down their plants. The chemical company OQ Chemicals has now also had to declare Force Majeure.

With an aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Sumitomo Chemical has plans to create a Carbon Neutral Strategy Council which will enable the company to formulate strategies and set milestones to attain its objective. The organization will also set up a Carbon Neutral Strategy Cross-Functional Team to support the Council.

With an investment of 1.39 billion dollars, the new complex is expected to handle an annual production capacity of 200,000 tonnes of polyether polyol. Once completed, the project will make MOL the only integrated producer of polyether polyols in Central and Eastern Europe.

The maxim “Time is money” is particularly appropriate for the current situation in the pharmaceutical industry. The companies here are therefore striving to keep the time to market launch of a product as short as possible. An efficient information management system helps them in this and optimizes the design and operation of a plant. Consequently, they achieve considerable competitive advantages.

United Chemical Company Shchekinoazot Shchekinoazot launched a methanol and ammonia co-production plant licensed by Haldor Topsoe in the Tula region of Russia. The new plant can produce 450,000 tons of methanol and 135,000 tons of ammonia per year and is based on Topsoe’s Imap technology.

Virtual worlds have until now mainly been known from the field of computer games. But through information technology, they have also found their way into industrial automation. What are the opportunities and risks of a production plant in a virtual environment and how can virtualization solutions be implemented?

At Achema, the company has introduced the new crusher Rubato: a high-capacity mill from coarse to fine grinding.

C.R.I. Pumps, one of India's leading pump manufacturers, strengthens its international presence with the opening of a new foreign subsidiary company – C.R.I.'s sixth –‘C.R.I. Pumps Shanghai’, in China...

The integrated, international oil, gas and chemicals company, OMV, and Kommunalkredit Austria have announced a joint investment in the construction of Austria’s largest electrolysis plant on the premises of Schwechat Refinery.

Pumps and compressors account for a large share of energy consumption in process industry equipment. Best practice that can help further reduce consumption by this type of equipment will be a major theme at ACHEMA 2012 on June 18th to 22nd in Frankfurt/M., Germany. A key aspect to consider in this context is the contribution that control valves and sensors can make in enhancing process stability in automated production environments.