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U.K. (778) Sweden (122) Finland (162) Denmark (100) Netherlands (499) Belgium (493) Germany (1530) France (601) Spain (132) Italy (205) Switzerland (389) Austria (91)
U.K. UK chemical and pharma companies report lower sales volumes in last 6 months
Sales by the UK chemical and pharmaceutical industry to customers declined during the past six months, according to the latest survey carried out by the Chemical Industries Association (CIA; London). CIA says that 44% of companies report lower sales... European Commission inspects oil companies over possible price-fixing in crude oil, refined products, and biofuel markets
The European Commission says it has carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies operating in the crude oil, refined oil products, and biofuel sectors amid concerns that the companies may have colluded in reporting distorted prices... Tata given go ahead for EfW project to power UK soda ash plant
An appeal preventing Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE; Northwich, UK), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Chemicals (Mumbai), from building an energy-from-waste (EfW) facility to supply the company's soda ash plant at Lostock, UK, has been dropped, TCE has... Linde signs long-term supply deal with SSI UK
Linde says its BOC subsidiary has signed a long-term agreement to supply industrial gases to Sahaviriya Steel Industries United Kingdom (SSI UK; Redcar, UK), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI; Bangkok). SSI UK has iron and... Merck KGaA leads international consortium to develop cobalt-based dye-sensitized solar cells
Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany) is leading a consortium sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bonn) to develop cobalt-based, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) for use in photovoltaic and other indoor and outdoor applications, the... More Stories » SWEDEN Jacobs renews engineering services agreement with Borealis in Sweden
Jacobs Engineering says it has renewed its frame agreement with Borealis for work at Borealis’s manufacturing facilities at Stenungsund, Sweden. Jacobs, under the five-year frame agreement, is providing engineering, procurement, project management, and... Report: Stockholm Convention agrees on phaseout of HBCD
The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention has agreed to begin phasing out the use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in little more than a year, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. HBCD is used in furniture... Ineos to hive off vinyls into joint venture; Rafnes cracker to stay with Ineos
CW has learned that Ineos is at an advanced stage of discussions with an unnamed party to transfer the Kerling chlor-vinyls business into a joint venture, which would become one of the leading chlor-vinyls players globally. Kerling hopes to announce the name... Brenntag extends nylon distribution cooperation with Evonik
Brenntag has extended its cooperation with Evonik Industries for the distribution of nylon polymer products in Scandinavia, the company announced today. The region covered by the cooperation now includes the whole of Europe with the exception of Italy... Tikkurila reports good first-quarter profitability despite weak market development
Tikkurila (Helsinki), the former paints and coatings subsidiary of Kemira, says revenue for the first quarter of 2013 decreased by 6.9%, to €138.4 million ($181.2 million), compared with revenue of €148.6 million in the first quarter of 2012. (Ebit)... More Stories » FINLAND ECHA invites comments on proposals for harmonized classification and labeling of lenacil and boric acid
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA; Helsinki) has invited comments on two new proposals for harmonized classification and labeling (CLH). The chemicals concerned are lenacil, a uracil herbicide; and boric acid, used in various industrial applications... Styron cuts styrene butadiene latex capacity in Europe on declining demand
Styron Europe (Horgen, Switzerland), leader in the production of styrene butadiene (SB) latex, has reduced SB latex capacity in Europe, the company announced today. Styron reduced production by a combined 70,000 m.t./year at plants located at Hamina, Finland... Brenntag extends nylon distribution cooperation with Evonik
Brenntag has extended its cooperation with Evonik Industries for the distribution of nylon polymer products in Scandinavia, the company announced today. The region covered by the cooperation now includes the whole of Europe with the exception of Italy... Tikkurila reports good first-quarter profitability despite weak market development
Tikkurila (Helsinki), the former paints and coatings subsidiary of Kemira, says revenue for the first quarter of 2013 decreased by 6.9%, to €138.4 million ($181.2 million), compared with revenue of €148.6 million in the first quarter of 2012. (Ebit)... Kemira plans further restructuring, announces financial targets for 2016
Kemira has announced several major restructuring measures and issued profitability and sales targets for 2016. The measures are in addition to the company's Fit for Growth restructuring program, involving widespread plant closures and job cuts, details of... More Stories » DENMARK Brenntag extends nylon distribution cooperation with Evonik
Brenntag has extended its cooperation with Evonik Industries for the distribution of nylon polymer products in Scandinavia, the company announced today. The region covered by the cooperation now includes the whole of Europe with the exception of Italy... Dynea forms dedicated wood adhesives company
Dynea (Helsinki) has formed a new company, Dynea North (Lillestrøm, Norway), focusing on the speciality wood adhesives market in Europe, the company said today. The new firm is a European market leader with a broad portfolio of adhesives for the wood... Fertilizer business will stabilize Borealis’s revenue stream
Borealis, one of the largest European manufacturers of polyolefins, achieved a 72% rise in fourth-quarter 2012 net profit, driven in part by the company’s growing presence in the European fertilizer sector, in which it continues to expand through acquisition.... Yara profits decline on higher fertilizer volumes, lower prices
Leading fertilizer producer Yara International (Oslo) today reported a significant drop in fourth-quarter profits, despite higher sales volumes. Fourth-quarter net income after minorities was 36% down, at 2.17 billion Norwegian kroner ($420.4 million)... Novozymes acquires enzyme business from Iogen
Novozymes says it will acquire Iogen Bio-Products, the industrial enzyme business of Iogen (Ottawa, ON) for C$67.5 million ($67.6 million) and potential earn-out payments of up to C$12.5 million. The deal provides Novozymes with all commercial rights to Iogen... More Stories » NETHERLANDS European Commission inspects oil companies over possible price-fixing in crude oil, refined products, and biofuel markets
The European Commission says it has carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies operating in the crude oil, refined oil products, and biofuel sectors amid concerns that the companies may have colluded in reporting distorted prices... Report: Stockholm Convention agrees on phaseout of HBCD
The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention has agreed to begin phasing out the use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in little more than a year, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. HBCD is used in furniture... European caprolactam margins under pressure
European margins for caprolactam could swing back to a loss as fundamentals for May are expected to be unfavorable, IHS chemical says in its latest Global Nylon Fibers & Feedstocks report. Attempts by one producer to raise prices and improve margins are... Odfjell's net losses widen; agreement signed for expanded tank storage JV
Odfjell posted a $13-million net loss for the first quarter compared with a net loss of $4 million in the corresponding period of 2012, on sales down 13%, to $291 million. Ebitda fell 34% year-on-year, to $27 million. Odfjell's chemical tankers... Shell's earnings from petchem activities up over 13%
Shell's chemicals earnings were up 13% year-over-year during the first quarter to €555 million ($731.7 million) on a current cost of supply basis, the company announced today. Meanwhile, sales volumes of chemical products for the first quarter 2013... More Stories » BELGIUM EU offers €31.5 million for eco-innovation projects
The European Commission has launched a call for proposals, offering €31.5 million ($40.4 million) for the best 45 eco-innovation projects. Businesses across Europe have until 5 September to submit their proposals for bringing novel environmental... Cefic calls for balance between climate change policy and need for competitive energy prices
Competitively priced energy will be essential if the European Union is to deliver jobs and growth alongside progress in combating climate change, Cefic said at a business summit held recently at Brussels. Cefic leaders urged policymakers to balance climate... EU emissions trading: GHG emissions decline in 2012, but allowance surplus grows
Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from installations participating in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) decreased in 2012, but the surplus of emission allowances increased, the European Commission says. "The good news is that emissions... ECHA invites comments on proposals for harmonized classification and labeling of lenacil and boric acid
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA; Helsinki) has invited comments on two new proposals for harmonized classification and labeling (CLH). The chemicals concerned are lenacil, a uracil herbicide; and boric acid, used in various industrial applications... EU chemical output falls 2.3% in February; industry confidence declines in April for third consecutive month
Chemical production shrank 2.3% in the European Union in February 2013 compared with the same month last year, according to the latest Chemicals Trends Report published by Cefic today. Output of specialty chemicals, which dropped 4.2% year-on-year during... More Stories » GERMANY Mexichem cleared to acquire PolyOne's specialty PVC assets, bidding for Solvay's Indupa assets
Mexichem (Tlalneplantla, Mexico) has received clearance from FTC—and its equivalent body in Germany—for Mexichem's acquisition of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) specialty resins business of PolyOne, the company has announced. PolyOne entered into an... Bayer to acquire German pharmaceutical company
Bayer says it has signed an agreement to acquire all of the shares of Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk (Darmstadt, Germany), a privately held pharmaceutical company specializing in pharmacy-only herbal medicines. Financial details of the deal have not been... Merck KGaA increases commitment to venture capital fund for start-up biotech firms to €100 million
Merck KGaA says it will increase its commitment to its strategic corporate venture capital fund MS Ventures to €100 million ($129 million). MS Ventures is the corporate venture capital fund of Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck. MS... LyondellBasell to close HDPE Unit in Germany
LyondellBasell will shut down a 100,000-m.t./year high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit in Wesseling, Germany, in the third quarter.... Bayer CropScience plans Mobile, AL herbicide plant
Bayer CropScience says it will build a world-scale glufosinate-ammonium herbicide production plant near Mobile, AL, to help meet growing demand for glyphosate alternatives. "The use of glufosinate-ammonium, marketed as Liberty herbicide and used... More Stories » FRANCE BASF to sell Industrial Water Management to Degrémont
BASF has signed a contract to sell its subsidiary Industrial Water Management France (Lyon) to Degrémont, the water treatment specialist for local authorities and industrial customers, BASF announced today. Degrémont, a subsidiary of Suez... EU approves state aid to French R&D consortium to develop third-generation biorefineries
The European Commission has approved aid granted by the French government to Picardie Innovation en Végétal Enseignement Rechercher et Techologie (Pivert; Compiègne, France) and Institut d’Excellence en Énergies... Arkema's first-quarter net income shrinks by 21.1% on mixed economic environment
Arkema's first-quarter adjusted net income contracted by 21.1% from €123 million ($159.7 million) in the first quarter of 2012, to €97 million, the company announced today. Ebitda fell 7.5% to €234 million in the first quarter, from €253... Arkema launches production of biobased nylon-10,10
Arkema has launched production of Rilsan T, a biobased nylon-10,10 processed from castor oil, at the company's production facility at Serquigny, France, the company has announced. The new product possesses a high degree of rigidity, in particular when... Solvay to build biobased nylon facility in France
Solvay says it has decided to invest an undisclosed sum to build a production unit for the biobased nylon polymer PA6,10 at the company's site at Saint-Fons, France. The plant is intended to meet demand from customers seeking eco-friendly products, the... More Stories » SPAIN Solvay chlor-alkali site in Spain under threat from EU mercury-cell phaseout
Production at Solvay's chlor-alkali unit at Torrelavega, Spain, could be under threat unless €30 million ($39.1 million) is invested to transform the unit from mercury-cell based technology to membrane-based technology, trade union representatives say... Time running out for debt-burdened PET producer La Seda
Beleaguered polyethylene terephthalate (PET) producer La Seda de Barcelona (El Prat Llobregat, Spain) has one week left to finalize the refinancing of its €235-million ($299 million) debt before the company is forced into administration, according to... Consortium secures €7.5 million for waste-to-biobased plastics R&D
SynPol1, a consortium of 8 academic and 6 industrial institutions, has secured almost €7.5 million ($9.8 million) in funding under the EU Seventh Framework Programme to explore the conversion of different complex waste streams to valuable products... Momentive more than triples resin capacity at Spanish site
Momentive Specialty Chemicals plans to more than triple capacity for water-based resins at its Barbastro, Spain site. The increased capacity will support existing business and enable Momentive to grow in the coatings, civil engineering, and fiber and textile... Abengoa starts production at pilot waste-to-biofuel plant in Spain
Abengoa (Seville, Spain) has started production at a waste-to-bioethanol pilot plant at Salamanca, Spain, the company announced. The plant has the capacity to process 25,000 m.t./year of municipal solid waste and converts the waste into 1.5 million liters of... More Stories » ITALY EFSA panel concludes that 3-acetyl-2,5-dimethylthiophene is genotoxic
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) has concluded that 3-acetyl-2,5-dimethylthiophene, used as a flavoring additive in food, is mutagenic in vitro and in vivo, and that its use as a flavoring substance raises a safety concern. The decision... Isagro reports €3.3-million net loss during first quarter owing to poor weather conditions
Isagro (Milan) reports a €3.3-million ($4.3 million) net loss during the first quarter of 2013 compared with a €668,000 profit in the same period last year. Ebitda also contracted to €1.01 million during the reporting period compared with... ENI and Versalis lose appeal against EU synthetic rubber price-fixing fine
The EU Court of Justice (Luxembourg) says it has rejected ENI's (Rome) appeal against a ruling by the EU General Court covering ENI's involvement in a price-fixing cartel in the synthetic rubber market between 1996 and 2002. ENI and its chemical... Tessenderlo sells its electrolysis and chloroaromatics activities in Italy to International Chemical Investors Group
Tessenderlo Group (Brussels) says it has sold Tessenderlo Partecipazioni (Milan), including its subsidiary Tessenderlo Italia (Milan), to International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), a private industrial holding company. Financial terms have not been... Versalis narrows losses in the first quarter of this year
Versalis (Milan), the chemicals subsidiary of ENI (Rome), reports a strong improvement in profitability in the first quarter of this year. The company is continuing with a major refocusing of its portfolio toward specialty elastomers and biobased chemicals... More Stories » SWITZERLAND Report: Stockholm Convention agrees on phaseout of HBCD
The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention has agreed to begin phasing out the use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in little more than a year, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. HBCD is used in furniture... Ashland-Clariant JV sold casting products to Iran
ASK Chemicals, a 50-50 joint venture between Ashland and Clariant, sold granulate, coatings, and hot top metal casting products to Iranian government entities, Ashland said in a regulatory filing. The jv sold about €790,000 ($1.04 million) worth of the... Clariant's former businesses named Archroma
Clariant’s former textile chemicals, paper specialties, and emulsion businesses, which the company agreed to sell to SK Capital on 27 December, will be named Archroma after the closing of the transaction, the companies said today. Archroma will be a... Clariant more than doubles net profit on flat sales, confirms 2015 targets
Clariant’s first-quarter net profit from continuing operations more than doubled to 38 million Swiss francs ($40.53 million) compared with SF16 million in the year-earlier period, the company announced today. Sales were flat advancing 2% in local... Brenntag invests in sulfuric acid plant to supply Bayer CropScience
Brenntag Schweizerhall (Basel), a subsidiary of Brenntag, will invest in a new sulfuric acid dilution plant at the Infrapark Baselland industrial park in Muttenz, Switzerland, to supply Bayer CropScience’s plant at the same site. “This system... More Stories » AUSTRIA Borealis's first-quarter profit down, Borouge's contribution shrinks due to turnaround
Garrett:North American expansion will help push restructuring in Europe. Borealis today reported a major drop in first-quarter net profit to €61 million ($78.5 million) from €140 million in the year-earlier quarter citing lower sales and... Lenzing reports earnings fall, confirms full-year guidance
Lenzing Group (Lenzing, Austria) has reported consolidated sales of €496.5 million ($653.6 million) for the first quarter of 2013, a decline of 6% from the €528 million posted in the year-ago quarter. This change includes, however, a shift of about... OMV earmarks €230 million for new butadiene capacity in Germany and Austria
OMV (Vienna) has earmarked €230 million ($301.6 million) to build a new butadiene plant at the petrochemical complex that forms part of the company's Burghausen, Germany, refinery site, and upgrade the company's existing butadiene plant at its Schwechat... Lenzing sells majority stake in Lenzing Plastics
Lenzing (Lenzing, Austria) says it has agreed to sell an 85% stake in Lenzing Plastics (Lenzing) to an Austrian consortium led by Invest AG, the investment company of the Raiffeisen Banking Group Upper Austria (Linz). The valuation is close to eight... Myriant and BCD Chemie sign biobased succinic acid distribution deal for Austria, Germany, Switzerland
Myriant (Quincy, MA) and BCD Chemie (Hamburg) have signed a distribution agreement, under which BCD Chemie will market and distribute Myriant's biobased succinic acid and Myrifilm solvent in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, Myriant has announced... More Stories »
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