Chemical Business Newsbase articles from December 2006

Chemical Business Newsbase archives from December 2006

Bihar Caustic: Regaining froth, shifting to membrane-cell technology.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Business Line) Caustic soda manufacturer Bihar Caustic plans to shift to membrane-cell technology and thereby strengthen its competitive advantage. The company has a coal-fired captive power plant to...

DSIR recognition for in-house R&D unit of Panacea Biotec.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - BioSpectrum) The in-house R&D unit of Panacea Biotec (Panacea) is recognised by the Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research (DSIR), ministry of science and technology, New Delhi. The recognition...

Glenmark manufactures first batch of crofelemer API.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - BioSpectrum) Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (Glenmark) successfully produced the first batch of crofelemer API at USFDA approved facility in Ankleshwar, India. In accordance with deal between Glenmark and Napo...

Plasma proteins are indigenously developed, leading to import substitution.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - BioSpectrum) Reliance Life Sciences (RIL) started building the first pilot scale facility for production of Plasma proteins in 2005 at Mumbai, India. This was the first step taken by Indian company to...

Balda sells several production facilities.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German company Balda AG suffered a significant downturn in 3Q 2006 and therefore drastically reduced its results forecast for 2006. The downturn has been caused by orders lost due to...

Coperion. Large-scale contract for PP plant.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer GmbH & Co KG in Stuttgart (Germany) received the contract to build a facility for the processing and granulation of polypropylene (PP) in the Middle East. The...

Eurofilms. Favourable business with stretch film.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) Polish stretch film manufacturer Eurofilms SA in Warsaw (established 6 years ago) has a production capacity of 27,000 tonnes/y of LLDPE stretch film and around 7000 tonnes/y PVC shrink-wrap...

Vinnolit completes expansion in Burghausen.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German company Vinnolit GmbH & Co KG in Ismaning finished the expansion of the PVC pastes production facility in Burghausen faster than expected. The expansion required an investment of EUR...

Dyneon increases fluoroelastomers capacities.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) Dyneon, which considers itself a globally leading manufacturer of fluoroelastomers, will expand its production capacity in Gendorf industrial park in Bavaria (Germany). Dyneon is a...

Lanxess establishes company in South Korea.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German chemicals group Lanxess established a new subsidiary in South Korea on 1 Jan 2007 in order to increase the profitable growth in Asia. Lanxess achieved a 16% rise in turnover in South...

Bayer MaterialScience establishes joint venture in Dubai.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German company Bayer MaterialScience AG in Leverkusen and Pearl Insulation Materials Industry LLC in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates will establish a polyurethane systems house joint...

Clariant inaugurates facility for processing additives.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) Swiss speciality chemicals company Clariant recently inaugurated a new production facility at the site in Frankfurt-Hoechst (Germany) for Licocene, the high performance polymer based on...

BASF expands pigments portfolio.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Kunststoffe) German BASF Group will significantly expand its pigment portfolio with the integration of Engelhard Corp (acquired in Jun 2006). Engelhard's activities with special effect pigments and...

Second generation biofuels.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Circuits Culture) According to Stephane His at the Institut Francais du Petrole, petroleum companies have been very cautious in their investment in first generation biofuel. BP linked up with DuPont de...

Contraction in French crop protection chemicals market in 2005/2006.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Circuits Culture) According to the French crop protection industry association (Union des industries de la protection des plantes), the value of the French crop protection market fell by 5% in the...

Rise in price of natural gas impacts on nitrogen fertilizers.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Circuits Culture) Nitrogen fertilizer prices increased by 6% in 2005/2006 due to the rise in natural gas prices (+32% in Jan-Sep 2006). The price rise affected potassium fertilizers but had a more modest...

Difficult year for French fertilizer industry in 2005-2006.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Circuits Culture) According to the French fertilizer industry body Unifa, French deliveries of fertilizer fell by around 9% in 2005/2006 to 9.6 M tonnes (nitrogen fertilizers -5%, phosphorus fertilizers...

Legislation for fertilizer storage could have impact on market.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Circuits Culture) French legislation on fertilizer storage has become increasingly stricter over recent years. The 6 Jul 2006 regulations apply to facilities which are subject to Article 1331 and new...

France withdraws marketing approval for methabenzthiazuron.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Circuits Culture) The French Agriculture and Fisheries ministry has withdrawn marketing approval for crop protection chemicals containing methabenzthiazuron from 25 Oct 2006. Any stocks of the herbicide...

Rimonabant suffers draw-back in Germany.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) Acomplia (rimonabant), the obesity drug by French company Sanofi-Aventis which is available in several European countries, is experiencing a significant draw-back in...

BMS launches entecavir for hepatitis B.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) launched the new nucleoside analogue Baraclude (entecavir) in Great Britain. The drug is indicated for patients with a hepatitis B infection,...

Novartis launches deferasirox in the UK.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Die Pharmazeutische Industrie) Swiss Novartis Group launched an oral iron chelate former for the treatment of transfusion-dependent iron overdose on the British market. The drug with the name Exjade...

Akzo Nobel moves.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Akzo Nobel will transfer its North American Powder Coatings headquarters and technical laboratories to Nashville, TN, USA in 2007. A workforce of 50 will be added to...

New partnership: Rohm and Haas and CSI tie up.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Rohm and Haas and Chemical Specialties (CSI) have established a new company specializing in wood treatment. The new entity, which will offer wood treatment...

Dry pigment plant: new from Bruchsaler Farbenfabrik.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Bruchsaler Farbenfabrik has inaugurated a chemical manufacturing facility at its site in Bruchsal, Germany. The new unit will enable the company to boost its...

End of the road: Ennis Paint acquires Prismo business.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) US firm Ennis Paint has acquired the road markings businesses of Prismo from UK company Jarvis for #9.5 M. With sales of approximately $100 M/y, Prismo develops,...

Materials group plans centralized Europe HQ.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Rohm and Haas intends to set up an office in Lausanne, Switzerland to oversee all of its European operations. The move will help the company attain a more regional...

Swiss firm sheds jobs.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Swiss chemical firm Clariant is eliminating over 2200 jobs or 10% of its staff with the closure of a number of production bases in Europe through 2010. The company...

Bayer investment.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Bayer will increase its spending for nanotechnology projects as it sees numerous uses for the technology, ranging from dirt-resistant surfaces through medical...

RM launches in Africa.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) RM, BASF automotive finish unit, is currently enjoying healthy sales of its refinish products and services in South Africa. The company, which started to build a...

DSM to build resin factory.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Royal DSM will establish a waterborne coating resins facility at its existing site in Meppen, Germany. The new facility, which will require an investment of...

BASF aims to cut 2000 jobs worldwide.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Chemical major BASF is eliminating 2000 jobs worldwide, equivalent to about 2% of its workforce, due to declining profits. Approximately 800 employees will be laid...

Sioen acquires leading French pigments group.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) EMB, a subsidiary of Sioen Industries, has acquired Richard Colorants, a pigments group based near Lille, France. The acquisition is expected to yield additional...

Jotun to paint sea platforms.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Jotun will supply paint to Sevan Marine for use in its Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSOs) platforms in China. Jotun's paint will also be used for...

Lebanon paint industry damaged by Israel war.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Lebanon's paint industry suffered huge losses during the 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah in summer 2006. Sales in Jul and Aug 2006 reportedly declined 95%....

Firm in the spotlight after securing contract.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Pyeroy, a marine and industrial painting company, was granted a three-year contract to renovate lighthouses in remote areas of the UK, particularly along the...

Zimbabwe short of car paint.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Zimbabwe's automotive industry is currently suffering from a paint shortage because of foreign currency limitations. Certain paint grades, including 2K white paint,...

Second Russian site for Siegwerk.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) German ink maker Siegwerk has inaugurated a manufacturing facility in St Petersburg, Russia for packaging offset ink and solvent based colours. The investment...

Flint to close production plant.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Flint Group will halt pigment production, particularly for dry and flushed colorants, at its facility in Holland, MI, USA, starting 5 Jan 2007. The move, which is...

Effective additive: new from Vertec.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) UK firm Vertec has rolled out Vertec Nova, an additive that utilizes only one adhesion promoter in ink formulations. The additive provides cost savings since it can...

Ink for a quality print.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Swedish firm Perstorp has unveiled Boltron W3000, an ink additive that disperses pigments in inks for improved colour strength and depth. The additive is an...

Faster adhesives: new from Rosehill Polymers.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) UK firm Rosehill Polymers has developed a semi-continuous reaction method for producing polyurethane hot melt reactive adhesives (PURs). The method, which needs only...

Rhodia to sell silicone business.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) China National Bluestar Corp has purchased the silicones business of French firm Rhodia. The business posted sales of EUR 417 M in 2005 and has a workforce of 1200....

Eastman pair thaw out deep freeze worries.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Researchers in Eastman have discovered that utilizing a resin with limited compatibility in the polymer system can help improve adhesives in frozen packaging. The...

Ready in minutes: new epoxy adhesive from Master Bond.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Master Bond has created EP51M, an epoxy adhesive that can rapidly and strongly bond parts such as metals, ceramics, glass, vulcanized, wood, rubbers and plastics....

Bulgarian building: Henkel begins construction.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Construction work on Henkel's facility for making adhesives and sealants in Ceresit, Bulgaria, near Sofia, has commenced. Products at the EUR 5 M factory are...

Sticky solution: new adhesive from National Adhesives.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) National Adhesives' Clear-Lok 5000 is a water-based adhesive designed for use in transparent plastics labels. The adhesive, which has no solvent or curing...

Problem solved: Wacker launches new silicone emulsion.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Wacker has introduced a silicone emulsion for use in making water-based silicone impregnants. The company's emulsifier-free HC303VP product employs a silicone film...

Dow chooses China.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Dow Corning, in collaboration with Wacker Chemie, will establish a silicones facility in Zhangjiagang, China. The proposed facility will have a total capacity of...

Five-star FoamStar! Cognis introduces defoamers.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Cognis has launched FoamStar defoamers that exhibit both environmental compatibility, and good defoaming and wetting performance. The products feature a technology...

Adhesive crowns city tower.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Huntsman's Araldite 2000 range of engineering adhesives was utilized to improve the strength, reliability and durability of Barcelona's Agbar Tower. Three products...

Thin film coating: new from Surface Technology.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Surface Technology's Armourcote unit has created Trichem 3800, a black thin film coating that resists corrosion and wear better than plated finishes on thin film....

Rain resistant: new from Interpon Powder Coatings.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Interpon Powder Coatings has unveiled Interpon D2015 Ultriva, a line of powder coating that is ideal for commercial and high rise buildings. The line was formulated...

Perfect polyol: Vertellus Performance Materials.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - PPCJ, Polymers Paint Colour Journal) Vertellus Performance Materials has developed the Polycin GR range of products, claimed to be the first polyols derived from castor oils for use in making coatings....

Low-VOC acrylics are eco-friendly.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Cytec Industries Inc has pursued plans to focus on the production of low-VOC and HAPS-free products with the startup of its Macrynal high-solid acrylic polyols and Viacryl...

Bayer restructures its pharmaceutical operations.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Bayer Healthcare, based in Leverkusen, Germany, is consolidating its pharmaceutical operations following its acquisition of Schering AG. Bayer will have its US headquarters...

Let your house breathe better, too: new metallized housewrap from Dupont.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) DuPont, based in Wilmington, DE, USA, has introduced a breathable, metallized housewrap that provides both outstanding vapour permeability and thermal protection. The...

GE Plastics opens tech centre in Korea.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) GE Plastics has announced the inauguration of its Korea Technology Center (KTC) in Sungnam City in Kyunggi Province, Korea. The new tech centre will provide advanced...

Finding common ground to protect groundwater from pollution.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) The settlement between the European Council and the British Parliament over groundwater protection will allow the European Parliament and Council to formally implement a...

Genentech acquires a biotech collaborator in asthma treatment.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Genentech Inc will acquire Tanox Inc, a biotechnology firm that specializes in the discovery and development of biotherapeutics based on monoclonal antibody technology,...

Praxair expands operations in the Midwest and Canada.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) The distribution subsidiary of Praxair Inc has acquired Hobart Industrial Gases, a supplier of packaged industrial, medical and speciality gases, welding equipment,...

Ozone Water Treatment teams Air Products with ITT Wedeco.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Air Products and Chemicals Inc has collaborated with ITT-Wedeco in the development of water treatment systems for industrial and municipal customers. The companies have...

Chemical processors kick start plan to replace chlorine rail tank cars.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) A number of leading chemical producers, that include Occidental Chemical Corp, Dow Chemical, US Magnesium LLC, and Bayer MaterialScience, have committed to replacing their...

Oil expertise plus biotech knowhow yields biofuels.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Shell Oil Products US has entered into a collaboration agreement with biotechnology firm Codexis Inc for the development of biomass-to-biofuels technologies. Shell will use...

Replace phenolic-based wetting agents with these waterborne surfactants.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Air Products and Chemicals Inc has introduced Carbowet 106 and 109 surfactants for waterborne architectural and industrial coatings. Both products are biodegradable,...

Polyols made from castor oil make good coatings and adhesives.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Vertellus Performance Materials Inc has unveiled a range of polyols derived from components of castor oil. The new products are promoted as natural, renewable seed based...

This highly fillable, heat-resistant elastomer may be a good alternative to acrylic elastomers.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Lanxess Corp' Levapren line of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers could be used to replace acrylic elastomers (ACM) in several niche applications. Levapren, a highly...

Coating turns hazardous environments into safe, anti-slip areas.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Chemical Engineering Progress) Garon Products has developed a high-performance anti-slip coating that exhibits outstanding traction properties and deters hydroplaning. Stop-Slip HDV, which exceeds the...

Food contamination test kit developed in Northern Ireland.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Xenosense Ltd, a spinoff company of Queens University Belfast (QUB) in Northern Ireland, will produce and market biosensors that detect nitroimidazoles residues in...

Leukaemia group taps company to develop test for minimal-residual disease cells.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Ensemble Discovery Corp, a biomarker discovery firm based in Cambridge, MA, USA, is being commissioned by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to come up with a technology for...

Response markers for Remicade identified.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) A new study initiated by Centocor Inc discovered early biomarkers of response in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis to the Remicade drug. This development could pave...

Roche Diagnostics joins PIGF collaboration.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Swiss firm Roche Diagnostics has tied up with an existing alliance between Thrombogenics NV and Geynomat SpA involving placental growth factor (PIGF). The previous initiative...

Roche partners with Brahms.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Roche Diagnostics has forged a deal with German firm Brahms AG, covering procalcitonin test. Brahms has come up with a proprietary assay for procalcitonin, a marker of sepsis...

Cambrex sells biologics businesses.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Swiss company Lonza Group AG has acquired the biologics operations of Cambrex Corp for about $460 M in cash. The acquired businesses include Cambrex's Bioproducts and Biopharma...

New assays from Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics and Instrumentation Laboratory.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics and Instrumentation Laboratory have unveiled their respective assays for homocysteine, a marker for cardiovascular disease risk. Ortho's new...

Arup Laboratories forges deal with Saladax Biomedical.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Saladax Biomedical Inc has forged an agreement to supply antibodies and other reagents to Arup Laboratories. Arup will market immunoassays for the cancer therapy busulfan. The...

Cepheid's MRSA gets approval.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Cepheid Inc has obtained marketing clearance in Europe for its methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) molecular assay, which will be processed using its GeneXpert...

Phadia receives approval for CCP assay.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Diagnostics Intelligence) Phadia AB was granted US clearance to market its cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody assay for rheumatoid arthritis. The assay, dubbed EliA CCP, will be offered for...

Sidel sells 20 complete PET bottling lines to Ting Hsin.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Plastics News) Food producer Ting Hsin has purchased 20 complete Combi PET blow moulding and filling lines from Sidel to be used for making mineral water bottles. The bottling machines will be installed...

Solvay to establish new PEEK plant in India.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Plastics News) Solvay will set up in its Panoli based complex in Gujarat State, India a new manufacturing line for PEEK and other materials that will be under the high performance sector of its...

Idemitsu Kosan restarts SPS production.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Plastics News) Idemitsu Kosan has recommissioned syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) production in Nov 2006 at its facility in Chiba, Japan at a capacity of 5000 tonnes/y. The company decided to shut down the...

Dow constructs new centre in Shanghai.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Plastics News) Construction of Dow Chemical's new Dow Center in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai has begun. The site includes an r&d facility, a global IT centre and other administrative and support...

Toray to commercialize new optical PET film.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Plastics News) Toray intends to launch its new optical PET film for LCD backlight. The new product is claimed to offer features of multiple films, including that of a diffuser, the light-collimating...

DuPont begins construction at new Singapore plant.
December 31, 2006... (From Chemical Business NewsBase - Plastics News) DuPont Engineering Plastics is constructing a new facility for its Vespel range of polyimide-based components and shapes. The facility, located in Singapore, is slated for commissioning in...