Azelis acquires majority stake in Ashapura Aromas

MOSOCW (MRC) -- Azelis, a leading global innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire the specialty lubricant (L&MWF1 ) distribution assets of Ak-tas in Turkey, said the company.

The transaction includes the oil additive business of Ak-tas as well as the base oil distribution business of Whitechem, a subsidiary of Ak-tas. Ak-tas and WhiteChem partner with blue-chip principals and have long-standing relationships with customers in Turkey and the surrounding region.

The acquisition further strengthens Azelis’ lateral value chain (LVC) in the L&MWF market segment, following the acquisition of Umongo in South-Africa earlier this year. It is a further reflection of Azelis’ commitment to sustainability, expanding key relationships with principals with a strong agenda in renewable and sustainable base oils. With an application laboratory dedicated to L&MWF, Azelis’ technical specialists aim to consistently drive innovation and sustainability within the segment, as well as the wider market. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, after fulfilment of customary closing conditions.

As per MRC, Azelis, a leading global innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, announces that it has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Ashapura Aromas Private Limited (“Ashapura”), a leading distributor of ingredients in the flavors & fragrances (“F&F”) market in India.

As per MRC, Azelis announces that it has reached an agreement to acquire Chemo India and Unipharm Laboratories’ distribution assets. Both companies are renowned local distributors of specialty chemicals and ingredients for the CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers), L&MWF (lubricants & metalworking fluids) and pharmaceutical market segments in India.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Exports of Ecuador's flagship Oriente crude remain suspended under a force majeure declaration as the spread of anti-government protests hurts oil output, state-run Petroecuador said, sai Reuters.

At least eight people have died and road blockades have led to food and medicine shortages. The crisis has halved oil output, the country's main source of revenue, to some 234,500 bpd while forcing reductions in fuel prices, though protest leaders have called the price cuts insufficient.

On Wednesday, the government of President Guillermo Lasso imposed a curfew and restricted transit in four provinces to restore public order, control violence, secure basic supplies and protect state property, while marking oilfields and facilities as secured zones. The energy minister said on Sunday that output could be completely halted in a matter of days over acts of vandalism.

Petroecuador has not yet rescheduled the suspended Oriente cargoes, it said in a release. The firm issued a wide force majeure declaration over oil exploration, production, transport and exports on June 18, and enforced the cargo suspension on June 28. "Once the force majeure is overcome, the company will timely notify companies about operations to coordinate the (cargo) rescheduling," it said.

Exports of Napo heavy crude have continued flowing, according to trading and company sources, as the privately held OCP pipeline, which transports that grade from oilfields, is working with "relative normality." But the state-owned SOTE pipeline remains halted since Monday due to low flows.

Customers including BP and Marathon Petroleum , which had resorted to Ecuadorian oil to try and replace cargoes of Russian crude lost due to sanctions, are now in talks with other Latin American and Middle Eastern producers, including Brazil's state-run Petrobras, to buy oil cargoes for refining, the trading sources said. U.S. refiners have increased purchases of Ecuadorian crude since Washington imposed a phased wind-down of Russian oil imports.

Peru's state-run Petroperu also had won a tender to receive Ecuadorian crude in coming weeks for its Talara refinery, which is set to restart this year after an expansion project. But cargoes were ultimately resold to BP, which is waiting for a rescheduling to get the oil delivered. BP, Petrobras and Petroperu did not reply to requests for comment. Marathon declined to comment. Lasso on Tuesday survived an attempt by opposition lawmakers to oust him after he insisted his government would not negotiate further with an indigenous leader to end more than two weeks of paralyzing protests.

As per MRC, BP is beefing up its hydrogen management team as the energy company prepares to accelerate investments in the low-carbon fuel which it believes will play a key role in the world's shift away from fossil fuels.
The revamp of the hydrogen team is the first clear sign of changes Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, a former head of RWE Renewables, has made since becoming BP's head of natural gas and renewables in March. It also comes as BP announces it has agreed to buy a 40.5% stake and become operator of an Australian renewable energy project that could become one of the world's biggest producers of green hydrogen.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Symrise Cosmetic Ingredients enters into a strategic partnership with German industrial biotech company evoxx technologies, said the company.

The partners intend to develop biotechnological processes for ingredients used in beauty applications. evoxx contributes its expertise in research and development as well as its global leadership in manufacturing of enzymes and probiotics. Symrise adds their knowledge and capabilities in creating innovative and sustainable cosmetic ingredients.

As a result, consumers will receive beauty products addressing their wishes for effective and responsible ingredients. Consumers today consider the ethical and environmental impact of beauty products. This has led to a general shift in consumer awareness towards choosing beauty products with full transparency. In-line with this consumer’s awareness, the demand for natural or renewable-based products is increasing. Symrise offers a wide range of cosmetic ingredients from renewable resources and based on green chemistry with a leading role in its industry.

“The partnership with evoxx technologies represents a significant step towards further developing our biotech platform. It helps accomplish our strategic goal to continuously expand our portfolio of sustainable cosmetic ingredients”, says Dr. Jorn Andreas, President Cosmetic Ingredients at Symrise. “By uniting our competencies, we will jointly advance natural, and green solutions. It will accelerate the ability to address the desires of customers and consumers for high performing and yet sustainable products”, adds Dr Michael Puls, Managing Director at evoxx.

Under this partnership, Symrise will work with evoxx to co-develop processes and ingredients for all customers that aim to integrate clean and sustainable alternatives into their cosmetic formulas. The collaboration aims at combining the proven expertise of evoxx and Symrise. evoxx is specialized in the development and production of industrial enzymes and biocatalytic processes. Symrise owns a longstanding track record of discovering and launching novel ingredients in Personal Care and beyond. Ultimately, both partners want to serve the market with powerful solutions featuring a better environmental performance than conventional ingredients with similar performance traits.

As per MRC, Symrise (Holzminden, Germany) announced changes to its executive board, effective 1 April 2021, following the departure of board members Heinrich Schaper and Achim Daub. Schaper, board member responsible for Symrise’s flavor segment, will retire and leave the company on 31 March. Jean-Yves Parisot will take over global leadership of the flavor segment in addition to his existing responsibility for the nutrition segment. This will involve combining the flavor and nutrition activities in one segment. Schaper has been a Symrise board member since 2016.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil said that its Canadian affiliates, Imperial and ExxonMobil Canada, have entered into an agreement with Whitecap Resources Inc. for the sale of XTO Energy Canada, which is jointly owned by Imperial and ExxonMobil Canada, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The sale, for a total cash consideration of about USD1.47 B, is expected to close before the end of the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals. The sale completes the marketing effort announced in January, and is consistent with ExxonMobil’s strategy to focus upstream resources on key assets to deliver long-term value to shareholders.

The assets include 567,000 net acres in the Montney shale, 72,000 net acres in the Duvernay shale and additional acreage in other areas of Alberta. Net production from these assets is about 140 MM cubic feet of natural gas per day and about 9,000 barrels per day of crude, condensate and natural gas liquids.

RBC Capital Markets acted as exclusive financial advisor to Imperial and ExxonMobil Canada in connection with the transaction.

As per MRC, ExxonMobil, Grieg Edge, North Ammonia, and GreenH have signed a memorandum of understanding to study potential production and distribution of green hydrogen and ammonia for lower-emission marine fuels at ExxonMobil’s Slagen terminal in Norway.

As per MRC, ExxonMobil expects to add approximately 20,000 bpd of light, heavy and extra-heavy lubricant base stocks when upgrades at its Singapore integrated refining and petrochemical complex are complete in 2025.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sika is opening a new manufacturing plant for concrete admixtures in Stafford, Virginia, USA to help meet demand in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, said the company.

According to the company, the new plant is well positioned to support the addiitonal needs of the announced infrastructure programme of CHF200-250bn (USD209-216bn) in these two regions. The new facility in Stafford will be the second-biggest manufacturing plant for Sika concrete admixtures in the USA.

"This investment allows us to significantly expand our production capacity while creating the best possible conditions for continued growth in our North American market. Our concrete admixtures satisfy the construction sector's most demanding requirements and make it possible to produce higher-performance, resource-saving concrete. Sika admixtures enable the realisation of critical infrastructure projects, are used in state-of-the-art high-rise construction, and help increase sustainability in megacities," said Christoph Ganz, regional manager Americas.

Sika has been benefiting from the strong demand in the construction sector over recent years. The new facility in Stafford is the second-biggest manufacturing plant for Sika concrete admixtures in the USA. Together with the existing plant in Fairless Hills, Philadelphia, it enables the company to service customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions even more efficiently. Moreover, short transportation routes for raw materials and end products will enhance operational efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions at the same time.

As per MRC, Sika AG (Baar, Switzerland) has opened a new plant in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, thus doubling its production capacity for mortar and concrete admixtures in Bolivia. With this new facility in one of the country’s main industrial agglomerations, Sika is positioning itself for continued growth in the dynamic Bolivian construction market.

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