AkzoNobel to acquire performance coatings firm Lankwitzer

AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is to bolster its performance coatings portfolio after reaching an agreement to acquire the wheel liquid coatings business of Lankwitzer Lackfabrik GmbH. Completion, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected before the end of 2022, said Chemengonline.

Lankwitzer’s Rims and Wheel business operates out of a manufacturing site in Leipzig, Germany. Its products are approved for use by car manufacturers such as Daimler, Audi, VW, Opel, Fiat and Renault. “Acquiring this attractive business will complement our existing powder coatings portfolio and expand the range of innovative products we supply,” explains Michael Friede, AkzoNobel’s Chief Commercial Officer – Performance Coatings. “We’ll be able to provide a comprehensive liquid and powder aluminum wheel coating offering to customers, becoming a one-stop-shop for the wheels industry, which will significantly reinforce our position in an important automotive market."

He adds that the intended deal is also another clear sign that the company is continuing to make good progress with its strategic ambitions: “It’s a great match which aligns perfectly with our Grow & Deliver strategy and will give us access to new sectors of a market with exciting opportunities.

Commenting on the proposed acquisition, Dr. Leo Rokeach, Lankwitzer Managing Director, says: “We’re immensely proud of the business we’ve built here at Lankwitzer Leipzig. It’s now time to let our people and clients benefit from a global environment, which AkzoNobel undoubtedly offers. Being part of AkzoNobel’s worldwide activities will offer attractive growth prospects for the Leipzig site and its employees."

As well as the Leipzig facility, Lankwitzer’s wheel coatings business – which has a growing presence in China – operates laboratories in Germany (Leipzig) and Turkiye. The intended transaction follows on from a series of recent acquisitions by AkzoNobel over the last two years, including Grupo Orbis in Latin America, Titan Paints in Spain and Portugal, New Nautical Coatings in the US and, most recently, the intended acquisition of the African paints and coatings activities of Kansai Paint.

As per MRC, AkzoNobel has invested in a new production line for water-based texture paints at its Songjiang site in Shanghai, China – boosting capacity for supplying more sustainable products. The site is one of four water-based decorative paints plants in China and among the company’s largest globally. The new 2,500 square meter facility will produce Dulux products for various markets, such as interior decoration, architecture and leisure.
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Perstorp AB (Malmo, Sweden) has announced the completion of a capacity expansion for2-Ethylhexanoic Acid (2-EHA), one of the group’s flagship products for which Perstorp has the largest production capacity in the world. Earlier this year, Perstorp’s plant Stenungsund, Sweden, further increased the capacity to meet global demand from customers, said Chemengonline.

2-EHA is widely used in safety glass for car windows, synthetic lubricants, paint driers and corrosion inhibitors. To increase capacity has been on the wish list for quite some time. “This expansion is really important to further strengthen our position in the 2-EHA market. There is a healthy demand from our customers and these extra volumes are most welcome”, says Betty Lu, VP Business Oxo and Plasticizers.

The capacity expansion has been secured via debottlenecking of two existing plants at the site in Stenungsund, Sweden. Project Manager from GTI, Global Technology & Investments, Andreas Utbult explains: “To enable the expansion, modifications were required for both 2-EHAL production and 2-EHA production. The installations included new installations as well as replacement and modification of existing equipment, piping and instrumentation."

“It was a very intense period with a lot of work happening at the same time. I must say that it was the good cooperation between all involved that made the project successful and it feels great to be able to deliver on and exceed the project objectives,” Andreas adds.

As per MRC, Perstorp is taking a stand by converting a large majority of the polyols produced at their largest production plant in Perstorp, Sweden, to Pro-Environment products. By doing this, Perstorp will enable reduced greenhouse gas emissions for its polyol customers and downstream value chains.
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ALPLA Group (Hard, Austria) is boosting the presence of its pharma division in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with the acquisition of the Polish company APON, said Chemengonline.

APON produces plastic packaging for the pharma industry at its site in Zyrardow near Warsaw. The acquisition continues the growth and expansion course of the ALPLApharma business division established in 2019.

Bottles, containers, caps, dosage systems and accessories in certified clean-room quality – ALPLA has been producing plastic packaging for pharma products since 2016. The rapidly growing segment was consolidated under the brand ALPLApharma in 2019 and has been gradually expanded. ALPLA is continuing this expansionary course with the acquisition of the Polish company APON. ‘We are increasing our presence in Central and Eastern Europe and are providing the emerging market in Poland and the Baltic states with high-quality products right there in the region,’ explains Walter Knes, Managing Director, ALPLApharma.

APON was founded as a family business in 1985. Its workforce of approximately 45 at the site in Zyrardow near Warsaw currently produces bottles with fill volumes of 5 to 100 milliliters, containers with screw caps or snap lids and medical accessories with dosage aids. The pharmaceutical primary packaging is produced in a clean room in accordance with ISO 15378.

The company also produces packaging for food supplements and for the e-liquid sector. The plastics used as packaging materials are HDPE, LDPE, PP and PET. It has a total annual production of over 200 million units. Its integration into the ALPLA Group is beneficial for both parties – in addition to the development of new markets, it will allow for access to technological expertise and packaging innovations. All of the APON staff will be kept on.

ALPLApharma has its main sites in Egypt, Greece, Romania, South Africa and Poland, as well as production plants in nine other countries. Further expansionary steps are planned in the months and years to come. Its portfolio will also be expanded. In addition to standard products for the pharma industry, it focuses on packaging for over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals and food supplements. ALPLApharma recently added flexible EBM (extrusion blow molding) technology to its production because of this, making it possible for sustainable, weight-reduced and cost-effective containers to be produced.

‘The Pharma division has huge future potential. As well as above-average market growth, the segment is characterized by strong customer loyalty. With our global capacities and quality standards, we make reliable and long-term partnerships possible,’ emphasizes ALPLA CEO Philipp Lehner.

As per MRC, Alpla is expanding its recycling capacity in Germany following the acquisition of Texplast and PET Recycling Team Wolfen. Focussing on the German bottle-to-bottle market, the acquisition of the two companies will increase Alpla’s annual processing volume of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in Germany to 75,000 tonnes/year.
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Arkema has set itself an ambitious target, based on an SBT (Science Based Target) approach, to reduce its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its scope 3 emissions by 46% by 2030 relative to 2019, said the company.

Thus, the Group is raising its level of commitment from well below 2°C to 1.5°C, and now also includes all scope 3 emissions. This decarbonization target is based on energy efficiency and the evolution of the energy mix of Arkema’s industrial activities for scopes 1 and 2. Regarding scope 3, it includes the reduction of the most emissive activities, innovation contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and suppliers’ commitment upstream of the value chain.

It will be supported by an increase in investments contributing to decarbonization, which could reach EUR400 million by 2030 and which will be included in the Group's recurring capital expenditure envelope.

"As a responsible manufacturer, Arkema is strongly mobilized to address the major societal challenge of decarbonization. With this new ambitious climate plan, the Group is taking a new step forward in its action for the fight against global warming. In particular, our cutting-edge expertise and innovation benefit our partners and customers in their own quest for sustainable performance, and we act on a daily basis to limit our carbon footprint," highlights Luc Benoit-Cattin, Executive Vice President Industry and CSR.

We remind, a graduate of Chimie ParisTech and Ecole Nationale Superieure du Petrole et des Moteurs, Emmanuelle Bromet has been appointed Sustainable Development Vice President at Arkema effective 28 July 2022.

Also, Nippon Shokubai and Arkema are joining forces to launch feasibility studies and establish a joint venture for the construction of an industrial plant for the production of LiFSI (Lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide) ultrapure electrolyte salts, a key component of battery cells for electric mobility.
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For the year to date, chemical railcar traffic in North America is up 2.7% from 2021 and up 7.6% from 2020, said AAR.

U.S. railroads originated 1,157,555 carloads in June 2022, down 1.5 percent, or 17,970 carloads, from June 2021. U.S. railroads also originated 1,323,119 containers and trailers in June 2022, down 4.6 percent, or 63,483 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in June 2022 were 2,480,674, down 3.2 percent, or 81,453 carloads and intermodal units from June 2021.

In June 2022, eight of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with June 2021. These included: crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 7,028 carloads or 7.3 percent; grain, up 4,794 carloads or 4.5 percent; and motor vehicles & parts, up 3,839 carloads or 6.2 percent. Commodities that saw declines in June 2022 from June 2021 included: coal, down 10,226 carloads or 3.1 percent; all other carloads, down 7,532 carloads or 23.1 percent; and primary metal products, down 5,388 carloads or 11.6 percent.

“As conjecture grows about the direction of the U.S. economy, June rail traffic doesn’t offer definitive answers on whether a recession is looming or not,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “Like many other economic indicators today, rail traffic is a mix of red, yellow, and green with some traffic lines, such as automotive, providing generally positive indicators while others, such as chemicals, being a bit more subdued than they were earlier in the year."

Excluding coal, carloads were down 7,744 carloads, or 0.9 percent, in June 2022 from June 2021. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were down 12,538 carloads, or 1.7 percent. Total U.S. carload traffic for the first six months of 2022 was 5,993,917 carloads, down 0.1 percent, or 8,823 carloads, from the same period last year; and 6,878,726 intermodal units, down 6.2 percent, or 453,282 containers and trailers, from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 26 weeks of 2022 was 12,872,643 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.5 percent compared to last year.

We remind, for this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 493,374 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 25 were 229,857 carloads, down 3.1 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 263,517 containers and trailers, down 5.5 percent compared to 2021.
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