AkzoNobel plans to invest at two sites in France

A EUR20 million investment has been announced by AkzoNobel to increase and improve production at two of its sites in France. Around 30 new jobs will be created.

A total of EUR15 million will be spent on the company’s aerospace coatings facility in Pamiers, which was taken over following the Mapaero acquisition in 2019. Production capacity is being boosted by 50%, while the funds will also be used to reduce environmental impact and improve safety processes and working conditions.

The other €5 million will be spent on improving production flexibility at the decorative paints site in Montataire, which is one of the company’s most important manufacturing locations for wall paints in Europe.

“These investments underline our growth ambitions and confirm our commitment to supporting economic development in France,” explains AkzoNobel CEO, Thierry Vanlancker. “The Pamiers project in particular demonstrates how we’re contributing to a more sustainable aerospace industry by increasing the supply of high-performance products that are more respectful of the environment."

The plans for Pamiers include the construction of two extensions, one for storage and one for cleaning and waste treatment. The project will also enable the company to relocate the production of exterior polyurethane paints for aircraft widely used in Europe from its Waukegan plant in the US.

Building work is expected to start by the end of 2023, with the new installations at both locations due to be operational in early 2025.

AkzoNobel employs nearly 1,500 people in France and operates four production facilities, in Montataire (decorative paints), Dourdan (powder coatings), Limoges (adhesive markings) and Pamiers (aerospace coatings).

As per MRC, AkzoNobel has completed the acquisition of Colombia-based coatings producer Grupo Orbis for an undisclosed fee. Grupo Orbis has consolidated revenue of around EUR360m, with presence in 10 countries in Central America, South America and the Antilles, according to the statement by AkzoNobel.
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W. R. Grace & Co., a global leader in specialty silica and fine chemicals, announced it is proceeding with an expansion of its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) facility in South Haven, Michigan, said the company.

The expansion will bring a new 4,000-gallon multi-use reactor train consisting of glass lined and stainless-steel materials of construction. The expansion will also include a HASTELLOY centrifuge to facilitate product isolation, which greatly enhances the commercial capability of the cGMP-compliant site.

The project will bring South Haven up to three 4,000-gallon multi-use reactor trains enabling Grace’s Fine Chemical Manufacturing Services (FCMS) business to support continued growth of its small molecule drug production including custom active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), cGMP intermediates, and generic APIs. The project is estimated for completion in January 2024.

In June 2021, Grace acquired the FCMS business from Albemarle as part of an expansion to support its pharmaceutical portfolio. The acquisition enabled Grace’s Materials Technologies division to triple its fine chemical footprint while leveraging its existing chromatography resins and formulation excipients in the health and life sciences markets.

“The growth strategy of our company is aligned to support the success of our customers,” said Bob Patel, Grace Chief Executive Officer. “Our South Haven expansion demonstrates this commitment and addresses the increased market demand in small molecule drug substance manufacturing that has taken place year over year in the past decade. Anticipating the needs of the market, coupled with our expertise, are key Grace capabilities that work together to enable customer success."

“The FCMS business has a promising growth trajectory being a leading CDMO in North America,” said Sandra Wisniewski, President, Grace Materials Technologies. “The additional capacity created through this project will enable our customers to develop critical drug therapies in areas such as oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular, and antivirals."

Grace’s FCMS is a leading North American CDMO offering extensive capabilities for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and fine chemical industries. Its network of three fully integrated sites offer an industry-leading flexible supply chain through the back integration of its intermediates.

As MRC reported previously, W. R. Grace & Co., has recently awarded Oriental Energy a UNIPOL polypropylene (PP) process license for its Maoming plant in China. This is Oriental Energy's fifth PP production line and its fourth, which uses the Grace UNIPOL PP process with a production capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year.
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Solvay announced that it is allocating EUR8 million to support employees worldwide affected by the impact of rampant inflation, said the company.

In line with the Group’s vision to create sustainable, shared value for all, Solvay will distribute an exceptional bonus to employees whose income is proportionally most affected, namely shop floor workers, staff and lower-level employees and managers located in high-inflation countries and not otherwise protected by national regulatory systems.

"Inflation and the significant impact it has on many of our employees worldwide has prompted us to go beyond. At Solvay, we care for our people and have repeatedly intervened in the past to shield them from hardship,” said Ilham Kadri, Solvay CEO. “We are proud of this additional initiative to help our people in the face of adversity. We’re helping employees cope with the increased cost of living - be it the cost of going to work, feeding a family or keeping the lights on. That is how we care AND dare."

Since the launch of the Solvay One Planet sustainability roadmap in 2020, Solvay has rolled out bold initiatives to further the pioneering social vision of Ernest Solvay, who was one of the first corporate leaders to implement what is now known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Group places a strong emphasis on responsible capitalism and safeguarding the well-being of employees and communities. The Solvay Solidarity Fund, a special Covid-19 bonus for employees, the Solvay Cares benefits package, which includes extended parental leave for all parents irrespective of gender and, more recently, the launch of Solvay’s first employee stock ownership plan, are all examples of how Solvay is committed to improving quality of life for its employees.

As per MRC, Solvay has started works related to expansion plans that include installing equipment to increase sulfone polymers capacity at its plant in Marietta, Ohio, according to a mid-May publication by the USW Oil Workers union.

We also remind that in August, 2020, through the acquisition of the Solvay polyamide (PA) business, BASF enhanced its R&D capabilities in Asia Pacific with new technologies, technical expertise, and upgraded material and part testing services. BASF is planning to integrate the R&D centers from Solvay into its R&D existing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Seoul, Korea. The enhanced capabilities will boost BASF’s position as a solution provider to develop advanced material solutions for key industries.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities.
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PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) has acquired a stake of 9.18% in France-based Vencorex Holding for an unknown sum as it continues to buy additional assets that highlight value-added products, said the company.

With the share acquisition from Perstorp Holding AB, PTTGC will gain 100% ownership of Vencorex. The deal is made via GC Inter BV (a wholly-owned offshoot of PTTGC). Payment was carried out on 30 Jun 2022.

The deal boosts the presence of PTTGC in the downstream polyurethane business under its scheme to concentrate on value-added products to serve rising Asian demand. Vencorex is a key isocyanate manufacturer in Europe.

Moreover, PTTGC continues to concentrate on downstream petrochemical operations to decrease its manufacturing of commodity-grade polymers, which face price instabilities and tough market competition.

As per MRC, PTT Global Chemical America announced plans to build a new plastics recycling facility in central Ohio.
PTTGCA, the company that has proposed construction of an ethane cracker plant in Belmont County, and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to locate a new recycling complex on SWACO property.
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For the first time in history a CORSIA certified batch of sustainable fuel (SAF) was delivered to a commercial Neste, the world’s leading SAF producer, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This was part of a pilot to certify SAF as a CORSIA eligible fuel that can be used by an airline to meet its emissions obligation under CORSIA. The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (“CORSIA”) is a carbon offset and carbon reduction scheme to lower CO2 emissions for international flights, to curb the aviation impact on climate change. It was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). But until now, no airline in the world has taken delivery of CORSIA-certified SAF, making this delivery a first.

Neste has been working together closely with aviation stakeholders to accelerate the use of SAF and has a long-standing partnership with American Airlines, the world's largest airline when measured by fleet size. Both companies support CORSIA’s emissions reduction goals, but as the SAF certification process under CORSIA is new, they decided to set up a pilot project to certify a batch of SAF and use that process to understand its challenges.

Compliance with the CORSIA sustainability criteria requires independent attestation by an ICAO-approved Sustainability Certification Scheme (SCS). Neste decided to pursue this certification from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system.

“Cooperation with American, ISCC and all others involved was absolutely critical in achieving this important milestone,” Thorsten Lange continues. “We will be sharing our experiences in ICAO’s upcoming Environmental Report. Because in the end, we need cooperation with all stakeholders within the aviation industry to achieve the emission reductions.'

Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a today solution for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of flying by up to 80% over the fuel’s life cycle compared to fossil jet fuel. Neste-produced SAF is made from sustainably sourced, 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials. As a drop-in fuel it can be used with existing aircraft engines and airport fuel infrastructure, requiring no extra investment to them.

As per MRC, Neste has made the final investment decision to invest into new renewable products production capacity in Rotterdam. The decision is based on demand for renewable products growing substantially with customers' higher climate ambitions. Neste’s current 1.4 MMt capacity for renewable products in Rotterdam is the largest in Europe. The Rotterdam refinery expansion investment of approximately EUR 1.9 B will expand Neste’s overall renewable product capacity by 1.3 MMtpy, bringing the total renewable product capacity in Rotterdam to 2.7 MMt annually, of which sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production capability will be 1.2 MMt. The company’s target is to start up the new production unit during the first half of 2026.
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