LANXESS selects Emerson for advanced automation technology

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has selected Emerso, a global software and technology leader, as a Global Alliance Partner for automation technology, enhancing its existing long-standing relationship, said the company.

By upgrading its control and safety systems, and digitally transforming its production facilities, LANXESS aims to optimize operational performance and support sustainability targets. The companies have signed an initial five-year global agreement. Emerson will help drive the adoption of advanced automation technologies and enable more efficient project implementation that will allow LANXESS to achieve shorter time-to-market for new products.

We are pleased to expand our collaboration with Emerson and work more closely to develop digital automation solutions that help improve operational performance. Emerson’s automation solutions will support us on our growth path and further drive the digital transformation of production at LANXESS," said Marcel Beermann, head of global procurement and logistics at LANXESS.

The agreement will be supplemented by joint projects to develop and implement applications and analytics software to identify opportunities for increased efficiency and performance, while also delivering on sustainability goals.

We remind, on 31st May 2022, Advent and LANXESS announced the joint, Advent controlled, acquisition of DSM Engineering Materials, alongside its combination with LANXESS High-Performance Materials (subject to competition clearance), to establish a leading global engineering materials company with sales of around EUR 3 bn.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.1 billion in 2021. The company currently has about 13,200 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives and consumer protection products.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell reported flaring at its 404,000-barrel per day (bpd) Pernis refinery in the Netherlands due to a malfunction at one of the site's installations on Oct. 12, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"Due to a malfunction on one of our installations, we are forced to flare," Shell Pernis said on its Twitter account, adding that it was investigating the cause of the incident.

We remind, Mitsui Chemicals has asked Shell Catalysts & Technologies for its Shell S-896 catalyst, which is expected to provide important economic benefits from raw material (ethylene) savings and also help the organization meet the decarbonization goals for their ethylene oxide (EO) refinery in Osaka, Japan.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, today announced it has appointed Bregje (“Bee”) Roseboom-Van Kessel to the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Base Plastics, effective Nov. 1, 2022, said the company.

As Senior Vice President, Base Plastics, Roseboom-Van Kessel will join Trinseo’s executive leadership team and will be based in Pfaffikon, Switzerland. In this role, she will be responsible for all commercial activities in the Base Plastics business and will report to Andre Lanning, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Roseboom-Van Kessel has been with Trinseo since 2018 and previously served as Senior Director, Global Business Finance, where she led the business finance organization for all of Trinseo’s external reporting segments.

“With Bee’s extensive business acumen and understanding of Trinseo’s transformation journey, we are confident she will successfully lead the Base Plastics business and are excited to welcome her as the newest member of the executive leadership team,” said Frank Bozich, Trinseo President and Chief Executive Officer.

Roseboom-Van Kessel brings over 20 years of experience in business finance and change management and has held key financial leadership roles supporting global sales and marketing, supply chain, R&D and brand development for global markets.

She holds a master’s degree in medicine and an executive MBA in finance and control from Maastricht University. She is also a registered controller and a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

We remind, Trinseo said that it has begun an information and consultation process with the Works Council of Trinseo Deutschland GmbH regarding the potential closure of its styrene monomer production site in Boehlen, Germany. The plant, which has a nameplate capacity of 300,000 tonnes/y, has generated negative profitability of around USD30 M over the last four quarters ending 2Q 2022.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- MEGlobal has nominated its November 2022 monoethylene glycol (MEG) Asian Contract Price (ACP) at USD810/tonne, down by USD10/tonne from the October ACP, said the company.

The price is on a CFR (cost and freight) Asia basis.

Asia MEG market has been under pressure after China’s week-long National Day holiday as downstream demand has tilted slower amid the strict anti-COVID measures in China.

We remind, MEGlobal has nominated its October 2022 monoethylene glycol (MEG) Asian Contract Price (ACP) at USD820/tonne, up by USD20/tonne from the September ACP.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- ALPLA Group opened a state-of-the-art production site in Lanseria near Johannesburg, said the company.

In the new headquarters for Sub-Saharan Africa, the internationally active plastic packaging specialist is merging five previous locations in South Africa under one roof. All ALPLA technologies, processes and materials are combined in the Lanseria plant and the first apprenticeship programme of ALPLA in Africa will start at the beginning of 2023.

35,000 square metres of covered production, administration and storage space, another 12,500 for future expansion, and 30,000 square metres of roof area equipped with solar panels: with the new plant in Lanseria, ALPLA is setting the course for further growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. After around two years of construction and relocation, the international packaging company celebrated the opening of the ultra-modern location on 12 October in the presence of the South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy, the Premier of the Gauteng province Panyaza Lesufi, Austrian Ambassador-Designate to South Africa Romana Konigsbrun and many other high-ranking guests.

‘All of Sub-Saharan Africa is on the upswing, the markets have enormous potential. Our investment in South Africa is a clear commitment to the continent. In this way, we are increasing our competitiveness and guaranteeing the long-term regional supply of safe, affordable and sustainable packaging solutions,’ explains ALPLA CEO Philipp Lehner. ‘Here in Lanseria we concentrate our expertise, optimise production processes, use state-of-the-art equipment and create energy-efficient operations,’ adds Mike Resnicek, Managing Director Sub-Saharan Africa at ALPLA. The plant has one of the largest solar installations on a privately owned manufacturing building in South Africa.

As per MRC, 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. 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.
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