Sika completes acquiring Parex; Expands building finishing portfolio

Sika AG has completed the acquisition of Parex. With annual sales of CHF 1.2 billion, Parex is a leading mortar manufacturer with an impressive track record of profitable growth and attractive margins.

Sika and Parex are two strong companies that are highly complementary in product offering and channel penetration. With this acquisition, Sika will expand its product portfolio for the building finishing market, further strengthening its world leader position in construction chemicals, and reaching sales in excess of CHF 8 billion for 2019.

Parex’ product offering includes facade mortars, tile adhesives, and waterproofing mortars. With its expertise in mortar solutions for renovation and new builds, Parex participates in all phases of the construction life cycle.

Parex has a particularly strong presence in distribution channels, especially in China, where Parex has built up a network of over 90,000 points of sale. With its strong, recognized brands, Parex is known for its comprehensive R&D expertise and technical excellence. The company is locally present in 23 countries, with key positions in 8 core markets, and operates 74 plants around the world.

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Nouryon, Gasunie studying expansion plans for Delfzijl green hydrogen unit

Nouryon and Gasunie are studying an expansion of a planned green hydrogen unit at Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The feasibility study follows a deal to convert sustainable electricity into green hydrogen for SkyNRG. The plant could be scaled up from 20 megawatts to at least 60 megawatts – which allows for a conversion of 9,000 tons of green hydrogen a year.

SkyNRG, the global market leader for sustainable aviation fuel, recently announced plans with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, fuels distributor SHV Energy and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to build Europe’s first dedicated production facility for sustainable aviation fuel at Delfzijl.

Green hydrogen would be combined with waste and residue streams such as used cooking oil to produce 100,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel and 15,000 tons of bioLPG per year.

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Lanxess increases price for yellow iron oxide pigments

Lanxess is raising its prices worldwide for yellow iron oxide pigments of the Bayferrox and Colortherm brands. The price will be increased by 15 percent with immediate effect due to rising operational costs.

The Lanxess Inorganic Pigments business unit of Lanxess is the world's largest manufacturer of iron oxide pigments with production sites on five continents that all meet high technical and ecological standards.

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Eastman to expand adhesive resins capacity

Eastman Chemical Company to expand production capabilities for hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins at Netherlands & Pennsylvania manufacturing sites.

Additional investments will also be made in the production of polyolefin polymers at the Longview, Texas, manufacturing site. The expansions will be completed at various times beginning in 2019, with all expected to be finished by mid-2020.

These investments support the growth strategy of Eastman’s adhesives resins business, which is part of its additives & functional products operating segment.

Eastman’s hydrocarbon resins are used as raw materials essential in hotmelt and pressure sensitive adhesives, and as binders in nonwoven products such as disposable diapers, feminine products, and pre-saturated wipes. They are also used in a wide range of applications including plastics and rubber modification.

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Clariant opens new masterbatches production facility in China

SHANGHAI, CHINA: Clariant has opened a new masterbatches production facility in Guangzhou, China.

With Black PET/PA masterbatches for fiber already developing into a sizable business in China and some other Asian countries, the new production facility in Guangzhou will supplement existing supply from Clariant’s facility in Taiwan, which has been already fully utilized, to jointly deliver product and service excellence in its Greater China Region.

Together with this new production facility, a state-of-art workshop and an upgraded advanced lab were also newly established with customized services to echo unique performance requirements from its main customers in the special segments, as part of Clariant’s long term solutions and commitments for customer centricity in the China market. These newly added facilities, with Clariant’s existing capacities, will help the company further consolidate its position as a leading player in the masterbatches field in China today.

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