IN BRIEF
Integrity emerges US regional chemical distributors ChemSolv and Chemisphere have merged under the name Integrity Partners Group ( IPG ). Based in Virigina and led by Darren J . Birkelbach , IPG is a full-line chemical distribution platform with a presence in 43 states , notably in the industrial , food and beverage , agriculture , personal care , life sciences and CASE markets .
Siegfried breaks ground Siegfried has broke ground for its € 23 million global R & D centre for drug substances at Evionnaz , Switzerland . This will begin operations in 2024 , with about 100 scientists working alongside the R & D centre at Zofingen . It will have advanced chemical and analytical facilities and laboratories , offering chemical process R & D and analytical development services for the entire drug substances network .
Lonza buys Synaffix Lonza has acquired Synaffix a Netherlands-based biotech with a clinical-stage platform for the development of antibody-drug conjugates ( ADCs ), including payload- and site-specific linker technologies . The company said that Synaffix ’ s technologies “ can considerably enhance the efficacy and tolerability of ADCs ” and will complement and extend its own integrated earlystage ADC services .
UPL to split out specialities
Indian agrochemicals giant UPL has announced plans to transfer its speciality chemicals business , including agrochemical active ingredient ( AI ) manufacturing to its wholly owned subsidiary UPL Speciality Chemicals . This is subject to shareholder approval and should be completed in three to four months .
The business being spun off makes ingredients used in pharmaceuticals , paints , textiles , mining , personal care , flavours and fragrance , lubricants , water treatment , petroleum and oilfield products , in addition to crop protection , from 12 sites in India . It had revenues of € 1,953 million in 2023 , 32.6 % of the company total .
UPL said that this is being done in order to “ unlock shareholder value for the specialty chemicals business and scale it up at a faster pace ”. It also intends to accelerate growth in the AI business via more external partnerships , though it will continue to sell them to UPL as well .
The internal sale , valued at just under € 400 million , is being conducted as a slump sale . This is an Indian accounting term for the transfer of a whole or part of business concern as a going concern without values being assigned to any of the individual assets and liabilities .
Shanghai expansion unveiled
BASF has inaugurated the expansion of its Innovation Campus Shanghai . Originally opened in 2012 and twice updated through total investments of € 280 million , the campus is BASF ’ s largest R & D site in Asia . The two new R & D buildings will house laboratories for :
• Process engineering , focusing on the formation and handling of solids and polymer recycling technologies
• Dispersions & resins , include robotic automation to test scrub resistance and tensile strength , and characterise coating film appearance
• Metal surface & industrial cleaning processes
• Performance materials , for characteristics such as flame retardancy , electrical insulation and durability , processibility and aesthetic versatility
• The ‘ Creator ’ s Lab ’, a modelmaking workshop where researchers can work on proof-of-concept models , mock-ups and rapid prototypes in performance materials
Benzyl alcohol boost Lanxess has doubled capacity for benzyl alcohol at its site in Kalama , Washington State , via “ various technical upgrades ”. Benzyl alcohol is used as preservative , solvent , fragrance fixative and intermediate , because of its low volatility , low toxicity and mild aroma . Lanxess makes three grades at the site , including a 99.9 % pure parenteral grade .
10 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981