NEWS
Evonik makes multiple changes
Evonik has announced further structural and cost-cutting measures in response to weak economic growth, geopolitical uncertainty and intense competition. In all, 3,200 jobs will be lost, including 2,150 in Germany, between 2027 and the end of 2029. The company is already cutting about 2,800 jobs by the end of this year. The loss-making polyester business will close in 2027, with 266, 45 and 35 jobs going respectively at sites in Witten and Marl, Germany, and Shanghai.
The company has also sold the pharmaceutical ingredients assets of its Health Care business at Hanau, Germany, to the CDMO ProChem Group. This follows the end of keto acid production there at the end of 2025 and subsequent consolidation of production at other sites. The Health Care business is streamlining its assets to focus on core areas, notably advanced oral and injectable drug delivery technologies and precision biosolutions such as lipids for mRNA and gene delivery, and advanced cell culture ingredients.
Earlier, Evonik had announced a raft of investments across different business units. It is spending about € 80 million to expand the capabilities of Health Care’ s Fermas site in Slovenská Ľupča, Slovakia. It will add advanced downstream fermentation technology to support the contract manufacturing services of its drug substance business in response to growing demand for complex pharmaceutical ingredients. Around 50 new jobs will be created.
This follows from the 2022 opening of an industrial-scale rhamnolipid biosurfactants plant at the site, which continues to expand its capacity for biofermentation scale-up and downstream processing. Originally an amino acids facility, Slovenská Ľupča is now one of Evonik’ s main biotechnology centres, making fermentation-based products for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care and animal feed.
Opening ceremony for Evonik’ s speciality amine facility at Nanjing
In a related announcement, Evonik has entered a strategic partnership with the School of Mining at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico, using the biosurfactants platform to develop“ next-generation sustainable and lower-toxicity chemical solutions” for mining applications. The company supplies various speciality chemicals for mining, notably in flotation and reverse flotation.
Evonik has also opened a speciality amine facility within the Nanjing Jiangbei New Material Technology Park. Described as a“ double-digit million euro investment”, this will be fully powered by green electricity and will supply amine-based additives for polyurethanes used in automotive, construction, furnishings and consumer goods and curing agents in epoxy systems in China and the wider Asian markets.
The company has completed construction of a hydrogen peroxide( H 2
O 2
) plant in partnership with its long-term partner Fuhua Tongda Chemicals at Leshan in Sichuan province. This will produce 20,000 tonnes / year of speciality-grade H 2
O 2 using technology licensed from the Active Oxygens business line. It will enter trial production soon, with full operations expected within Q2. Key target markets include solar cells, semiconductors, food packaging, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
At a new pilot plant at Marl, Germany, Evonik has begun production of its Duraion anionconducting polymer membrane for green hydrogen production via anion exchange membrane( AEM) electrolysis. This is now manufacturing for an electrolysis capacity of 2.5 Gw / year, about 25 % of the total planned in Germany for 2030. Early manufacturers of AEM electrolysers are already using Duraion membranes in pilot production and demonstration plants, the company stated.
Evonik’ s recently created Innovation Factory, formerly known as Creavis, has just opened an AEM application technology centre in Shanghai, the first facility of its kind in the region. It will test and optimise the integration of Duraion membranes under reallife operating conditions. The site will also function as a collaborative hub where local experts and area partners can work to address technological challenges across the entire AEM electrolysis value chain.
Finally, Evonik has opened its first centre for beauty science and innovation in Asia at the Evonik Shanghai Innovation Park. The company said that the centre“ integrates biotechnologydriven ingredient innovation and formulation expertise with consumerrelevant testing and validation capabilities”.
MAY / JUN 2026 SPECCHEMONLINE. COM
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