NEWS
IN BRIEF
Perstorp Shanghai hub opens Perstorp and fellow Petronas subsidiary BRB inaugurated a new innovation hub in Shanghai on 17 April. This will offer technical support in various market segments, such as synthetic lubricants, thermal management fluids, personal care and coating solutions, as well as the existing silicones and intermediates business. Several other initiatives are also planned in the region.
Stepan begins production Stepan started production at its new, 75,000 tonnes / year alkoxylation facility in Pasadena, Texas, in early April. This is the company’ s third such plant and includes both ethoxylation and propoxylation capabilities to make surfactants for the agricultural, oilfield, construction, cleaning and personal care markets, among others. It has already hired and trained over 40 employees for the site.
Ionel plant planned Nippon Shokubai has concluded a location agreement to build a 3,000 tonnes / year plant for its Ionel brand of lithium bis( fluorosulfonyl) imide( LiFSI) electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries at Kitakyushu, on the northern tip of Kyshu island in Japan. The investment is projected to be a little over $ 2.6 billion and construction should begin in January 2026 for completion in July 2028.
Lithium chloride growth LevertonHelm has opened a 10,000 tonnes / year lithium chloride solution facility at it site at Basingstoke, UK. Built at a cost of £ 30 million, this will supply mainly domestic producers with materials for the manufacture of high-performance batteries for electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage. It will also boost employment at the site by 50 %.
DyStar consolidates US operations
DyStar Carolina will close
DyStar is to cease manufacturing operations at its DyStar Hilton Davis site by 30 June and will partially integrate production into another site at Reidsville, North Carolina. This follows previous moves to consolidate operations here and at Cheyenne, Wyoming, most recently in February by selling another facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“ We believe that the success of the strategic plan will position DyStar to decisively respond to the fundamental changes taking place in the industry and enables us to improve profitability while maintaining strategic product development capability, and to accelerate growth over the longterm,” said Xu Yalin, managing director and president.
The deal to sell the land on which DyStar Carolina Chemical( pictured) sits to Constellation Real Estate Partners should be complete in Q4 or early 2026. The company said that the consolidation of its operations into Reidsville will help towards its goal of improving operational efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing overall productivity.
Headquartered in Singapore, DyStar combines the formers dyes and pigments businesses of multiple global players. Its products include dyes for food, drugs and cosmetics, lakes, technical dyes and pigment dispersions.
Lightwell is Arkema’ s new headquarters in the La Défense area of Paris. Covering some 25,000 m 2, it“ aims to be a benchmark not only in terms of workspace but also of living space”, the company said. The building also features Arkema materials that showcase performance and sustainability. A paint made from Synaqua resin and composed of 97 % biobased molecules covers almost all of the interior walls, while the atrium features the iconic chairs and tables from Maison Gatti, crafted with Rilsan. Bostik materials were used to install the flooring and tiles.
8 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981