IN BRIEF
Symrise opens in India Symrise has officially opened its first Indian cosmetic ingredients facility in Chennai . The 1,788 m 2 facility will blend a wide range of ingredients for the Indian market , including actives , botanicals and microbial protection products . “ It represents an important milestone in Symrise ’ s growth strategy in the Asia-Pacific region ,” the company stated .
SI to close Singapore site SI Group has announced its plans to cease manufacturing operations at its alkylphenol manufacturing facility at Jurong Island , Singapore , in 2H 2025 . It will continue supplying alkylphenols from its other sites in Europe and the Americas . The company blamed “ substantial changes in the antioxidant value chain in the region in recent years , paired with high costs in Singapore ”.
Clariant sells estate Clariant has agreed to divest the 428,000 m 2 Industrial Park Fechenheim in Frankfurt am Main , Germany , to the Lugman Group , a real estate specialist , for € 95 million , which will be used to reduce debt and strengthen its balance sheet . The deal should close during 2025 . Clariant has no operational activities at the park .
Heraeus grows in India Ravindra Heraeus a 30-year-old 50-50 joint venture between the Ravindra Choksi family and Germany ’ s Heraeus , is to acquire the business of Arora Matthey in Vizag , India , and will continue its operation with over 70 employees . The company said that this will enable it to offer its range precious metals catalyst and recycling technology to the local chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries .
Honeywell to be pure-play
Honeywell has announced plans to spin off its Advanced Materials business to its shareowners as an independent , publicly traded company by early 2026 . This will enable it become a pure-play speciality chemicals and materials producer , with strong positions in fluorine products , electronic materials , industrial grade fibres and healthcare packaging . The firm said that the business “ will be well-positioned to benefit from an enhanced strategic focus and the financial flexibility to pursue innovation and growth opportunities through investment cycles ”. Both it and the remaining business , Honeywell added , will also have an improved ability to customise capital allocation priorities in alignment with their strategic focus ; and distinct investment profiles . Advanced Materials is projected to have revenues of $ 3.7-3.9 billion in the 2024 financial year , with an EBITDA margin over 25 %.
Vimal Kapur , chairman and CEO , said that this was the latest step in the optimisation of the portfolio . This has already seen the acquisitions of Carrier Access Solutions , Civitanavi , CAES and Air Products ’ liquefied natural gas business . “ As a sector leader , this new company will have a greater strategic focus on innovation , enabling it to develop new , more sustainable solutions and products with next-generation chemistry to create further value for shareowners ,” Kapur added .
Nitroguanidine expansion
Alzchem plans to “ significantly increase ” its nitroguanidine capacity , with a new production plant that will almost double the € 76 million expansion it announced in the spring . It will also renew and expand its existing facilities for the precursor , guanidine nitrate , in what CEO Andreas Niedermaier called “ the largest investment in our company ’ s history in Germany to date ”.
These additions are expected to be commissioned in 2H 2026 and “ result in increasing revenues in the upper double-digit million range from 2027 onwards , with correspondingly positive
contributions to earnings ”. Supply contracts have already been signed with several customers in the defence sector , who are willing to help finance the new plant .
In parallel to the measures in Germany , Alzchem will intensify its site search in the US . It has concluded a preliminary contract with the US Department of Defence , which has already committed $ 150 million in funding for the construction of a facility in the US by the end of 2029 if a suitable site is found within two years . In addition to defence , nitroguanidine is used in plant protection and as a propellant for airbags .
10 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981