NEWS
IN BRIEF
Singapore investment Baker Hughes is planning a 40,000 m 2 oilfield services chemicals manufacturing facility in Singapore , its first in the Asia-Pacific region . The company said that this will enable “ manufacturing optimisation and faster delivery of fit-for-purpose chemical solutions ”. It will manufacture , store and distribute chemicals for upstream , midstream , downstream and adjacent industries to support regional customers .
Kao boosts MDJ Kao Corporation is to double capacity for the synthetic jasmine fragrance methyl dihydrojasmonate ( MDJ ) at its site in Olesa , Spain , by adding a second production facility . This should be completed by December and will begin production in early 2023 , using in-house technology . Kao is already the leader in the 20,000 tonnes / year European MDJ market , which is projected to grow at 4 % year .
Ascent is the name Synalloy has changed its name to Ascent Industries and company ’ s chemical division , which combines multiple speciality chemical manufacturers in the US , is also rebranding to Ascent Chemicals . All of the former company names and designations - Synalloy Chemicals , CRI Tolling , DanChem , DTI and Manufacturers Chemicals - are now being retired .
New owner for GL Chemtec Edgewater Capital Partners , a private equity firm which has made previous investments in life sciences and pharma services , has acquired GL Chemtec of Oakville , Ontario , a CRO which offers chemistry R & D and scale-up services to support API development , plus advanced materials for drug delivery , medical devices and other life science applications . Terms were not disclosed .
Wacker expanding on multiple fronts
Wacker Chemie has announced plans to invest “ a double-digit million euro amount ” on the new Biotechnology Centre at its corporate research facility in Munich ( pictured ). CEO Christian Hartel said that building this “ will allow us to concentrate and intensify our research activities in the area of biotechnology . The additional capacity we will create here will accelerate the growth of our lifesciences division .” Plans include laboratory and pilot plant areas spread across about 2,000 m 2 over three floors . Research will mainly concentrate on manufacturing processes for biopharmaceuticals , especially advanced medicines , plus fermentationbased manufacture of ingredients for foods and food supplements . It will house about 90 people when it becomes operational in 2024 . Another German site to see a recent groundbreaking ceremony is at Halle , where Wacker is building its competence centre for mRNA actives , including coronavirus vaccines . The company will invest over € 100 million to triple capacity at the site . Part of the capacity will be available to the German government when required as part of its pandemic preparedness contracts . Plans involve a new , four-storey building , to be connected to the existing one . As well as four mRNA production lines due to be operational in two years ’ time , it will contain storage areas , QC laboratories and office space . Around 200 new employees are currently being recruited , doubling numbers . In a different division , Wacker has officially opened a new , 165,000 m 2 silicones site at Panagahr , 160 km northwest of Kolkata . This is part of its Indian joint venture Wacker Metroark Chemicals ( WMC ), which dates back to 1988 The investment of “ a mid-double-digit million euro amount ” will create 100 jobs . Panaghar will initially manufacture silicone rubber and Silmix brand ready-touse silicone compounds for applications in electromobility , medical technology and electrical transmission and distribution . A further expansion is planned to add silicone fluids and emulsions . Wacker has also started a feasibility study for a new silicone production complex at its site in Charleston , Tennessee , where it produces high-purity polysilicon and HDK brand pyrogenic silica . This is expected to cost $ 200 million over the cost of several years . In the first step , Wacker plans to build plants for high-consistency silicone rubber and silicone sealants , and intermediates . It would later add other product groups , such as silane-terminated polymers , liquid waterproofing systems and wood-flooring adhesives . All of these are mainly used in construction applications .
8 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981