Specialty chemicals

China to lead growth in construction chemicals

Two of the largest end-use industries that consume specialty chemicals—automotive and construction—are highly influenced by changes in GDP.

DIC to acquire BASF's worldwide pigments business for $1.3 billion

BASF has announced that DIC Corp. (Tokyo, Japan) will acquire BASF's worldwide pigments business. 

Sika acquires Chinese silicones maker

Sika has agreed to acquire Crevo-Hengxin (Changshu, China), a producer of silicone sealants and adhesives used in both industry and construction applications. 

Ascensus Specialties acquires Edgewater Capital's Callery

Ascensus Specialties (Bellevue, Washington), a maker of sodium borohydride products, says it has acquired Callery (Evans City, Pennsylvania) from private equity firm Edgewater Capital Partners (Cleveland, Ohio). 

Orocobre partners with Toyota Tsusho to build lithium hydroxide plant in Japan

Toyotsu Lithium Corporation (Japan), a joint venture (JV) between Orocobre Limited (Brisbane, Australia) and Toyota Tsusho (TTC; Tokyo, Japan), in August held a groundbreaking ceremony for the lithium hydroxide plant at Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

Kidman shareholders approve Wesfarmers' $546-million acquisition offer

Lithium mining company Kidman Resources (Melbourne, Australia) says that its shareholders have backed a A$776-million ($546 million) acquisition bid from Wesfarmers (Perth, Australia). 

Vink Chemicals acquires technical biocide brands

Vink Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG (Kakenstorf, near Hamburg, Germany) has announced that is has acquired a product range of technical biocides from Schülke & Mayr GmbH (Norderstedt, Germany). Vink has also acquired a range of oil and gas additives from Schülke & Mayr. 

Tata Chemicals launches pilot Li-ion battery recycling operations

Tata Chemicals (Mumbai, India) announced that it has commenced the commercial recovery of cathode active materials from spent lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells/batteries at a facility near Mumbai. 

LG Chem partners with US firm to develop OLED material

LG Chem said that it has formed a partnership with Universal Display Corp. (UDC; Ewing, New Jersey), a display materials firm, to develop an advanced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) component.

Arsenal's CPS Performance Materials acquires Geo Specialty Chemicals

CPS Performance Materials, a portfolio company of private equity firm Arsenal Capital (New York, New York), has acquired Geo Specialty Chemicals, a maker of methacrylate materials and other specialty chemicals.

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ACC specialty chemicals index rises by 1.4% in July

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has reported that its specialty chemicals index (SCI) rose by 1.4% in July, compared with that in July 2018.