http://www.chemanager-online.com/enen/rss.xml en http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/acron-eyes-441-million-tarnow-stake-expand-eu Russian fertilizer maker Acron has offered 1.5 billion zlotys ($441 million) to buy up to 66% of Polish chemicals company Azoty Tarnow and expand its presence in the European Union. Tarnow chief executive Jerzy Marciniak said Acron's offer was "rather low", while pension fund Aviva PTE, which owns around 9% of Tarnow, said it was "exceptionally unsatisfying". http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/acron-eyes-441-million-tarnow-stake-expand-eu Thu, 17 May 2012 05:20:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/products/chemicals-distribution/polyurethanes-improve-flight-properties-european-championship-tango- What do the tango, which originates in Latin America, and the official soccer ball of the same name for this year's European Soccer Championship have in common? A variety of steps, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, an armory of twists and turns and endless vitality. Soccer fans are looking forward once again to watching exciting games in stadiums, beer gardens and their living rooms during UEFA EURO 2012 in June. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/products/chemicals-distribution/polyurethanes-improve-flight-properties-european-championship-tango- Wed, 16 May 2012 10:20:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/britain-fund-prostate-cancer-pill-u-turn Britain's drug watchdog has reversed a controversial decision not to fund a new prostate cancer pill that was developed in the country after maker Johnson & Johnson agreed a new discount on supplies to the UK state healthcare service. Zytiga, which is known chemically as abiraterone, was approved last year in Europe and the United States to treat advanced prostate cancer in patients who previously received chemotherapy. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/britain-fund-prostate-cancer-pill-u-turn Wed, 16 May 2012 09:57:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/sabic-manager-awarded-best-young-executive-chemical-industry Dr. Fabrice C. Bertinchamps, General Manager Business Strategy, Polymers SBU at SABIC has been awarded the Handelsblatt Stratley Award 2012 for ‘Best Young Executive in Chemical Industry'. He received the award during the 13th Handelsblatt conference on chemistry in Frankfurt, Germany on May 10, 2012.Bertinchamps joined SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) in 2009. Before, he worked for Total Petrochemicals. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/sabic-manager-awarded-best-young-executive-chemical-industry Wed, 16 May 2012 07:26:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/indias-piramal-healthcare-buy-us-firm-boost-rd Indian drugmaker Piramal Healthcare has agreed to buy a U.S.-based healthcare data provider for $635 million to boost research and development, the company said on Wednesday, a month after it acquired the new molecules division of Germany's Bayer's . Mumbai-based Piramal has been looking to expand its R&D portfolio after it sold its formulations business to U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories for $3.72 billion in 2010. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/indias-piramal-healthcare-buy-us-firm-boost-rd Wed, 16 May 2012 07:06:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/dupont-shortlists-bidders-car-paint-unit Chemicals maker DuPont has shortlisted four potential buyers for its car paint business after evaluating revised offers received on April 30, according to people familiar with the matter. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/dupont-shortlists-bidders-car-paint-unit Wed, 16 May 2012 05:03:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/q1-2012-merck-total-revenues-increase-32-26-billion The Merck Group's first-quarter 2012 total revenues rose 3.2% to €2,645 million compared to €2,564 million in the first quarter of 2011. Sales for the Group increased 3.5% to € 2,564 million in first quarter compared to € 2,478 million in the year-ago quarter. This performance reflected organic sales growth of 1.2%, a 1.7% positive benefit from changes in foreign exchange rates and a 0.6% boost from acquisitions and divestments. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/q1-2012-merck-total-revenues-increase-32-26-billion Tue, 15 May 2012 15:42:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/australias-beach-energy-sees-shale-gas-sales-within-year Australia's Beach Energy may be ready to sell shale gas just a year from now if its pilot production wells are successful, the company's managing director said on Tuesday. Australia is in the midst of a gas boom, as developers build around $170 billion in projects that will make the country the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter before the end of the decade. The fuel for those projects is from conventional fields and coal seams, not from shale. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/australias-beach-energy-sees-shale-gas-sales-within-year Tue, 15 May 2012 12:39:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/eu-adviser-backs-antitrust-fine-astrazeneca AstraZeneca misled patent regulators more than a decade ago in a bid to block competition to its ulcer drug Losec, an adviser to Europe's top court said on Tuesday, backing a €52.5 million EU antitrust fine for the British drugmaker. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/eu-adviser-backs-antitrust-fine-astrazeneca Tue, 15 May 2012 12:37:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/after-gas-iraq-has-big-petrochemical-plans Iraq plans to build on its nascent gas sector to power a new petrochemicals industry, looking to foreign firms to invest $35-50 billion from 2017-2023, a senior official told Reuters. Mohammed Abdullah, a deputy minister with responsibility for companies, said the ambitious plan was to produce 10 million tons of petrochemicals a year during that period. "The amount of investments which we could attract from this field to the country could reach $35 billion to more than $50 billion," Abdullah told Reuters in an interview. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/after-gas-iraq-has-big-petrochemical-plans Mon, 14 May 2012 15:14:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/bhp-leaves-door-open-us-shale-gas-write-down BHP Billiton's petroleum chief executive left the door open to the possibility of a write-down on the company's U.S. shale gas assets on Monday, but defended their long-term value. The company will review its assets at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, BHP chief petroleum executive J Michael Yeager told reporters in a briefing on Monday. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/bhp-leaves-door-open-us-shale-gas-write-down Mon, 14 May 2012 13:41:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/seed-firm-devgen-signs-syngenta-pesticide-deal Hybrid seed company Devgen has signed a crop protection research pact with Switzerland's Syngenta, the world's largest agrochemicals company, swelling its resources to carry out future seed development. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/seed-firm-devgen-signs-syngenta-pesticide-deal Mon, 14 May 2012 09:33:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/australia-says-shale-could-double-its-gas-resources Australia, the world's fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), could have enough shale gas resources to double its gas resource base and expand its growing export industry, a government report said on Monday. Australia has around 390 trillion cubic feet in gas resources, excluding shale gas, ranking third behind coal and uranium as the country's largest energy resource, according to the report conducted by Geoscience Australia and the Australian Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/australia-says-shale-could-double-its-gas-resources Mon, 14 May 2012 09:21:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/interviews/chemical-distribution-global-mind-local-focus Biesterfeld's CEO Birger Kuck, a speaker at this year's FECC Congress in Lisbon, elucidates the challenges and success factors for the chemical distribution industry. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/interviews/chemical-distribution-global-mind-local-focus Mon, 14 May 2012 08:22:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/chemical-distribution-china Undeveloped Market - ICIS, a provider of marketing intelligence on the global chemical industry, published a report in July on the top global chemical distributors. Led by Brenntag with $10.1 billion in sales (2010), at the end of the list, there was a Canadian distributor named Interatlas Chemical with sales of $10 million. And not a single one of these 160 companies is headquartered in China. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/chemical-distribution-china Mon, 14 May 2012 08:18:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/fecc-s-members-are-top-priority One For All - An efficient chemical distribution sector plays a key role in enhancing the competitiveness of the chemicals industry. The European Association of Chemical Distributors (Fecc) and its members contribute to innovation in Europe and add value in the supply chain, by meeting the demands of over one million downstream users ranging from automotive, electronics, paint and lacquers, construction to pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries, each with their own specific needs. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/fecc-s-members-are-top-priority Mon, 14 May 2012 08:08:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/interviews/fecc-member-companies-poised-success Formula for the Future - The annual congress of the European Association of Chemical Distributors (FECC) is one of the most important dates in the European chemical industry's calendar. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/interviews/fecc-member-companies-poised-success Mon, 14 May 2012 07:58:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/interviews/impact-and-future-reach REACh - The European Union chemicals regulation REACh (short for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) requires all companies manufacturing or importing chemical substances into the EU in quantities of one tonne or more per year to register these with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, Finland. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/interviews/impact-and-future-reach Mon, 14 May 2012 07:48:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/sustaining-innovation Balancing Transparency and Confidentiality - One of the biggest challenges facing chemical companies in the United States is one that isn't making major headlines but is being discussed in boardrooms everywhere. The issue is the proposal by the U.S. government to require greater public access to company trade secrets. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/sustaining-innovation Mon, 14 May 2012 07:43:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/borealis-q1-profit-down Borealis, a provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions, recorded a net profit of €140 million for the first quarter of 2012 compared to €174 million in the same quarter in 2011. The decrease in net profit was a result of the difficult market conditions, especially for the European Polyolefin business segment. Both Borouge and the Fertilizer business continued their strong performance. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/borealis-q1-profit-down Fri, 11 May 2012 12:11:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/super-weeds-no-easy-fix-us-agriculture-experts A fast-spreading plague of "super weeds" taking over U.S. farmland will not be stopped easily, and farmers and government officials need to change existing practices if food production is to be protected, industry experts said on T hursday. "This is a complex problem," said weed scientist David Shaw in remarks to a national "summit" of weed experts in Washington to come up with a plan to battle weeds that have developed resistance to herbicides. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/super-weeds-no-easy-fix-us-agriculture-experts Fri, 11 May 2012 05:27:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/sasol-expands-uhpa-capacity-german-site Sasol's Olefins & Surfactants Division (headquarters in Hamburg, Germany) announced today it will expand in a first step its capacity to produce ultra-high purity aluminas (UHPA) by at least 3000 metric tons per year. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/sasol-expands-uhpa-capacity-german-site Thu, 10 May 2012 15:31:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/dow-corning-biesterfeld-spezialchemie-expand-cooperation-rubber-products The Xiameter brand from Dow Corning has appointed Biesterfeld Spezialchemie as its master distributor for silicone rubber products throughout Europe.     http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/dow-corning-biesterfeld-spezialchemie-expand-cooperation-rubber-products Thu, 10 May 2012 15:28:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/dksh-stepan-sign-distribution-agreement-asia DKSH and Stepan have signed an agreement under which DKSH's Business Unit Performance Materials, a specialty chemicals distributor, provides sales, marketing, logistics, and distribution services to Stepan in South and Western India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. The regional contract was signed in March 2012 at Stepan's Asian headquarters in Singapore, further strengthening the regional partnership. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/dksh-stepan-sign-distribution-agreement-asia Thu, 10 May 2012 14:34:00 +0000 http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/us-senate-probes-painkiller-makers-allied-groups A U.S. Senate panel has launched a probe of possible links between three drugmakers and nonprofit medical groups that advocated for increasing the use of prescription painkillers, now the target of a nationwide law enforcement crackdown. http://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news-opinions/headlines/us-senate-probes-painkiller-makers-allied-groups Thu, 10 May 2012 12:27:00 +0000