Under the Acetylene Purchase Agreement, HydroGraph USA will purchase acetylene for its Bellville facility directly from Western International via pipeline for an initial t10-year term, with options for renewal.

Reportedly, the Bellville facility will leverage Western International’s acetylene production, storage, transportation and distribution infrastructure, including a dedicated pipeline connection supplying feedstock directly to HydroGraph’s manufacturing operations.

The certification followed comprehensive audits of Elinor Coatings’ operational practices, documentation, manufacturing controls, customer processes, and continuous improvement systems.

“Achieving ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D (2016) reinforces our promise to our partners and customers: to operate with precision, consistency, and an unwavering focus on quality. It positions us to support the industry with even greater confidence as we continue to grow,” said Holly Anderson, CEO of Elinor Coatings.

Elinor Coatings plans to use these certifications to expand capabilities, strengthen partnerships, and drive future innovations in surface protection and corrosion resistant technologies.

“We are confident that our expanded platform will drive innovation, new product development, and technological advancements,” said Terence Yu, OXERRA Group CEO. “Our customers and stakeholders will directly benefit from enhanced supply chain sustainability, strengthened support to the market, and our strategic investment.”

Customers will continue to engage directly with OXERRA through its established commercial, technical, and customer service channels. OXERRA will remain responsible for customer relationships, product quality assurance, technical support, and market facing coordination across its global network.

“H.M. Royal has long been a trusted partner in the rubber, plastics adhesives, sealants, and protective coatings spaces, and this marks an important step forward for our Performance Materials business,” said Matthew Oliver, senior vice president of Performance Materials for Univar Solutions.

According to the company, Tioxide has recruited more than 60 employees since its establishment in April and plans to create 60 additional roles in this second phase of recruitment. Recruitment has focused on positions related to production, engineering and technical specialists.

“We are proud to be creating high-quality jobs and supporting the local economy and are looking forward to supplying premium products to customers around the world,” said Karen Askwith, Managing Director at Tioxide.

“This expansion is a reflection of the relationships we’ve built with our customers,” said Debora Hense-Hric, technical director. “As their needs have evolved, we’ve applied our technical expertise to their coatings’ formulation needs. The added facility helps us continue supporting them in the ways they’ve come to expect.”

According to the company, the newly acquired space allows Stonebridge to enhance operational efficiency, increase capacity, and further develop its growing capabilities in custom coatings manufacturing.

“Lubrizol introduced CPVC technology to India more than two decades ago, and since then, we have witnessed strong growth of the market alongside the country’s expanding economy,” said Abhishek Shrivastav, managing director, Lubrizol IMEA. “With the commissioning of this world-class facility in Vilayat, we are strengthening our manufacturing capabilities in India by following a local-for-local approach. This investment underscores our long-term commitment to India by enabling consistent access to high-quality, locally produced materials backed by Lubrizol’s global standards of innovation, reliability, and performance.”

According to APC, the company is implementing Albert’s AI-native operating system for chemistry and materials science to centralize experimental data, capture institutional knowledge, and enable more efficient collaboration across research teams. As the company continues to expand its footprint, the investment supports a more connected and scalable innovation environment.

“Innovation in polymer coatings is driven by the quality of our scientific insight. As our research programs expand, having a structured platform to capture and analyze experimental knowledge allows our team to move faster, build on prior work, and continue advancing the performance of next-generation coating technologies,” said Jeremy Pasatta, vice president of Technology and Process, Advanced Polymer Coatings. “Using Albert’s AI capabilities, we’ve been able to cut development time in half—screening out unnecessary experiments and reaching optimized formulations much faster.”

“Innovative companies like APC demonstrate how structured scientific data and AI-driven tools can transform R&D by empowering scientists with tools that connect experimentation and insight. Organizations can accelerate innovation while leveraging knowledge to drive long-term competitive advantage,” said Nick Talken, CEO, Albert Invent.

According to the company, Brazil, and the wider Latin American region, represent attractive growth markets, particularly in segments such as food, beverage, and consumer packaging.

“Ensuring continuity for our customers is our highest priority,” said Saul Rios, managing director LATAM at Stahl. “By maintaining supply and service from the outset, we provide a seamless transition while building a strong foundation for future growth.”

The acquisition is expected to be completed in the upcoming weeks, subject to regulatory approvals.

“Karlovy Vary is an important pillar for our silicone activities in Europe and a central building block in our specialties strategy,” said WACKER executive board member Christian Kirsten at the opening ceremony. “With the new site, we are expanding our position as a solution provider for customers in key industries.”

According to the company, Karlovy Vary will be responsible for supplying customers of silicone specialties going forward. In the future, liquid silicone rubber will be manufactured in Burghausen, while thermally conductive silicones, potting compounds for the automotive industry and silicone gels for wound care will be produced in Plzeň. Room-temperature-curing silicones and solid silicone rubber will be located in Karlovy Vary.

“Karlovy Vary will make our integrated production network in Europe much more flexible, agile and efficient,” said Kirsten. “Karlovy Vary complements our existing sites and, thanks to state-of-the-art production technology, creates the underlying conditions for extremely high levels of efficiency and quality. Going forward, this will enable us to serve our customers even better thanks to high-quality and innovative products. With Karlovy Vary, we are beginning a new chapter in our silicones’ success story.”