Paint & Coating News

Recent developments in the domestic urea market indicate a steady increase in prices, prompting various stakeholders to reassess their positions.

Kemira and IFF have made a final investment decision and will proceed with the formation of a joint manufacturing company to produce renewable bio-based products on a commercial scale.

• Kemira
• IFF

BASF announced the launch of the world’s first commercial Loopamid® production unit. Located at the Caojing site in Shanghai, China, the unit has an annual production capacity of 500 metric tons.

• BASF
• Loopamid®

PPG announced the launch of a waterborne automotive coatings manufacturing plant in Samutprakarn, Thailand.

• PPG
• Thailand
• waterborne automotive

Amin Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, said the company is exploring new opportunities in China's energy, chemical and technology fields.

• Saudi Aramco

Quaker Houghton has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire Dipsol Chemicals (Dipsol), a leading provider of surface treatment and plating solutions and services for automotive and other industrial applications, for 23 billion yen.

• Quaker Houghton
• Dipsol

UK-based oil and gas giant Shell said on the 25th that it is seeking to improve the performance of its chemical asset base by exploring strategic partnerships in the U.S. and closing plants in Europe.

• Shell

Sinopec announced on March 23 that due to the drop in crude oil prices and the accelerated development of the new energy vehicle industry, its net profit in 2024 was 50.3 billion yuan (6.94 billion US dollars), a year-on-year decrease of 16.8%.

• Sinopec

India imposed anti-dumping duties on five Chinese products this month, including soft ferrite cores, vacuum insulated bottles, aluminum foil, trichloroisocyanuric acid and polyvinyl chloride paste resin.

• India
• China
• Tariffs

Röhm, one of the world’s leading chemical manufacturers of methacrylates, announces the successful start-up of its new plant in Bay City, Texas, USA, implementing its proprietary C2-based LiMA technology on a large industrial scale.

• Röhm
• MMA

Gulbrandsen, a global leader in the production of specialty polyethylene waxes and polymers, has announced plans to increase polyethylene wax production capacity and build a new functional polymer plant at its facility in Dahej, India.

• Gulbrandsen
• polyethylene waxes
• polymers
• India

China Western Power Industrial Co., Ltd. has signed a landmark $1.45 billion agreement with Laos’ Xekong Thermal Power Plant Co., Ltd to advance clean energy infrastructure in Laos. The deal was announced in a stock exchange filing on March 24.

• China Western Power
• Laos
• clean energy

BASF’s Coatings division has successfully expanded its polyester and polyurethane resin capacity at its Caojing site in Shanghai.

• BASF
• polyester
• polyurethane
• production capacity

Ecovyst has entered into an agreement to acquire the sulfuric acid production assets of Cornerstone Chemical Company, located in Wagman, Louisiana.

• Ecovyst
• Cornerstone

BASF is investing in its Puebla, Mexico, site to increase production capacity for amine antioxidants for lubricants.

• BASF

Dow's downstream silicones expansion project officially launched in Zhangjiagang.

“Technical Specification for Risk Classification Control of Hazardous Chemicals Safety Production” (GB/T45420-2025), drafted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, will officially implement on September 1 this year

On March 14, 2025, the European Commission announced the initiatio

Wanhua Chemical Group announced the official launch of its complete supply chain for Vitamin A (VA).

OQ Chemicals will start dedicated production of heptanoic acid in Oberhausen, Germany, in June 2025.

• OQ Chemicals
• heptanoic acid