Paint & Coating News

In a surprising move, Li Ka-Shing, once the richest man in Asia, has announced the sale of 43 global ports, including critical locations such as the Panama Canal ports of Cristobal and Balboa.

On March 7, the General Administration of Customs released the latest trade statistics, revealing that in the first two months of 2025, China's total exports reached $539.9 billion, marking a 2.3% year-on-year increase.

On March 5, BASF announced that Heather Remley, currently the President of Global Engineering Services, will take over as the new President and CEO at BASF’s Florham Park, New Jersey location starting April 1, 2025.

BASF, along with the Yangtze River Delta Physical Research Center and Beijing Weilan New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement to develop the next generation of solid-state battery packs.

Kronos, a leading titanium dioxide supplier, released its 2024 financial report, showcasing a strong performance over the past year.

On March 10, 2025, Dow announced a strategic investment in Xycle, a pioneer in advanced chemical recycling technology based in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

On March 10, Röhm announced a pressure incident at its Bay City facility in Texas, which occurred on March 7 during the commissioning of a refrigeration unit.

Thermax Chemical Solutions Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thermax, has entered into an exclusive shareholders' agreement with Oswaldo Cruz Química Indústria e Comércio Ltda (OCQ)

• Thermax
• OCQ

Asahi Kasei Corporation has completed the construction and production of its high-performance materials manufacturing base in Nantong, marking a significant milestone with a total investment of approximately 2.2 billion yuan.

On the morning of March 7, Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone signed an investment intention agreement with Jotun Group for a high-performance coating project.

Recently, BASF released a price increase notice indicating that it plans to raise prices for various engineering plastics compounded products in North America, as permitted by contracts.

Recently, during the release of Eni Group's Q4 2024 financial report, CEO Claudio Descalzi announced the closure of two steam cracker units operated by its chemical subsidiary, Versalis.

On March 5, 2025, Honeywell announced its agreement to acquire Sundyne from private equity firm Warburg Pincus for $2.16 billion in cash. This acquisition is valued at approximately 14.5 times Sundyne's projected EBITDA for 2024.

On March 4, Henkel announced the successful acquisition of Suzhou Bock Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a move that significantly strengthens Henkel's local manufacturing capabilities in China.

BASF Coatings and NIO announced the signing of a letter of intent to establish a strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation in the field of automotive coatings.

• NIO
• BASF

Evonik will license hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production technology to China Pingmei Shenma Group Nylon Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenma) to build a large-scale H2O2 plant with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons in Pingdingshan City, Henan Province.

• Evonik
• Pingmei Shenma

According to a notification from the Indian Ministry of Finance, India will impose anti-dumping duties of up to $986 per ton for five years on a chemical used for water treatment imported from China and Japan.

• trichloroisocyanuric acid
• india
• china
• Japan

Sumitomo Chemical will begin selling polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a polymer material made from methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers produced through chemical recycling.

• Sumitomo chemical

On March 5, the Royal Court of Jersey approved a scheme of arrangement, allowing Rio Tinto Group to complete its acquisition of Arcadium Lithium for $6.7 billion.

• Rio Tinto
• Arcadium Lithium

On the evening of March 5, the Panama Canal Authority issued a statement in response to remarks made by a White House spokesperson regarding the free passage of US military vessels through the Panama Canal.