Brenntag acquires OWI Chlor Alkali, one of the largest independent distributors of caustic soda in North America

Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, today announced the acquisition of OWI Chlor Alkali (Old World Specialty Chemicals, LLC, and Old World Logistics, LLC) from Old World Industries, LLC in Northbrook, Illinois, said the company.

The business units will be integrated into Brenntag Essentials’ existing network in North America, significantly expanding Brenntag Essentials’ local and regional footprint.

Ewout van Jarwaarde, CEO of Brenntag Essentials, commented: “OWI Chlor Alkali will boost our regional supply chain and sourcing capabilities in North America, in particular for caustic soda and potassium hydroxide. By joining forces we gain access to tollgates and infrastructure in the region, supporting growth in our last mile service operations in order to serve both Brenntag and OWI Chlor Alkali customers better and more efficiently.”

WI Chlor Alkali is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and was first established in 2016 as distribution business, with the logistics division being subsequently established in 2020. The OWI Chlor Alkali product portfolio includes caustic soda, potassium hydroxide, methanol, sulfuric acid and glycols. In 2022, OWI Chlor Alkali reported annual sales of USD 279.7 million.

Scott Leibowitz, President for Brenntag Essentials North America, added: “We are delighted to welcome OWI Chlor Alkali to the Brenntag family. Together, we will form a stronger business and create more value for our employees and customers, focusing our efforts into making Brenntag the easiest to do business with.”

Tom Armstrong, Managing Director of Old World Specialty Chemicals, commented: ”Joining the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution is an exciting opportunity for us, and a chance to leverage our setup and market position to reach additional customers with our products and service offering. Brenntag’s global sourcing and market intel capabilities will significantly enhance our market position, to which we can contribute as well.”

Old World’s CEO, Greg Noethlich added: “We are extremely proud of the work our Specialty Chemicals team accomplished and know Brenntag is the right move in taking the business to the next level.”

We remind, Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, today announced the expansion of the partnership with Cooperatie Koninklijke Avebe U.A. (“Royal Avebe”). The expanded distribution agreement now offers Royal Avebe potato starch and protein products to Brenntag customers in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands in addition to the initial region of Turkey.

mrchub.com

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), one of the world’s biggest petrochemical companies, posted an almost 17% fall in third-quarter revenue and a net loss, said Reuters.

In a filing, SABIC reported a net loss of 2.88 billion riyals ($768 million) for the three months to Sept. 30, compared with a profit of 1.84 billion riyals a year earlier.

The loss was mainly driven by an impairment charge of 2.93 billion riyals on the fair value of Saudi Iron and Steel Company (Hadeed) after Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund acquired SABIC’s entire stake in the company.

SABIC’s divestment in Hadeed was agreed to in September, allowing the Saudi petrochemicals giant to “optimise its strategic portfolio and focus on its core business,” it said.

Revenues fell to 35.98 billion riyals from 43.32 billion a year earlier, but was up almost 6% quarter-on-quarter. The global petrochemical market continues to witness weak global demand and an increase in supply for most products, SABIC said. Its average selling price fell 5% quarter-on-quarter while prices for agri-nutrient products increased by 11%.

The company said it remains disciplined in managing its capital expenditure which for 2023 it estimates at $3.5 billion to $3.8 billion.

We remind, SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, has partnered with three specialists in the field of in-mold labeling (IML) to demonstrate the use of certified renewable polypropylene (PP) resins in high quality mono-PP thin-wall container packaging without compromising quality, processability, safety or convenience.

mrchub.com

Romania's Petrotel Lukoil refinery, owned by Russia's Lukoil, will shut for one month from Wednesday for planned maintenance works, online news website Profit.ro reported, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Lukoil's Romanian unit has a relatively small market share compared to bigger refineries in the country. The refinery uses alternative fuel supplies and is not affected by a ban on Russian imports.

We remind, Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced the launch of its latest heat exchanger technology, the Helixchanger 2.0 system. The update improves upon the original system which has more than 20 years of service and 7,000 installations worldwide.

mrchub.com

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced the launch of its latest heat exchanger technology, the Helixchanger 2.0 system, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The update improves upon the original system which has more than 20 years of service and 7,000 installations worldwide.

"The industry standard is the Helixchanger system, and we are raising the bar even higher in terms of performance and reliability," said Rutger Theunissen, Chief Business Officer of Services and Supplies for Lummus Technology. "Our clients' sophistication around energy use and efficiency has led us to develop an improved design that will save them operational costs on several fronts."

To preview this technology's lower life-cycle cost and benefits, Lummus will participate in a live webcast hosted by Hydrocarbon Processing on Tuesday, November 7, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. CST. You can attend the webcast by registering here.

Helixchanger 2.0 technology improvements include enhanced throughput and reduced pressure drop while continuing to mitigate shell side fouling and eliminate vibrations from the original design. These operational efficiencies translate into extended run lengths and reduced cleaning and utility costs.

The first-generation Helixchanger® heat exchanger incorporates industry-proven quadrant shaped baffle plates that create a shell-side helical flow pattern. This configuration provides operational and capital benefits such as, among others, extending the operating period between cleaning campaigns of crude preheat exchangers, reducing capital costs in a petrochemical plant and improving energy-efficiency of feed/effluent towers.

We remind, Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd. will license its olefins conversion technology and the Lummus/Versalis cumene and phenol technologies for a new plant in West Bengal, India.

mrchub.com

Long Son Petrochemicals, a unit of Thailand's SCG Chemicals, will test run its new petrochemical complex in southern Vietnam in November and December, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Full commercial production at the facility will begin early next year, the company said in a statement. The $5-B facility in Ba Ria Vung Tau province will produce 1.4 million metric tons of plastic resins a year, the company had earlier said, adding that its raw materials, naphtha and propane, will be imported mostly from the Middle East.

The head of Thai conglomerate Siam Cement Group, the parent of SCG Chemicals, said in June the complex would start commercial production by September. "A typical commissioning and test run process for a large complex takes a couple of months, this is to ensure safety and fine-tune machine conditions," the latest statement said.

Its annual output will include 500,000 tons of high density polyethylene, 500,000 tons of linear low density polyethylene and 400,000 tons of polypropylene.

We remind, W. R. Grace & Co, the leading independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene process technology, today announced that Oriental Energy Co. Ltd. has started up a new plant with Grace’s UNIPOL PP Process Technology. Located in Maoming, China, the new 400 Kpy reactor line began producing high-quality homopolymers and random copolymers on September 15, 2023.

mrchub.com