NEXEO SOLUTIONS

Investor WL Ross acquires majority stake in plastics distributor / “Ideal platform to further roll up the fragmented plastics distribution space”

ALIANCYS

Focus on styrene-free resins and carbon fibre-reinforced SMC / DSM carve-out starts up test line in The Netherlands

ALIANCYS

Price hike for unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins

VERSALIS

Bio-butadiene joint venture with Genomatica commences pilot-scale production / Feedstock for bio-polybutadiene

DSM

Encouraging fourth quarter and full year 2015 performance as sales and operating profit increase / Performance Materials business gains / Further progress with growth initiatives is expected in 2016

LANXESS

Rubber jv with Aramco wins all approvals / New company called Arlanxeo starts on 1 April

NEXEO SOLUTIONS

EMEA distribution agreement with DSM Engineering Plastics extended

DSM

Capacity increase for UV-curable additives / Demand from 3D printing industry

DSM

Strengthening engineering plastics distribution network in EMEA / Strategic partnerships with Nexeo, Resinex and Ter Plastics

ANNUAL REVIEW 2015

Takeovers, mergers and consolidations: Changes in the plastics production, packaging and automotive industries / No going back to the way things were

DSM

Capacity expansion for “Akulon” XS PA 6 in The Netherlands / Meeting rising demand for blown film for food packaging

ANQORE

DSM Acrylonitrile is renamed / New name for Caprolactam unit soon to be unveiled

CHEMELOT

Fire at Bosman logistics provider / Plastic resin storage facility at Dutch chemical park in Geleen destroyed

ALIANCYS

Name change ahead for carved-out DSM Composite Resins

COVESTRO / REVERDIA

Collaboration on development of bio-based TPUs / “Biosuccinum” for “Desmopan” applications in footwear and consumer electronics segments

LANXESS

Half of rubber carve-out to be sold to Aramco / Joint Venture set to start in Q1 2016 / First back integration for German producer / Farther-reaching Middle East projects envisaged

ROQUETTE

“BioHub” biosuccinic and isosorbide European research project concludes / Two plants successfully commissioned

COMPOSITES RESEARCH

Germany's Fraunhofer Institute merges pultrusion and blow-moulding techniques / Process enables production of complex parts

DSM

Organisational restructuring will result in up to 1,100 redundancies / Most cuts to be made in The Netherlands

ABS

Solid growth on a global basis / Worldwide capacities of 10m t/y / Asia dominates production and consumption / Restructuring in Europe makes an impact / Market players still face challenges

DSM

New ChemicaInvest jv with CVC finalised / Engineering plastics supply guaranteed

DSM DYNEEMA

Golnar Motahari Pour appointed new president of UHMW-PE fibre group

DSM

European PA 6 and compounds price hike

EUROPEAN POLYAMIDE MARKET

Polymer consumption reaches about 1m t/y / Automotive industry as main driver / Production capacities difficult to distinguish / Independent compounders make up one-third of the market / AWJ study

EMERALD KALAMA

First approvals for new benzoic acid unit at Rotterdam / Output will support plasticiser products