“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.”

“Our expansion into Mexico is a natural evolution of Palmer Holland’s North American growth strategy and reinforces our commitment to being a trusted partner throughout the region,” said Tim Skufca, CEO of Palmer Holland. “By investing in people and operational capabilities, we are positioning ourselves to provide faster response times, stronger technical support, and greater supply chain continuity for our customers and supplier partners across Mexico.”

According to the company, Palmer Holland’s investment in Mexico is expected to contribute value to the local industrial community through job creation, supply chain investment, and long-term commercial partnerships. The company’s presence in Querétaro adds infrastructure and resources that can support manufacturers, suppliers, and customers operating throughout the region.

In this expanded agreement, Azelis has been appointed to distribute Chemetall’s surface treatment solutions for general industrial applications throughout the region. The partnership for Canada began in November 2025, followed by Mexico in April 2026, and the U.S. agreement in May 2026.

“This expanded partnership with Azelis is an important step in strengthening Chemetall’s position across North America and advancing our long-term growth strategy,” said Karlheinz Zander, BASF’s vice president Surface Treatment North America. “By combining Chemetall’s innovation leadership with Azelis’s market reach, digital capabilities and local technical support, we are creating a more integrated, responsive experience for our customers across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Together, we are well positioned to deliver greater value, accelerate access to our technologies and seamlessly support our customers as their needs evolve.”

According to Todd Cottrell, CEO of Azelis Americas, “This expanded partnership reflects our shared commitment to delivering greater value to customers across North America. By combining Chemetall’s industry-leading surface treatment technologies with Azelis’s technical expertise, local presence, and digital capabilities, we are making it easier for customers to access the solutions, information, and support they need to succeed. Together, we are creating a more connected, efficient, and responsive customer experience that helps drive growth and innovation across the market.”

According to the companies, the ethyl acetate produced by Celanese contains 50% bio-based content, helping to reduce the use of fossil-derived raw materials compared to conventional alternatives. Siegwerk uses the bio-based solvent as a drop-in solution for its existing ink formulations.

“The partnership with Celanese directly aligns with Siegwerk’s SustainUP program, our global sustainable procurement initiative, which is a key pillar of HorizonNOW 2030 – Siegwerk’s overarching sustainability strategy,” said Cathleen Hansohm, Global Supplier Sustainability manager, Siegwerk. “The use of a 50% bio-content ethyl acetate supports our ambition to expand the use of renewable feedstocks in a responsible and scalable way.”

“Collaboration is key to driving meaningful progress toward sustainability,” said Kevin Norfleet, senior director, Sustainability, at Celanese. “By working closely with Siegwerk, Celanese contributes to solutions that reduce the use of fossil resources while maintaining the high performance standards required in demanding applications such as printing inks.”

Through the collaboration,  INX will deploy Albert Invent’s operating system across its R&D organization to capture experimental knowledge, connect workflows across scientific teams, and build the data foundation required to tap into AI-powered discovery capabilities.

“Digital transformation in R&D isn’t just about implementing software. It’s about changing how knowledge flows across an entire organization,” said Mark Hill, senior vice president of R&D at INX. “The team at Albert are partners we can count on, working closely with our scientists to understand our workflows and implement a system that reflects how our teams actually innovate.”

“Modern materials innovation will increasingly depend on turning experimental knowledge into intelligence,” said Nick Talken, CEO of Albert Invent. “By building an AI-ready R&D infrastructure, INX has taken a huge leap forward when it comes to setting industry standards for innovation. We’re thrilled to be working closely with their team to build an internal environment where discovery can essentially accelerate with every experiment.”

According to the companies, OlinHuntsman will deliver to diverse and growing end markets, including automotive, construction and infrastructure, and industrial applications.

“As our industry continues to globalize, we compete more today against countries, than companies, trade policies and global supply chains than ever before,” said Peter Huntsman, chairman, president and CEO of Huntsman. “The opportunities this merger creates enable us to generate greater value for our shareholders, deliver exceptional service and products for our customers and provide greater stability and opportunities for our associates. This merger of equals takes two great companies and creates a much stronger global leader.”

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Upon closing of the transaction, OlinHuntsman will be headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.