Environmentalists and civic groups in Taiwan's southern port city of Kaohsiung on Sunday (11 November 2018) protested for cleaner air in the wake of air pollution caused by factory emissions. "The 2018 Anti-Air pollution Rally" was organized by a coalition of environmental and health groups, including Southern Taiwan Anti-Air Pollution Alliance and Air Clean Taiwan's Kaohsiung branch.

The Polytec Group announced that it will build a new plant in the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ), which is located on South Africa’s south-eastern coast, to fulfil a major order for the production of complete vehicle underbody covers and other automotive components for the large volume model of a German automotive manufacturer. According to Polytec, the agreed eight-year delivery period will commence with the start of production in 2021.

Wanhua Chemical announced that it will invest approximately USD 1.25 billion to build a new MDI manufacturing complex in Convent, St. James Parish, LA, USA. The MDI plant will have a capacity of 400 kt/y.

Covestro announced that it has raised its stake in the Joint Venture DIC Covestro Polymer Ltd. (DCP) from 50 % to 80 %.

To meet the growing demand for a machine with a small footprint, Cannon Viking has launched its new Eco-Slab continuous foam machine at several conferences this year. The company has over 750 machines for the PU foam block production operational in 140 countries around the world by now.

Javier Constante, Commercial Vice President, Packaging and Specialty Plastics Business EMEA of Dow Europe, was nominated as new president of PlasticsEurope. He succeeds Daniele Ferrari, CEO of Versalis (Eni), who held this office since 2017 and was elected President of Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council) at the end of October 2018.

Saip has supplied a Contitech sandwich panel production line to Hierros y Transformados – Metalpanel. The Spanish company is one of the leading European companies in the manufacturing of sandwich panels. Production plant and headquarters are based near Toledo.

KraussMaffei Group with headquarters in Munich, Germany has been target of a cyber incident. Since 20 November 2018, parts of the KraussMaffei Group have only limited electronic access. The companie’s sites in Näfels (Netstal), Florence/USA (Krauss-Maffei Corporation) and Hanover (KraussMaffei Berstorff) have not been affected.

Lubrizol announces it will exhibit at IDEA19 in Miami Beach, 25 - 28 March 2019. The company said it will be showcasing several polymer and additive technologies that enhance performance of specialty papers, textiles and nonwovens.