Mathias Miedreich has been appointed by Umicore’s Supervisory Board to succeed Marc Grynberg as CEO of the group in the fourth quarter of 2021. Marc Grynberg and Mathias Miedreich will work together to ensure an optimal onboarding and a smooth transition of leadership.

Altair will present its design solutions for the plastics industry at Fakuma 2021, Friedrichshafen, Germany, 12 – 16 October 2021, in Hall B1, stand B1-1225. Highlights at the stand are: design-related simulation for component and tool development, integrative simulation, the Altair Material Data Center, and solutions from the Altair AI portfolio.

In response to increasing demand for waterstop construction and sea wall defences, Hexpol TPE has added new grades to their family of hydrophilic TPEs. The Dryflex WS+ grades have been optimised for performance in high saline environments.

In the past, relying on vertical injection molding machines instead of traditional horizontal molding machines when it came to the production of two-component molded parts was usually the exception to the rule. And even then, it was only an option for small and medium-sized molded parts.

BASF will showcase its solutions for the footwear industry, including sustainable polyurethane systems, TPU and E-TPU, 3D printed moulds, functional coatings, and the comfort of a sneaker for dress shoes at Simac 2021. The international machinery and technology exhibition for shoes is being held in Milan, Italy, from 22 – 24 September 2021. In hall 14, stand G40, visitors will be given insights into sustainable footwear solutions, high performance materials and coating solutions for shoe soles.

The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) announced that the full programme for the upcoming 63rd Polyurethanes Technical Conference, the longest-running polyurethanes conference in North America, is now available. The event schedule – including descriptions, session organisers, moderators, and presentations for each session – can be found here. The conference will take place 5 – 7 October 2021 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, USA.

As reported by various German news portals, including Rheinische Post, Handelsblatt and Süddeutsche Zeitung, on 3 September 2021, Covestro plans to cut up to 1,700 jobs worldwide, including more than 900 at its four German sites in Leverkusen, Dormagen, Krefeld and Brunsbüttel, by the end of 2023.

As the largest outbreak of Covid-19 to date continues to affect Japan, the public health outlook for the foreseeable future remains uncertain. Taking the current situation seriously, Messe Frankfurt Japan Ltd has made the difficult decision to postpone the coming Formnext Forum Tokyo.

BASF announced it is strengthening its global catalyst development and helping customers to bring new products faster to the market. As part of this strategy, the company is building a new pilot plant centre at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany.

On 25 August 2021, LyondellBasell announced that Chief Executive Officer Bhavesh V. (Bob) Patel intends to retire from the company as of 31 December 2021. Patel will continue to lead the company until that time and will ensure a smooth and orderly transition for his successor. Upon his departure, he will also resign from the company's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has established a sub-committee that will oversee the search for a new CEO and will consider both internal and external candidates.