Aziz Aghili has joined Dana Holding Corporation as President of Europe. In this role, Aghili will have responsibility for leading growth and activities across Dana's European operations and ensuring that the company's business in the region is aligned with the strategic direction of the organisation.

The surface of the new VW Golf VI’s centre console is made out of Elastollan, a thermoplastic polyurethane from BASF. BASF’s client, Key Plastics Europe in Lennestadt, brought the construction unit to the production stage in a very short development time.

The Bavarian TPE specialist Kraiburg TPE announces that it is currently reorganising its European project management structures. In the future, sales and development staff will work together on customer projects from the very outset, pooling their knowledge to achieve the best possible results, says the company in an announcement released today. Aligning the composition with each particular project, it will assemble teams made up of the appropriate specialists drawn from both areas. With this new approach the TPE specialist says that it will be making technical know-how available to its customers first-hand. It also hopes to accelerate development processes and further optimise project management.

DSM Engineering Plastics has announced that it has launched an open innovation section on its website.

On 2 December Polymer Holdings LLC announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of 10,294,118 shares of its common stock. The underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15 % of common stock from the company at the public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any.

Effective 1 November 2009, Jacob (Jake) Axel has assumed the position of President of Axel Plastics Research Laboratories. The former President Frank Axel will remain with the company in the capacity of Chairman and CEO.

Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has entered into an agreement to acquire PolyBioMed Ltd. based in Sheffield, UK, thereby expanding its product portfolio for medical technology. PolyBioMed, a subsidiary of Lombard Medical Technologies plc, provides polymer coatings, surface treatments and biomaterials to the medical device industry.

Chemtura Corporation will further grow its global antioxidant business with an additional expansion of its capacity at Gulf Stabilizer Industries (GSI), its joint venture facility with Al-Zamil Group in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Trelleborg has strengthened its presence in Brazil by inaugurating a new plant in São José dos Campos outside São Paulo. The facility manufactures seals for aircraft, passenger cars, and industrial applications.

News agency Bloomberg reported that on 25 November 2009, Sinopec China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., China’s biggest oil refiner, and US buyout firm Texas Pacific Group (TPG) have made a bid for bankrupt chemicals company LyondellBasell Industries that could rival Reliance Industries’ offer of about USD 12 billion.