International news

Christian Spies has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Spectrix, taking on a newly established position created to lead the company. Spectrix is a global precision moulding platform, backed by Apollo, bringing together six specialist brands – Synventive, Männer, Foboha, Thermoplay, Gammaflux and Priamus...

Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman and CEO of Ineos, has written a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighting the extremely difficult situation facing the European chemical industry. In his letter, he stresses that the sector has now entered a genuine phase of contraction...

Christian Frank, General Manager at Sikora, handed over operational responsibility as CEO to Alaaddin Aydin, also General Manager, effective 1 July. With this step, Sikora is ushering in the next phase of the company’s development while ensuring continuity and a timely, orderly succession. Going forward...

EPPA, the European trade association of PVC window system suppliers, announced its new leadership team following the EPPA Conference and General Assembly. Highly respected industry leader and long-standing supporter of the association, Andreas Hartleif, CEO of...

Following the completion of construction in August and the gradual relocation into the new facility from September 2025 onwards, Haitian’s manufacturing facility in Serbia has become an important part of the company’s international production network. As one of the company’s five production facilities outside China, it supports...

Olin Corporation and Huntsman Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals to create a leading North American chemicals company. The transaction is expected to generate significant value for shareholders of...

The EU27 chemical industry continues to face a deep and structural competitiveness challenge, with performance remaining significantly below its pre-crisis benchmark (2014–2019 average). Despite modest improvement in early 2026, weak demand, declining production and intensifying global competition persist...

Evonik will implement further structural and cost-cutting measures in the coming years to drive forward the company’s transformation. "The global political situation remains uncertain, and economic growth is persistently weak. At the same time, international competition is becoming increasingly fierce...

European Plastics Converters (EuPC) has announced the election of Jean-Marc Galvez as its new President for the period 2026-2028, following the election held during the EuPC General Assembly 2026 on 3 June 2026. Jean-Marc Galvez is succeeding Benoit Hennaut who has been...

TEPPFA, the European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association, announces the appointment of Martina Conton as its new Director General. She will take up her role on 1 July 2026 succeeding current General Manager Ludo Debever. Martina Conton brings extensive experience from both European industry associations and...

From 1 June, Artur Metzler will take over as Managing Director of Arburg Polska in Warsaw. This expert in sales and service has been with Arburg since 2005 and has acquired extensive knowledge of the market and customer requirements. Arburg is one of the leading suppliers of...

LyondellBasell announced that it has successfully completed the sale of select European olefins and polyolefins assets, and the associated business and corporate functions, to Aequita as a key milestone in the company’s European strategic assessment. The divestiture supports the company’s strategy to...

The International Rubber Study Group has released its Rubber Statistical Bulletin for the first quarter of 2026, covering full-year 2025 data. The report highlights a year of marginal growth in global rubber production alongside subdued demand conditions shaped by persistent...

Barnes Molding Solutions is now Spectrix. The new Brand offers the full spectrum of injection molding capabilities delivered by its leading brands – Männer, Foboha, Synventive, Priamus, Thermoplay, and Gammaflux. The change, announced at Chinaplas 2026, reflects the...

TEPPFA (the European plastic pipes and fittings association) has announced the appointment of Rolf Mellink, member of the Orbia Building & Infrastructure (Wavin) Leadership Team, as its new President. He was unanimously elected for a two-year mandate, effective immediately during...

Gneuss Kunststofftechnik, a manufacturer of systems for plastics processing and recycling, is reorganising its sensor and measurement technology activities. As of 1 May, the operational business in this field will be transferred to the newly founded Gneuss MC. This move responds to the division’s growth and...

Mauro Bonfiglio has joined Arkema as Commercial Director EMEA – Flexible Packaging, within the Advanced Packaging & Converting division. Bonfiglio brings over twenty years of experience in marketing and sales of adhesive solutions for the converting and packaging sectors...

Dow announced that Jim Fitterling, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, will become Executive Chair of the Board, effective 1 July 2026. The Dow Board of Directors has appointed Karen S. Carter, currently Chief Operating Officer, as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Carter will also...

US blow moulding machinery manufacturer Uniloy, which also has an Italian subsidiary in Magenta, near Milan, has in recent days appointed Chuck Flammer as its new Vice President of Machine Sales. In this role, he will be responsible for supporting the US and Canadian markets and for helping to...

The Austrian Wittmann Group is restructuring its management. The business divisions Injection Molding Machines – Wittmann Battenfeld, based in Kottingbrunn – and Automation and Auxiliary Equipment – Wittmann Technology, based in Vienna – will be consolidated under...