International news

Ben Mechelmans is the new Managing Director for the Arburg subsidiary in Belgium. Ben Mechelmans takes the helm of Arburg from Gerrit Hazeleger, who has been responsible for both the Dutch and Belgian branches as Managing Director since 2019. From now on...

An informal meeting between EU leaders took place on 12 February at Alden Biesen in Belgium to examine the economic situation and adopt measures aimed at improving competitiveness within the Union and reducing economic dependencies on non-European sources. A shared priority was...

EUPC (European Plastics Converters) also supports the Antwerp Declaration, joining the chorus that, ahead of the informal meeting of Unione europea leaders on 12 February in Alden Biesen on competitiveness, has been calling loudly for urgent action to safeguard European industry....

Ahead of the informal EU Leaders’ retreat on Thursday, 12 February, Plastics Europe and its members urge decisive political action to stabilise and secure plastics production, innovation and circularity in Europe – before further capacity, investment and know-how are irreversibly lost...

Herrmann Ultraschall has appointed Joerg Zech as Chief Operating Officer (COO), strengthening the company’s focus on operations. By further developing structures and processes, particularly at the company’s headquarters in Karlsbad, Germany, Zech aims to deliver measurable...

At the recent Plastindia 2026, Erema and Lindner Washtech officially announced the opening of Erema India, sales and service subsidiary that is the two joint venture partners’ response to the growing demand for high-quality recycling solutions in India’s rapidly expanding market...

Kraton Corporation has appointed Sangwoo Ryu as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Currently serving as CEO of Cariflex Pte, a Kraton spin-off under DL Chemical, Ryu joined Cariflex in February 2020, just prior to Cariflex’s acquisition by DL Chemical. Initially serving as...

The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) has released its Rubber Statistical Report for the third quarter of 2025, outlining recent developments in global rubber production and consumption. Global rubber consumption declined by 2.1% in the third quarter of 2025 compared...

DOW has announced “Transforrm to Outperform”, a comprehensive plan to simplify how it operates and streamline its end-to-end processes. The company will also reset its cost structure and modernize how it serves customers. The plan targets the addition of at least 2 billion dollars in near-term operating Ebitda, in part by...

Accelerating growth in India and throughout the SAARC geographical area - the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, a regional intergovernmental organisation in South Asia based in Kathmandu, Nepal. This is the objective of REP, a French company that manufactures presses for rubber and...

The new report “European Chemical Closures & Investments Radar 2022-2025”, commissioned by Cefic and prepared by Roland Berger, shows that chemical plant closures in Europe, surged sixfold since 2022, reaching a cumulative 37 million tonnes of capacity...

The European Parliament has decided to ask the European Court of Justice to assess whether the EU-Mercosur agreement complies with EU Treaties. This move blocks the European Parliament's ratification vote and opens a phase of legal and political uncertainty over one of the EU's most ambitious trade agreements...

The global leader in the design and production of custom mechatronic solutions for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and packaging sectors uniting highly specialized brands such as CB Automation, Neyret Group, Union, Tecom, Alci, SMP and Ermo, Mech-I-Tronic announced the acquisition of Colamark, a company based in...

The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) has released the latest edition of the World Rubber Industry Outlook – the twice-yearly report providing forecasts for the global economy and the automotive, tyre and rubber sectors – with projections updated through to 2032...

“Future? Ready!” With this motto, Henkel has launched the celebration of its 150 years of history, which began on 26 September 1876 when Fritz Henkel founded the company in Aachen (Germany). Today, it is a multinational producer of adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings...

Will the economic upturn finally arrive in 2026? There is reason for optimism, at least for plastic pipe manufacturers. For some time, the European market for PVC, polypropylene and other polymer pipes has been stagnating at around 5 million tonnes per year. However, according to market research company Ceresana...

“Today marks a historic milestone with the signing of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, creating the biggest trading block in the world. European business – represented by more than 28 associations across a wide range of sectors – warmly welcomes this signature. It sends a strong and timely signal that...

With effect from 1 January 2026, Markus Büngers has taken over the position of CEO of Hasco Hasenclever. Following the departure of the long-standing CEO, Christoph Ehrlich, in the summer of 2025, Thomas Karazmann initially assumed responsibility for managing the company and...

Kraton Corporation announced that its CEO, Marcello Boldrini, left the company. To ensure continuity, the Polymer and Pine Chemical businesses will be led by Kraton’s Business Presidents, Prakash Kolluri and Minco van Breevoort. Kraton’s Business Presidents, as well as other members of the Executive Team, will report...

The German sites of Domo Chemicals will be allowed to continue operating at a minimal level for the time being. The state of Saxony-Anhalt has ordered the continued operation of the production facilities in Leuna on public safety grounds. This means that an immediate shutdown of operations is off the table for now...