Business Roundup

Millipore is closing a facility in Lincoln Park, N.J., and proposing the closure of two plants in the U.K. and one in Sweden. The closures, in response to poor market conditions in Millipore's bioprocess division, could result in the elimination or relocation of up to 140 jobs.

Lanxess plans to spend about $50 million expanding its caprolactam plant in Antwerp, Belgium, by 10%. The plant currently has 200,000 metric tons of annual capacity for the chemical, which is used to make nylon 6.

Solvay's Solvay Solexis subsidiary has acquired Newark, Del.-based Ajedium Film Group, a specialty manufacturing company focused on high-performance films and thin-gauge extruded sheet products. Ajedium will be integrated into Solvay Solexis, which has its headquarters in West Deptford, N.J.

Ciba has agreed to purchase the photoinitiator business of Italy's Lamberti Group. Ciba says the business, which had sales of about $28 million last year, will strengthen it in ultraviolet-curing chemicals for coatings, inks, adhesives, and electronics.

Arkema will build a 50,000-metric-ton-per-year 2-ethylhexyl acrylate plant at its Carling, France, site. The company says the plant, to open in fall 2009, will use an innovative process developed by its R&D department.

Genomatica says it has proven a biomanufacturing process capable of producing 1,4-butanediol from sugar. The San Diego, Calif.-based company, which is backed by several venture capital firms, claims it is the first firm to engineer a microorganism to produce the important raw material.

Pfizer will implement Prosonix' Prosonitron reactor and sonocrystallization technology at its manufacturing facilities in Ireland. According to Prosonix, the technology helps control the size, shape, and purity of pharmaceutical chemical crystals.

Codexis, citing market conditions, has asked the Securities & Exchange Commission to withdraw its registration for an initial public offering of stock. The company, which develops biocatalytic routes to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, filed in April to raise $100 million through a stock sale.

AnaSpec has won a contract from Becton Dickinson to manufacture the company's BD H7, Calcein AM, and DilC12(3) fluorescent dyes. The dyes are used in applications such as labeling of protein amine groups and cell labeling in end-point experiments.