Business Roundup

Momentive Performance Materials is suing two Chinese manufacturers, Dongguan Hungpai Shoe Material Manufacturing and Jingdezhen Hungpai Chemical Technology, for violating a patent on its NXT silanes. The silanes couple silica reinforcing agents to rubber in tires with a minimum of mixing steps.

CF Industries will acquire Yara’s 50% interest in GrowHow for $580 million, making the venture a wholly owned CF subsidiary. GrowHow makes nitrogen fertilizers in Ince and Billingham, England.

Arsenal Capital Partners has acquired Peach State Labs, a Georgia-based developer of specialty polymers. Arsenal says it plans additional acquisitions to build a global specialty polymers business.

Frutarom Industries has acquired Foote & Jenks, a specialist in making flavors that mask the aftertaste of drug ingredients, for $4 million. The purchase is the eighth this year for the acquisitive Israeli flavors and ingredients maker.

AkzoNobel is investing more than $3 million to expand its R&D facilities in Houston. The additional facilities, due to open in early 2016, will support the firm’s coatings businesses.

Bluestar SiliconesP is investing $17 million to improve quality and productivity at its elastomers plant in Saint-Fons, France. The French firm also plans to hike investment in R&D and marketing at the site.

Wembly Enterprises has purchased Shawsheen Rubber, a Massachusetts-based coatings and adhesives maker with 50 employees. Wembly, an investment firm founded by former International Specialty Products CEO Sunil Kumar, has made three other acquisitions since 2012: Nylon Corp. of America, Universal Plastics, and Mayfield Plastics.

SynSel Energy has licensed technology from CRI Catalyst that converts forestry and agricultural waste to hydrocarbon fuels and blend stocks. The continuous catalytic thermochemical process will be used at a demonstration facility in Grenland, Norway.

Entasis Therapeutics is the new name for AstraZeneca’s former anti-infective R&D activities. AstraZeneca created the spin-off earlier this year in Waltham, Mass., and gave it $40 million in funding.