Business Roundup

Ineos, in a change of plans, won’t acquire Ashland’s maleic anhydride facility in Neal, West Virginia, as part of its $1.1 billion purchase of Ashland’s composites and butanediol operations. Instead, Ashland will try to sell the plant to a third party and give the proceeds to Ineos.

Oxea has settled on Oberhausen, Germany, as the site of a new carboxylic acid plant it intends to build by the end of 2021. The project will double the company’s capacity for isononanoic acid and increase its total production capacity for carboxylic acids by more than 30%.

Teijin has agreed to acquire Benet Automotive, a Czech Republic–based supplier of composite components to the auto industry. Teijin, of Japan, acquired similar businesses in the US and Portugal in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

MFG Chemical says it will add capacity and upgrade safety and production efficiency systems at its three plants in Georgia. The company recently upgraded its facility in Pasadena, Texas, which it acquired in 2017.

DuPont has sold its natural colors business, part of its purchase of FMC’s health and nutrition division, to DDW, the Color House, a provider of colors for foods and beverages. The sale includes manufacturing facilities in the UK and Chile.

Eurofins Scientific has acquired Lab Solution, a chemical-analysis and environmental-testing lab focused on the Italian textile industry. Eurofins, a large analytical service firm, says the purchase takes it into the luxury textile market.

Pili, a French maker of biotech dyes, has raised $4 million to advance its fermentation-made dyes and pigments for use in the textile industry. Backers include the venture capital firm SOSV and Bpifrance, a government organization that supports entrepreneurs.

Catalent has struck a deal with Sanofi Active Ingredient Solutions under which Catalent customers will get access to drug spray-drying services from Sanofi’s Haverhill, England, facility. The arrangement will complement Catalent’s own commercial spray-drying facility in Winchester, Kentucky.