News in brief
15 Jan 2000
Chlorochems online for BASF...
Expanded capacity for chloroformates, acid chlorides and alkyl chlorides has come on-stream at BASF's Ludwigshafen complex. The new plants, which add 10000tpa to the company's chlorochemicals capacity, took a little under two years to build. The products will be used as intermediates for peroxides, agrochemicals, antibiotics and cosmetics, and in the paper industry.
The Chinese State Council has approved BASF's proposal for an integrated petrochemical site in Nanjing, to be built in partnership with Yangzi Petrochemical Corporation. The complex is to be centred around a steamcracker, 'which will supply several downstream plants in a value-added chain'. The companies are currently completing a feasibility study, which they expect to complete this year; The plant is slated to come on-stream in 2003.
MRes receives go-ahead
The UK research councils are to be allowed to develop the 'Master in Research' (MRes) degrees which have been piloted since 1995. There are currently 235 students on over 309 MRes courses.
Bumper year for Honeywell
Control systems giant Honeywell posted net income of $471 million for 1997, 17 per cent up on the previous year. Sales were up 10 per cent at $8 billion. In the industrial control division, sales were up 16 per cent at $2.6 billion, with operating profits up 9 per cent at $278 million. Demand for the TotalPlant Solution system helped push orders 10 per cent above the previous year's levels; the system has garnered over $1 billion-worth of orders since its launch in 1996, the company says.
Engineering Council DG quits
Mike Heath, the director-general of the Engineering Council, is to leave the council at the end of June after three years in the post. 'Ifeel that we have reached a natural break in the evolution of the council,' he comments, 'and it seems a logical point to hand the reins over to someone else.'
