Process news in brief: appointments, acquisitions, partnerships, expansions

Ingram, who succeeds Benny Mermans, vice president sustainability at Chevron Phillips Chemical, will spearhead efforts to “drive circularity and strengthen the competitiveness of Europe’s plastics industry” said the organisation.

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Energy sector services provider IKM Testing UK has opened its third facility, stating this will reinforce its plans to expand into international markets and the renewables sector, as well as increasing its decommissioning work in the UK.

Innovation House is located in Westhill which also houses the company’s headquarters Peregrine House. It will house a newly integrated design, training & competence (DCT) Department led by Lisa Allan as department manager, with Erin Hall as team lead for training and competence.

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ERG (Air Pollution Control) Ltd, a specialist in industrial emission abatement, has become the agent for UK, Ireland, Europe and Middle East for Yurcent Environmental Technology’s advanced third-generation Regenerative Thermal Oxidiser (RTO) systems which treat volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

In a statement, the companies said the move was designed to address stringent VOC and HAP (hazardous air pollutant) emission requirements in the chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and manufacturing industries.

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BioPhorum has announced its acquisition of specialist training provider for the pharmaceutical sector Inspired Pharma.

BioPhorum said the move would further expand its training portfolio. In 2024, it acquired UK-based training firm Brookwood Global, which provided professional development solutions in the clinical research and drug safety sectors.

Since its foundation in 2010, Inspired Pharma has offered classroom and online Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) training courses to global pharma clients.

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Alain Dilworth, among the original architects of the Made Smarter Adoption programme, was awarded an MBE for services to business growth and digitalisation in the New Year Honours List.

Dilworth has played a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Made Smarter since its inception in 2018, working closely with government and industry to design a national programme to aid manufacturing SMEs to adopt digital technologies, strengthen leadership capability and improve productivity.

Involved with the scheme since its inception in 2018, as programme manager for the scheme Dilworth oversaw the launch of the £20 million, three-year pilot that established a blueprint for national rollout.

He has since worked with the Department for Business and Trade to develop the adoption model established across all English regions.

In the North West, Made Smarter says it has engaged with more than 2,300 manufacturers, supporting 400-plus technology projects forecast to create almost 2,000 new jobs, upskill nearly 3,500 roles and add £287 million to the regional economy.

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GNT has opened an application laboratory in Dubai for manufacturers in the Middle East, North Africa, and Indian subcontinent using its plant-based EXBERRY food dye colours.

The lab will be situated alongside GNT’s commercial and marketing teams in the country, with the aim of delivering locally-based technical assistance and faster turnaround. The dyes are used as an alternative to synthetic dyes for a range of foods and drinks.

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Packaging solutions company Amcor is to support a three-year plastic recycling project led by the Danish Technological Institute. 

The co-funded innovation partnership Circular Recycling Innovation for Sustainable Packaging (CRISP) aims to establish the full-scale circular recycling of food packaging in polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) rigid plastics from household collections.

The firm will draft recycling and technical expertise from its CleanStream facility in Leamington Spa as well as its packaging production facility in Randers, Denmark for the project which will involve major food manufacturers and waste management specialists. 

The EU is targeting a plastic recycling rate among member states of 55% by 2030, with its Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) stipulating that the majority of plastic packaging must be designed for recyclability, within the same timeframe.

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Samuel Schär has succeeded Stefan Scheib as CEO of Bühler, a move first announced in April last year.

Scheiber, will be proposed as the new chairman of the board of directors at the Annual General Meeting in February 2026, when current chairman Calvin Griede is due to step down after 25 years during which he served as CEO and both board member and chairman.   

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Pic (clockwise, top left): Rob Ingram, Alain Dilworth, IKM Testing UK