​The Supervisory Board of Brenntag AG appointed Christian Kohlpaintner as the company's next CEO and Member of the Management Board effective January 1st, 2020. Over the last two decades, Christian Kohlpaintner has held various management positions in leading international companies. He joins from Clariant International Ltd. where he was Member of the Executive Committee. Christian Kohlpaintner will succeed the current CEO, Steven Holland, who will leave the company at the same time.

Stefan Zuschke, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Brenntag AG, commented on the appointment: "With Christian Kohlpaintner we have been able to place as our new CEO an internationally experienced business leader with a proven track record. He has demonstrated impressively that he can lead and develop major business divisions and companies successfully. It will be his mission to lead Brenntag to sustainable growth and expand the market leadership further. It will also be about breaking new ground while at the same time preserving the core of the successful business model."

The future CEO, Christian Kohlpaintner, commented on his appointment: "I am looking forward to my new role at Brenntag and the opportunity of working with my colleagues on the Management Board and the whole Brenntag team. Brenntag is a very healthy company which is ideally positioned in the chemical value chain."

The appointment of Christian Kohlpaintner also marks the end of Steven Holland's almost 14 years tenure with Brenntag, more than 8 years as its CEO. Stefan Zuschke: "The Supervisory Board would like to thank Steven Holland. Steven's vision and leadership have driven the company's growth and success in a dynamic and challenging environment. We sincerely thank Steven for his contributions and for developing the company into the leading position that Brenntag holds in the market today. The Supervisory Board wishes him all the best for the future."

Christian Kohlpaintner (55) has more than 20 years of management experience in an international environment. The Ph.D. chemist began his professional career at Hoechst, where he held various positions in Germany and the USA. Afterwards he moved to Celanese, where he worked amongst others as Marketing Director and as Vice President for Innovations. Between 2003 and 2009, Christian Kohlpaintner worked for Chemische Fabrik Budenheim, where his last position was CEO. In 2009, Christian Kohlpaintner joined Clariant in Switzerland, where he had been a member of the Executive Committee since then. Most recently he was based in China and amongst others responsible for the growth-oriented business areas of Clariant and the whole region Asia.

Website: www.brenntag.com

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Intelligent Wearables solution will help improve compliance and productivity at Braskem Idesa's Veracruz plant.

Honeywell has announced that Braskem Idesa has adopted a hands-free, wearable connected technology solution at its plant in Veracruz, Mexico. Honeywell's Intelligent Wearables will allow Braskem Idesa to improve productivity and compliance with process procedures, capture the expertise of experienced workers and provide critical insights and information effectively to trainees and support workers in the field.

​Honeywell is delivering a complete outcome-based solution that tracks specific key performance indicators and integrates hardware, software and services, and a full Wi-Fi infrastructure to support use of the solution across the plant. The wearable technology will also accelerate training and ensure safety for field operators at the Braskem Idesa facility.

"With this solution, Braskem Idesa is embracing the digital transformation that will enable us to retain our leadership in the petrochemicals industry," said Roberto Velasco Gutiérrez, industrial director, Braskem Idesa. "Capturing all the relevant expertise and data within the organization and getting it to workers wherever and whenever needed, will help get trainees safely into the field faster and ensure that every worker operates to Braskem Idesa's best standards."

A comprehensive range of applications from Honeywell will boost the speed, safety and reliability of field workers thanks to the following services:

• Expert on Call: Provides field workers with live, real-time access to experts in the central control room or elsewhere for troubleshooting, support and advice
• Video support: Enables users to view videos demonstrating key tasks
• Paperless rounds: Provides step-by-step instructions for common and complex tasks

"Braskem Idesa has not only taken an important step toward Industry 4.0 but has now also replaced paper-based and manual operations with a sophisticated solution that's both digital and wireless," said Vincent Higgins, director of technology and innovation, Honeywell Connected Enterprise, Industrial. "Wearable, voice-controlled computer headsets and software eliminate the need for clipboards, pens, and flashlights. Our offering will help Braskem Idesa capture expertise and document critical tasks to ensure operational compliance."

Honeywell's solution for field worker competency and productivity enables Braskem Idesa to tie its plant performance directly to the performance of its workers, critical to the success of any industrial enterprise. By connecting field workers with remote advice, Honeywell Intelligent Wearables also reduce the need for site visits from experts, empower workers to continue learning, become their best and effectively share their knowledge with peers.

The Braskem Idesa petrochemical complex has a production capacity of 1.05 million tons of ethylene and polyethylene. It is one of the largest petrochemical production sites in the Americas.

To learn more, please visit Honeywell's smart solutions for field worker competency and productivity.

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable.

Website: www.honeywell.com

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Orbia is also creating the ImpactMark - an ever-changing measure of the company's adherence to long-term financial health, environmental sustainability, and social progress. Plotted on a circular grid, the ImpactMark measures progress against six factors related to people, planet, and profit. It will be updated each year to reflect the latest data, demonstrating progress toward the company's ambitious goals over time.

"Orbia is taking a long-term approach to expressing the growth of our company against our impact on people, planet, and profit," said Daniel Martínez-Valle, CEO of Orbia. "Our strategy focuses on organic growth, driven by a strong customer focus, and maximizing ROIC. We believe that as we continue to evolve our company, we will create incredible value for our investors, our customers, and the communities around us while inspiring others to do the same."

Orbia's decades-long history began as a leading producer of commodities, and through investment and strategic growth has become a global leader in polymers, materials, and infrastructure. Today, Orbia is a global company operating in more than 40 countries, selling in more than 110 countries, and employing more than 22,000 people worldwide. The company's multiple headquarters – in Mexico City, Boston, Amsterdam, and Tel Aviv – reflect the global nature of the customers it serves and challenges it addresses.

This transition, which incorporates a new name, website, visual brand, and dynamic ImpactMark in lieu of a static logo is effective immediately and will be implemented across the company's products and services throughout the 2019 calendar year. Among select business groups, certain commercial brands will be updating as well. For more information, please visit www.orbia.com

About Orbia:
Orbia is a community of companies bound together by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. Orbia's business groups have a collective focus on insuring food security, reducing water scarcity, reinventing the future of cities and homes, connecting communities to data infrastructure, and expanding access to health and wellness with advanced materials. The business groups include Precision Agriculture, Building and Infrastructure, Fluor, Polymer Solutions, and Data Communications, which collectively pursue human centric solutions to global challenges. A global leader in specialty products and innovative solutions across multiple sectors of industry and commerce, from agriculture and infrastructure to telecommunications, healthcare and more, Orbia has commercial activities in more than 100 countries and operations in 41, with global headquarters in Mexico City, Boston, Amsterdam, and Tel Aviv.

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​Largest investment in the European chemical industry in 20 years

​INEOS, one of the largest chemical concerns in the world, has chosen the port of Antwerp as the location for a megainvestment of 3 billion euros representing 400 new jobs.
 
The capital outlay is the largest in the European chemical industry in the past two decades. With the securing of this large-scale investment project Antwerp further reinforces its role as the largest chemical cluster in Europe.

INEOS plans to build a brand-new propane dehydrogenisation (PDH) plant and an ethane cracker unit in Antwerp. These will respectively convert propane into propylene and ethylene as the raw materials for chemical products. These products find their way into many industries including car manufacturing, building construction, clothing, cosmetics and personal grooming products, pharmaceuticals, electronics and packaging materials.

The investment by INEOS confirms and strengthens the competitiveness of Antwerp’s chemical cluster in Europe.

Antwerp as a most attractive location Earlier last year INEOS announced that it planned a large-scale investment for further expansion of its chemical production facilities. Various European locations were considered, but ultimately the British chemical group opted for Antwerp.
 
INEOS CEO and chairman Jim Ratcliffe: “There are three reasons why we have chosen for Antwerp. We started here in 1998. We know the people here and have nine plants in Belgium and 2,500 employees, and Antwerp is highly competitive regarding connectivity with the European chemical cluster”. Of crucial importance is the fact that INEOS’ products will be destined for the many companies in the Antwerp chemical cluster. 
 
Port of Antwerp: Most competitive chemical cluster in Europe The investment by INEOS confirms and strengthens the competitiveness of Antwerp’s chemical cluster in Europe. Earlier in 2018 also the Austrian chemical concern Borealis announced it would invest 1 billion euros in the port of Antwerp.
 
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority comments: “It is naturally very good news that INEOS has selected our port for this major new investment. It once more demonstrates that we as the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe are very attractive to international investors.  This mega-investment brings the total amount of new capital expenditure that we have attracted to Antwerp over the past year to more than 5 billion euros. This will undoubtedly help to secure the presence of industry here in Antwerp.”
 
New plants operational by 2024 The new production plants of INEOS are expected to be operational by 2024. Once the plants are up and running they will provide 400 full-time jobs directly and five times that number indirectly. Some 3,000 people will be employed during the construction phase.
 
For more information about the investment by INEOS visit: www.ineos.com | www.portofantwerp.com
For more information about Antwerp’s chemical cluster visit: www.businessinantwerp.eu​