Covestro, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components, has announced that it will open an automated laboratory for optimising coating and adhesive formulations to provide better support to its customers.

Formulations for coatings and adhesives including Covestro binders and crosslinkers will be tested in the new facility. Properties like hardness, adhesion, opacity, gloss or durability are guaranteed by their astute selection. The qualities of the finished product are determined by the mix of these formulas, which usually include seven to 15 components. Standard formulas are typically employed due to the large number of conceivable combinations that arise. The computer-aided design of test series and automation have also made it possible for the new laboratory to conduct longer test series.

The new facility can operate 24/7 with a goal to conduct tens of thousands of tests annually. In terms of quantity, diversity, accuracy and testing speed, this establishes a new benchmark. A significant quantity of structured data is produced by the automated laboratory. As a result, the body of information regarding formulation options and contributing factors will expand quickly. To further enhance formulations, the gathered data is assessed using specialised machine learning algorithms in conjunction with measurement data from previous experiments. In order to create a self-learning system, artificial intelligence is also employed to forecast future experiments based on property goals and concurrently validate them in the automated laboratory.

Apart from creating 1K and 2K systems based on water and solvent, the automated laboratory also conducts a variety of material tests on the applied films, formulations and raw materials. To replicate product use under application settings, application can even be conducted in a lab setting with varying climates. The quick transfer of created samples to more specialised testing labs is another benefit of Covestro's ongoing laboratory digitisation. This facilitates the addition of market-specific test findings to the datasets and speeds up the identification of pertinent relationships.

Thomas Büsgen, head of the laboratory, said, "With our automated laboratory, we can work together with our customers on the future of coatings and adhesives. Because it operates almost completely autonomously and learns from our existing knowledge and data lake as well as newly generated data, it makes the process of optimising and developing formulations many times more efficient and precise. This allows us to optimise existing formulations faster or even develop completely new formulations for and together with our customers. We can say: we are reaching a new level of modern research.”

Martin Merkens, Head of Sales & Market Development EMLA in Covestro's Coatings and Adhesives business entity, said, "Our new automated laboratory gives us more possibilities for testing formulations. It relieves our specialised laboratories of their standard tasks and can analyse samples more systematically. This allows us to focus our expertise and experience even more on customer-specific topics or try approaches we couldn't have implemented otherwise. This will particularly help us in the area of circular economy: Alternative raw materials, for example bio-based or recycled materials, can be tested faster and evaluated for their properties in the final product.”

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Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB publ has signed a letter of intent with an undisclosed partner to explore the possibility of licensing its advanced tyre pyrolysis technology for deployment in North America.

The collaboration will focus on conducting a comprehensive feasibility study to evaluate the technical and commercial viability of establishing one or multiple facilities dedicated to processing end-of-life tyres using Enviro’s proprietary method. This study is designed to provide the potential licensee with the necessary insights to assess the prospects of entering into a long-term commercial arrangement and formal technology licensing agreement.

It is important to note that any definitive agreements will depend entirely on the study's outcomes and subsequent negotiations. At this stage, there is no guarantee that the evaluation will lead to binding commitments or that the proposed transaction will ultimately materialise.

Fredrik Aaben, CEO, Scandinavian Enviro Systems, said, “We continue to see strong international interest in Enviro’s technology, and this letter of intent is yet another proof of this.”

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Kraton Corporation, a leading global producer of speciality polymers and high-value bio-based chemicals derived from pine wood pulping co-products, a global price increase for all polymer products with effect from 1 April 2026. The price hike will range from USD 440 per MT to USD 700 per MT, or as individual contract terms permit, with the exact price change varying according to the polymer type and production location.

The driving forces behind these significant pricing actions are multifaceted, rooted in substantial disruptions to global supply chains. These disruptions are largely attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has had a cascading effect on logistics. Compounding this issue are the sharply rising costs associated with transportation and essential raw materials.

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German specialty chemicals company LANXESS has announced a global price increase for its portfolio of functional additives for the manufacture of tyres and speciality rubbers. These changes, which are set to take effect immediately or as soon as individual contract terms permit, will see prices rise by 15 to 50 percent.

The driving forces behind these significant pricing actions are multifaceted, rooted in substantial disruptions to global supply chains. These disruptions are largely attributed to the ongoing geopolitical conflict, which has had a cascading effect on logistics. Compounding this issue are the sharply rising costs associated with transportation and essential raw materials.

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Orion S.A., a global speciality chemicals company, has announced a global price increase for its portfolio of speciality carbon black. These changes, which are set to take effect immediately or as soon as individual contract terms permit, will see prices rise by up to 25 percent.

In a strategic move to address persistent market volatility, the company is also implementing a variable surcharge on top of the base price increase. The driving forces behind these significant pricing actions are multifaceted, rooted in substantial disruptions to global supply chains. These disruptions are largely attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has had a cascading effect on logistics. Compounding this issue are the sharply rising costs associated with transportation and essential raw materials.

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