Extrusion International 2-2024-USA

29 Extrusion International 3/2022 The additives produced at the La Porte plant will be made from acety- lene, a colorless gas that Orion’s pro- duction process turns into powder with exceptional purity demanded by leading battery manufacturers. The acetylene will be supplied by a neighboring site owned by Equistar Chemicals LP, a subsidiary of Lyon- dellBasell. At the groundbreaking ceremo- ny, Kim Foley, LyondellBasell execu- tive vice president of Global Olefins and Polyolefins, Refining and Sup - ply Chain, said: “At LYB, we see electrification as a crucial part of our plan to reduce carbon emissions across our industries. By supporting the production of key battery components, we're contribut- ing to solutions for a better tomorrow.” Orion’s plant in La Porte is similar to one the company has in the city of Berre-l'Étang in southern France. The facility also uses acetylene from Lyon- dellBasell. With the LaPorte project, key equipment procurement and off-site fabrication are already at an advanced stage. Field construction activities are ramping up, with the fa- cility start-up expected in the second quarter of 2025. Orion S.A. orioncarbons.com Strategic Partnership Announced SI Group, a leading global develop- er andmanufacturer of performance additives, process solutions, pharma- ceuticals and chemical intermedi- ates, announced a long-term supply partnership with Liaoning Dingjide Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (Dingjide) Shanghai (CNY), a Chinese-based manufacturer of additives and other specialty chemicals. Through this partnership, Dingjide will manufac- ture certain SI Group products in China as a co-producer. As a result of the supply agreement, SI Group will cease manufacturing operations at its Jinshan, China manufacturing fa- cility and list the property and associ- ated legal entity for sale. Under terms of the agreement, SI Group will continue to offer these products to customers in China and will distribute and sell these materi- als outside of China. SI Group will seek to relocate its research and development facilities currently lo- cated in Jinshan and will continue to operate its remaining offices and manufacturing facility in China. “By partnering with Dingjide, SI Group is able focus on establishing global performance additives leadership through its global sales and market- ing reach and investments in innova- tion, while optimizing our footprint and variablizing our cost structure,” said Joey Gullion, SVP Chief Com- mercial Officer at SI Group. SI Group continues to make prog- ress toward the vision of being the global performance additives pow- erhouse and sees this partnership as a significant step in that journey. “SI Group has a long history of providing quality products to industries world- wide. As part of our business strate- gy, we continually seek new ways to realize quality growth in Asia Pacific and globally,” said David Bradley, President and CEO at SI Group. “In addition to our high-quality stan- dards and excellent service, this local supply point through our agreement with Dingjide reinforces our position as a main antioxidant supplier of choice for our customers.” Dingjide will uphold SI Group’s high quality product standards with production at its modern manufac- turing facility. “We’re very pleased to enter into a long-term strategic agreement with SI Group. By part- nering with SI Group, an internation- al leader in additives, Dingjide will leverage its world-class quality and production capabilities to support antioxidant growth in the global marketplace," said Zaiming Zhang, Chairman of Board of Directors, Lia- oning Dingjide Petrochemical. SI Group’s Jinshan, China manu- facturing facility is expected to cease manufacturing operations on July 31, 2024. The company will list the site for sale and seek a buyer im- mediately. SI Group www.siigroup.com