will allow determining the ingredientswhich are most suitable for betterstain removal during single-washapplications.
Original Source: Henkel AG & Co KgaA, website:http://www.henkel.com (19 Jun 2013) © Henkel AG &Co KGaA 2013
Johnson Matthey: business overviewfor the year ended 31 Mar 2013
Johnson Matthey’s EnvironmentalTechnologies Division had a steadyyear with sales 2% ahead andunderlying operating profit 7% higher.The Emission Control Technologieswas impacted by weak European automarket, but heavy duty diesel catalystbusiness continued to grow, while theProcess Technologies’ sales wereslightly ahead but operating profitincreased significantly, supported by agood result from Davy ProcessTechnology. However, the PreciousMetal Products Division had a verydisappointing year, particularly itsservices businesses, with sales 6%down and underlying operating profit27% lower. The lower averageprecious metal prices, lower volumes,and operational issues at the SaltLake City refinery all contributed tothe substantial reduction inprofitability. As previously announced,the loss of current contracts withAnglo American Platinum will impactfrom 4Q 2013/2014. Meanwhile, theunderlying results from FineChemicals were broadly in line with2012 with sales down 3% butoperating profit was 2% ahead. TheAPI manufacturing business wasrestructured with £14.2 M chargetaken outside its underlying profit.
Original Source: Johnson Matthey, website:http://www.matthey.com (6 Jun 2013) © JohnsonMatthey plc 2013
Johnson Matthey buys Formox
Sweden’s Formox has been bought byJohnson Matthey from PerstorpSpeciality Chemicals for €126 M. Theacquired firm will be integrated intoJohnson Matthey’s ProcessTechnologies business. Formoxsupplies catalysts, plant designs andlicences for formaldehyde production.
Original Source: Speciality Chemicals, Apr 2013, 33(4), (Website: http://www.specchemonline.com/) © Quartz Business Media Ltd 2013
Oxford Catalysts Report 2012: businessdevelopments
With the abundance of low priced gas,particularly in N America arising fromthe shale gas revolution, theopportunities for monetisation of gasremain attractive and Oxford Catalystscontinues to see strong interest in itsunique smaller scale modular Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) technology from avariety of major corporations, gasowners and processers, and projectdevelopers. The group has a healthypipeline of opportunities, and in 2012moved a number of these forward intoengineering stages. Its technologywas selected for 2 significantcommercial projects, for which thefinal decisions to proceed areexpected in 2013. These projectsalone have the capability ofgenerating upfront revenues to thegroup of $48 M+ with a further $112M over the first 20 years of operatinglife of the plants. At start 2012, OxfordCatalysts announced an order for afull-scale Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor(25 barrel/day) from a diversifiedenergy company in the Asia PacificRegion. This was installed, operatedand the technology successfullydemonstrated during 2012, providingthe group with an opportunity toshowcase its offering in the field to anumber of potential customers. OxfordCatalysts also continued to progressthe demonstration of its integratedGTL technology at Petrobras’ refineryin Brazil, and it remains on track for asuccessful outcome of thisprogramme. This project includes bothits Steam Methane Reforming (SMR)and FT reactors, which beganoperations in Fortaleza, Brazil, in late2011. It has been funded andmanaged by Toyo and MODEC incollaboration with Petrobras. Thedemonstration is scheduled tocontinue throughout 2013 and isexpected to be finished at end 2013.Oxford Catalysts has nowsuccessfully completed 3 out of 5milestone stages, in each casereceiving a milestone payment. Longduration testing of its FT catalyst(which started in 2011 andprogressed throughout 2012 and into2013) now exceeds 2 years andcontinues to demonstrate thecatalyst’s exceptional stability andhigh conversion rates. In Nov 2012Oxford Catalysts announced a
partnership with Ventech Engineers(global leaders in the design andfabrication of modular refineries andan early pioneer of modular GTLplants). Ventech is committed tooffering modular GTL plants usingOxford Catalysts’ technology, andduring 2012 it expanded its fabricationfacility in Houston to its current200,000 sq ft capacity to supportfuture orders. In addition, through itsaffiliate Ventech Project Investments,Ventech has $200 M available tomake equity investments in energyprojects and expects to co-invest ininitial customer GTL plants. Under thepartnership with Ventech, OxfordCatalysts became Ventech’s preferredsupplier of FT technology for NAmerica and the group grantedVentech non-exclusive assuredaccess to its technology for N America.Concurrently, VPI made a $2 M equityinvestment in the group’s shares at aprice of £1.35/share (representing atthe time a premium of 44% to theprevious day’s closing mid-marketprice). As part of the partnershiparrangement, Ventech committed toplacing an order with the group forreactors sufficient for the firstcommercial facility, at a total price ofapproximately $8 M. Contracts for thisorder are under negotiation and OxfordCatalysts is hopeful of a successfulconclusion before long. Also in Nov2012, the group announced that it hadsigned a service agreement withMourik LP (the global leader in catalysthandling) to provide catalyst fieldservices for the group’s commercialFT reactors. Mourik had been workingclosely with Oxford Catalysts for 1.5+years to qualify procedures for loadingand unloading catalyst from thegroup’s commercial reactors.
Original Source: Oxford Catalysts Group, 115E-HMilton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RZ, UK,tel: +44 (0)1235 841 70, fax: +44 (0)1235 841 701,email: [email protected], website:http://www.oxfordcatalysts.com/ (15 May 2013) © Oxford Catalysts Group plc 2013
Oxford Catalysts Report 2012:intellectual property
Oxford Catalysts owns or hasexclusive licences to the world’slargest microchannel patent portfolioencompassing 800+ patents with25,000+ patent claims across theglobe. It continues to patent, with 95patents having been granted in 2012.
AUGUST 2013 3
F O C U S O N C A T A LY S T S
