March 3, 2026 – Stahl, a global leader in specialty coatings for flexible materials, has announced the global launch of PermUCell™, its next‑generation water‑based, DMF‑free coagulation technology for the production of high‑quality polyurethane substrates. Following successful adoption by key manufacturing partners across Asia, the world’s leading hub for footwear and synthetic materials production, PermUCell™ is now fully available to manufacturers worldwide.

On March 3, 2026, Henkel announced the official opening of its new innovation center in Jundiaí, Brazil. With an investment of approximately 38 million euros and a total area of 5,000 square meters, the center will serve as Henkel’s new hub for adhesive technologies R&D in Latin America. The innovation center adopts Henkel’s advanced global innovation center model, which has been successfully implemented at its headquarters in Düsseldorf, Germany, and its innovation center in Shanghai, China. The model is designed to transform technical expertise into impactful and sustainable innovations. Designed as an ecosystem for collaborative technological creation, the new innovation center in Brazil underscores Henkel’s commitment to driving regional innovation.

Meteor Creative Inc., a manufacturer of tooling and molds for automotive and original equipment manufacturers, has announced the permanent closure of its manufacturing facility in Tipp City, Ohio, USA. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the facility is scheduled to close on April 24, 2026, affecting approximately 66 employees.

From November 12 to 14, 2025, the Kazakhstan International Plastics and Chemical Industry Exhibition – PLASTEX QAZAQSTAN – will be held for the first time at the Atakent Exhibition Complex (Almaty).

In the high-end polybutene-1 (PB-1) market, where performance and price have long been a balancing act, Sinopec’s domestic PB-1 has broken the mold. Leveraging its innovative liquid-phase bulk polymerization process and the advantages of domestic butene-1 raw materials, it has achieved a 15%-20% reduction in unit costs compared to similar products. This cost breakthrough not only makes high-performance PB-1 more accessible to industries but also reshapes the global competitive landscape of polyolefin materials.

In the global polybutene-1 (PB-1) industry, where technical standards have long been dominated by international giants, Sinopec's domestic PB-1 has broken new ground. As a pioneer in China's high-end polyolefin sector, it has not only achieved technological breakthroughs but also taken the lead in shaping industry norms—spearheading the formulation of 12 domestic industry standards and becoming the first Chinese PB-1 product to pass the ISO 15874 certification for hot water pressure resistance (PN1.6MPa at 95℃). This dual achievement in standard-setting and international certification marks China's transition from a "standard follower" to a "rule maker" in the global PB-1 market.

In fields where safety and environmental friendliness are non-negotiable—such as medical devices and food packaging—material selection carries immense responsibility. Sinopec's domestic polybutene-1 (PB-1) has emerged as a trusted solution, having passed China's strictest certifications: the China Environmental Label (Ten-Ring Certification) and food contact safety testing (GB 4806.7). These credentials not only validate its purity and eco-friendliness but also enable its direct application in critical scenarios where human health is paramount.

In the industrialization process of polybutene-1 (PB-1) materials, crystal transformation has always been a critical bottleneck restricting industry efficiency. This high-performance material, known as "plastic gold," must undergo a molecular-level "metamorphosis" from the metastable Form Ⅱ to the stable Form Ⅰ after production. This process not only determines the dimensional stability and mechanical properties of the product but also directly affects the enterprise's production cycle and market response speed. In traditional processes, the crystal transformation of PB-1 is like a long wait: it takes 7-10 days of natural placement for molecular chains to rearrange from loose to dense. This means factories need to reserve large storage spaces for pipes waiting for transformation, resulting in high capital occupation costs and significantly prolonged order delivery cycles. However, Sinopec's independently developed PB-1 material, through innovative nucleating agent modification technology, has compressed this transformation cycle to 3-5 days, increasing production efficiency by 57% and bringing a disruptive efficiency revolution to the industry.

In high-pressure industrial fields such as chemical engineering, energy, and pharmaceuticals, the stress cracking resistance of pipeline materials is directly related to production safety and system lifespan. Traditional plastic pipelines often suffer from molecular chain breakage under high-temperature and high-pressure environments, leading to leaks or even explosions. However, Sinopec's domestic PB-1, with its breakthrough stress cracking resistance — featuring a stress cracking time of over 1,000 hours at 80℃C and 4MPa pressure, and a design stress reaching the highest level among similar pipes — provides a reliable material solution for high-pressure industrial scenarios.

In the high-end material sectors of medical devices and municipal engineering, there has long been a "dual dependence" — precision medical catheters rely on imported polymer materials, while natural gas transmission pipelines predominantly use metal pipes. This reliance not only drives up costs but also poses hidden risks to supply chain security. Sinopec's independently developed polybutene-1 (PB-1) material is rewriting this landscape with breakthrough performance and cost advantages: medical catheters made from it have passed the internationally authoritative ISO 10993 biocompatibility tests, with prices 30% lower than similar imported products; in numerous domestic "natural gas municipal pipeline" projects, it has successfully replaced metal pipes, achieving a material innovation of "plastic replacing steel."