Machine learning techniques improve X-ray materials analysis

TSUKUBA, Japan, Nov 17, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Researchers of RIKEN at Japan’s state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation facility, SPring-8, and their collaborators, have developed a faster and simpler way to carry out segmentation analysis, a vital process in materials science. The new method was published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods.

The SPring-8 facility has a storage ring with a circumference of 1.5 km

Segmentation analysis is used to understand the fine-scale composition of a material. It identifies distinct regions (or ‘segments’) with specific compositions, structural characteristics, or properties. This helps evaluate the suitability of a material for specific functions, as well as its possible limitations. It can also be used for quality control in material fabrication and for identifying points of weakness when analyzing materials that have failed.

Segmentation analysis is very important for synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography (SR-CT), which is similar to conventional medical CT scanning but uses intense focused X-rays produced by electrons circulating in a storage ring at nearly the speed of light. The team have demonstrated that machine learning is capable in conducting the segmentation analysis for the refraction contrast CT, which is especially useful for visualizing the three-dimensional structure in samples with small density differences between regions of interest, such as epoxy resins.

“Until now, no general segmentation analysis method for synchrotron radiation refraction contrast CT has been reported,” says first author Satoru Hamamoto. “Researchers have generally had to do segmentation analysis by trial and error, which has made it difficult for those who are not experts.”

The team’s solution was to use machine learning methods established in biomedical fields in combination with a transfer learning technique to finely adjust to the segmentation analysis of SR-CTs. Building on the existing machine learning model greatly reduced the amount of training data needed to get results.

“We’ve demonstrated that fast and accurate segmentation analysis is possible using machine learning methods, at a reasonable computational cost, and in a way that should allow non-experts to achieve levels of accuracy similar to experts,” says Takaki Hatsui, who led the research group.

The researchers carried out a proof-of-concept analysis in which they successfully detected regions created by water within an epoxy resin. Their success suggests that the technique will be useful for analyzing a wide range of materials.

To make this analysis method available as widely and quickly as possible, the team plans to establish segmentation analysis as a service offered to external researchers by the SPring-8 data center, which has recently started its operation.

Further information
Public Relations Office, RIKEN
Tel: 050-3495-0305
Email: ex-press@riken.jp
2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
https://www.riken.jp/en/

Paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/27660400.2023.2270529

About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods (STAM-M)

STAM Methods is an open access sister journal of Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM), and focuses on emergent methods and tools for improving and/or accelerating materials developments, such as methodology, apparatus, instrumentation, modeling, high-through put data collection, materials/process informatics, databases, and programming. https://www.tandfonline.com/STAM-M

Dr Yasufumi Nakamichi
STAM Publishing Director
Email: NAKAMICHI.Yasufumi@nims.go.jp

Press release distributed by Asia Research News for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Spectrum Chemical Manufacturing Corporation Announces Poh Leong Peng Has Joined as General Manager, Spectrum China

GARDENA, CA and SHANGHAI, CHINA, Nov 14, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp., a leading global provider of specialty, fine and cGMP chemicals, has announced that Poh Leong Peng has joined the company as General Manager, Spectrum China. Based in Shanghai, Poh will be responsible for working closely with Spectrum customers, strategic partners and distributors to drive engagement and business development efforts, and to oversee regional operations in serving the diverse China market.

Poh Leong Peng, General Manager, Spectrum China

“We are very pleased to welcome Poh to our global team,” said Randy Burg, President and CEO, Spectrum Chemical. “His leadership and substantial expertise will help accelerate our forward-looking goals for further international business development. China is an important strategic market and Poh will be instrumental in guiding Spectrum China in its next phase of growth.”

Poh joins Spectrum from Thermo Fisher Scientific in Singapore. He has more than a decade’s worth of leadership roles in operations management of commercial organizations across multiple regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and biopharma. Poh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University College of Dublin, Singapore, and an MBA from the University of Northampton, Singapore.

“I am excited to become a member of Spectrum management,” said Poh Leong Peng. “I look forward to working with the China team to offer customers and partners Spectrum’s global supply chain advantages, advanced chemical technologies and best-in-class quality products and services.”

About Spectrum China

Spectrum Chemical began sales and marketing operations in China in 2003 and later opened analytical testing, laboratory and warehousing facilities in Shanghai. In February 2011, Spectrum opened a new 30,000-sq ft facility in the Songjiang Industry Zone in Shanghai, which provides expanded analytical testing, warehousing, and distribution capabilities for its global customers. In addition to offering contract analytical services, the company’s facilities in China serve two primary functions: supplying domestic and foreign manufacturers with bulk fine chemicals and providing a base for the company’s sourcing activities in China, which include related analytical testing. For more information on Spectrum Chemical’s commitment to the China market 2003 to the present, visit SpectrumChemical.com

About Spectrum Chemical

Celebrating more than 50 years in business, Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp. is a leading global provider of chemicals, laboratory equipment and supplies serving more than 120 industries in 70 countries. The company offers more than 45,000 chemicals in laboratory, scale-up and bulk quantities including the largest selection of USP-NF-FCC-BP-EP-JP chemicals in the world. Spectrum Chemical’s capabilities include extensive analytical testing of its products throughout its three state-of-the-art facilities, as well as scientific documentation with supply chain transparency and change control required for quality-driven industries. The company also distributes more than 60,000 laboratory supplies, safety items and equipment. For more information, visit SpectrumChemical.com

Media Contact:
Sandra Oak, Nsight Public Relations,
+1-321-591-1508, soak@nsightpr.com

China Company Contact:
Lynn Luo, Marketing Manager,
+86.21.67601398-818, lluo@spectrumchemical.com

United States Company Contact:
Matthew Szap, PhD, Senior Technical Marketing Manager,
+1-323-206-5949, mszap@spectrumchemical.com

GPT-4 artificial intelligence shows some competence in chemistry

TSUKUBA, Japan, Oct 17, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – GPT-4, the latest version of the artificial intelligence system from OpenAI, the developers of Chat-GPT, demonstrates considerable usefulness in tackling chemistry challenges, but still has significant weaknesses. “It has a notable understanding of chemistry, suggesting it can predict and propose experimental results in ways akin to human thought processes,” says chemist Kan Hatakeyama-Sato, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Hatakeyama-Sato and his colleagues discuss their exploration of the potential of GPT-4 in chemical research in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods.

Researchers investigated the chemistry knowledge and capabilities of GPT-4, the latest version of OpenAI's artificial intelligence model. (Credit: Growtika via Unsplash) — Researchers investigated the chemistry knowledge and capabilities of GPT-4, the latest version of OpenAI’s artificial intelligence model. (Credit: Growtika via Unsplash)

GPT-4, which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4, belongs to a category of artificial intelligence systems known as large language models. These can gather and analyse vast quantities of information in search of solutions to challenges set by users. One advance for GPT-4 is that it can use information in the form of images in addition to text.

Although the specific datasets used for training GPT-4 have not been disclosed by its developers, it has clearly learned a significant amount of detailed chemistry knowledge. To analyse its capabilities, the researchers set the system a series of chemical tasks focused on organic chemistry – the chemistry of carbon-based compounds. These covered basic chemical theory, the handling of molecular data, predicting the properties of chemicals, the outcome of chemical processes and proposing new chemical procedures.

The results of the investigation were varied, revealing both strengths and significant limitations. GPT-4 displayed a good understanding of general textbook-level knowledge in organic chemistry. It was weak, however, when set tasks dealing with specialized content or unique methods for making specific organic compounds. It displayed only partial efficiency in interpreting chemical structures and converting them into a standard notation. One interesting feat was its ability to make accurate predictions for the properties of compounds that it had not specifically been trained on. Overall, it was able to outperform some existing computational algorithms, but fell short against others.

“The results indicate that GPT-4 can tackle a wide range of tasks in chemical research, spanning from textbook-level knowledge to addressing untrained problems and optimizing multiple variables,” says Hatakeyama-Sato. “Inevitably, its performance relies heavily on the quality and quantity of its training data, and there is much room for improvement in its inference capabilities.”

The researchers emphasise that their work was only a preliminary investigation, and that future research should broaden the scope of the trials and dig deeper into the performance of GPT-4 in more diverse research scenarios.

They also hope to develop their own large language models specializing in chemistry and explore their integration with existing techniques.

“In the meantime, researchers should certainly consider applying GPT-4 to chemical challenges, possibly using hybrid methods that include existing specialized techniques,” Hatakeyama-Sato concludes.

Further information:

Kan Hatakeyama-Sato, Email: hatakeyama.k.ac@m.titech.ac.jp, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Teruaki Hayakawa, Email: hayakawa.t.ac@m.titech.ac.jp, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/27660400.2023.2260300

About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods (STAM-M)

Dr Yasufumi Nakamichi, STAM Publishing Director, Email: NAKAMICHI.Yasufumi@nims.go.jp

Press release distributed by Asia Research News for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Electronics Asia Conference 2023 to Highlight IoT, AI/ML, Automotive, and Wireless Developments Driving Semiconductor Industry Growth in Asia

TAIWAN, Oct 5, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Following the success of its inaugural edition, the second Electronics Asia Conference (EAC), a virtual conference and exhibition organized by AspenCore, the publisher of EE Times Asia, EE Times India, and EDN Asia, is set to take place from October 17 to 19, 2023. With the theme “Strengthening Asia’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Ecosystem,” EAC 2023 aims to highlight the latest technology trends, innovations, and strategic insights within the electronics and semiconductor industry in Asia.

The global semiconductor industry reversed its five straight quarters of decline by registering a 3.4% revenue growth in the second quarter of 2023, according to Omdia. Driving the turnaround are the wireless segment, the automotive electronics sector, and artificial intelligence (AI), mainly due to growing demand for generative AI and data processing chips in the server space.

According to International Data Corp. (IDC), spending on AI—including software, services, and hardware for AI-centric systems—in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to reach $78.4 billion in 2027, reflecting a shift toward adopting cutting-edge technologies to transform operations and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing market.

Meanwhile, the increasing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is fueling the automation and digitalization trends in the industrial space, thereby stimulating demand for Internet of Things (IoT) and embedded systems, as more manufacturers embrace smarter manufacturing.

These key trends are among the many developments driving Asia’s electronics and semiconductor supply chain.

EAC 2023 will put the spotlight on technology innovations that are driving the latest developments and new applications in sectors including IoT, AI/ML, embedded systems, industrial automation, smart manufacturing, the wireless sector, and the electronics and semiconductor supply chain. The event will feature a virtual fairground, an exhibition hall, and a conference space, similar to a live exhibition and conference.

Confirmed companies presenting at the virtual conference include Arm, Applied Materials Inc., Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Cadence Design Systems Inc., Cambridge GaN Devices, Chip 1 Exchange, GaN Systems Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, Merck Electronics, Molex, Navitas Semiconductor, proteanTecs, NXP Semiconductors, MosChip Technologies Ltd, Mouser Electronics Inc., Silicon Laboratories Inc., SCHURTER Group, STMicroelectronics, Synopsys Inc., Tektronix, and Texas Instruments Inc.

For more information and to register, visit https://ve.eetasia.com/eac2023.

About AspenCore

AspenCore is a unique collection of brands and products that have set the standard in meeting the demands of today’s engineers.

We reach over 15 million technologists, designers, engineers, and managers. We connect this electronics community to reliable news, authoritative analysis, industry trends, and daily information on new technology.

Our brands include EE Times, Electronic Products, EPSNews, ESM China, IoT Times, Power Electronics News, EDN, EEWeb, Electro Schematics, Elektroda.pl, Embedded.com, Planet Analog, and more.

For more information, visit https://aspencore.com.

Contact Person:
Celia Shih
Marketing Manager
Taiwan/ASEAN Marketing and Circulation Department
T: +886 227591366 Ext. 103/222
E: celia.shih@aspencore.com

Global New Material International Announced the Completion of the Acquisition of CQV

HONG KONG, CHINA, Aug 24, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – On August 23, 2023, Global New Material International Holdings Limited (the "Company", stock code: 6616.HK) announced that it completed the acquisition of certain CQV shares and all CQV treasury shares.

The Company announced that all conditions precedent under the each of the CQV Sale Shares Agreements and the CQV Treasury Shares Agreement have been satisfied and the Closing took place on 22 August 2023.

Upon the Closing, the Company holds 42.45% of the issued shares of CQV and is the single largest shareholder of CQV. CQV has become a non-wholly owned subsidiary of the Company with the financial performance and position to be consolidated into the accounts of the Group.

As part of the Closing, the Company has allotted and issued an aggregate of 47,106,546 Consideration Shares at the Issue Price to CQV Vendors and CQV. The Consideration Shares, representing 3.81% of the total number of the Shares in issue as enlarged by the Consideration Shares, rank pari passu with the existing Shares in issue.

The Directors believe that the Acquisition offers a good chance for the Group to tap on opportunities in and expand its business presence in the international pearlescent pigments industry.

The Acquisition is also consistent with the Group's business strategy and could enhance the synergy between CQV and the Group. Through the acquisition and control of CQV, the Group can leverage on the experience, know-how and market presence of CQV, increase its market share, enhance its product offerings and thereby increase the overall competitiveness of the Group.

About Global New Material International Holdings LTD.
Global New Material International Holdings Limited, a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability, the Shares of which are listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 06616.HK). The Group is principally engaged in the business of production and sales of pearlescent pigment products and synthetic mica powder in the PRC. It provides more than 950 different types of products used in industrial, exterior and cosmetic applications. The Company is known as the largest pearlescent pigment producer in China and the fourth largest globally based on 2021 revenue.

About CQV Co., Ltd.
CQV is a company incorporated in the Republic of Korea with limited liability on 20 October 2000 with its common shares listed on KOSDAQ (KOSDAQ: 101240). CQV is principally engaged in the production and sales of pearlescent pigments in the Republic of Korea. CQV has developed world-leading synthetic mica product offers and mature technology to produce high-end pearlescent materials applied in industrial, automotive and cosmetic sectors.

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Global New Material International: Acquisition of CQV Successfully Completed

HONG KONG, CHINA, Aug 23, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Global New Material International Holdings Limited (the "Company", Stock Code: 6616.HK) announced that all conditions precedent under the each of the CQV Sale Shares Agreements and the CQV Treasury Shares Agreement have been satisfied and the Closing took place on 22 August 2023.

Upon the Closing, the Company holds 42.45% of the issued shares of CQV and is the single largest shareholder of CQV. CQV has become a non-wholly owned subsidiary of the Company with the financial performance and position to be consolidated into the accounts of the Group.

As part of the Closing, the Company has allotted and issued an aggregate of 47,106,546 Consideration Shares at the Issue Price to CQV Vendors and CQV. The Consideration Shares, representing 3.81% of the total number of the Shares in issue as enlarged by the Consideration Shares, rank pari passu with the existing Shares in issue.

It has been a business strategy of the Group to seek overseas investment opportunities by engaging in merger and acquisition activities which provide growth potential and enhance the value for the Shareholders. The Directors believe that the Acquisition offers a good chance for the Group to tap on opportunities in and expand its business presence in the international pearlescent pigments industry.

The Acquisition is also consistent with the Group's business strategy and could enhance the synergy between CQV and the Group. Through the acquisition and control of CQV, the Group can leverage on the experience, know-how and market presence of CQV, increase its market share, enhance its product offerings and thereby increase the overall competitiveness of the Group.

About Global New Material International Holdings LTD.
Global New Material International specializes in the manufacturing and sale of pearlescent pigment products and artificial synthetic mica. Leveraging the unique materials, the company offers an expansive range of over 950 distinct product variations catering to diverse industrial, exterior, and cosmetic applications. Based on its 2021 revenue, the company is known as the largest pearlescent pigment producer in China and the fourth largest globally.

About CQV Co., Ltd.
CQV, the largest pearlescent pigment player in Korea, renowned for its advanced expertise in producing mica-based products and cutting-edge pearlescent materials, which applied in industrial, automotive and cosmetic sectors.

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

China BlueChem Achieves Record-High Interim Profit, 2023 1H Profit increases by 83% to RMB 1.715 billion

HONG KONG, Aug 21, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – China BlueChemical Ltd. ("China BlueChem" or the "Company," stock code: 3983), the leading chemical fertiliser and methanol producer in China, announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2023. In the first half of the year, the Company's revenue decreased by 16.2% to RMB 6.176 billion. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company significantly increased by 83% to RMB 1.715 billion, marking the record-high mid-year profit in the company's history.

Mr. HOU Xiaofeng, CEO and President of China BlueChem said, "The Company has consistently implemented its green and low-carbon development strategy. Due to ESG considerations, the Company sold a 67% equity interest in CNOOC Tianye, which resulted in a one-time revenue of RMB 850 million in the first half of the year. This significantly drove the company's profit to grow 83% to RMB 1.715 billion, marking the highest mid-year profit in the company's history. The Company has consistently boasted the honor and advantage of being an industry leader in energy efficiency. The methanol plant of the Company was awarded the honorary title of "Energy Efficiency Leader" by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation for 12 consecutive years, and the synthetic ammonia plant was awarded the honorary title of "Water Efficiency Leader" by China Nitrogen Fertiliser Industry Association for four consecutive years."

In the first half of 2023, the domestic economy continued to recover, while facing challenges such as insufficient domestic demand and a complex and tough external environment. In response to the market environment, the Company has actively enhanced its marketing capabilities. On one hand, it strived to strengthen its product brand premium, and on the other hand, it intensified its agrochemical services. Additionally, the Company forged ahead cost reduction and efficiency enhancement

In the production perspective, the Company's main facilities have achieved long-term operation. In particular, the C series of DYK Chemical's sulfuric acid achieved long-term running for 301 days, and CNOOC Huahe's chemical fertiliser plant achieved long-term running for 228 days, both breaking historical records. The urea production volume of the CNOOC Huahe hit a record high. As a result, the Company produced 1.044 million tonnes of urea, 687 thousand tonnes of methanol, 401 thousand tonnes of phosphate fertilisers and compound fertilisers in the first half of the year.

With regards to sales and marketing, the Company accurately assessd the market and strengthened refined pricing. It also fully promoted the export of fertilisers during off-seasons and focused on the development of high-quality trade. The Company deepened its brand building and actively established itself as a "Plant Nutrition Solution Provider". In the first half of the year, the Company sold 1.045 million tonnes of urea, 655 thousand tonnes of methanol and 352 thousand tonnes of phosphate fertilisers and compound fertilisers.

As for the industry outlook in the latter half of the year, the net domestic urea supply will be flat year-on-year or slightly increase, and the domestic supply and demand will be basically balanced, thereby the export will increase significantly. It is expected that the overall urea market will fluctuate. After the continuous decline of phosphate fertiliser, with the recovery and concentrated release of demand, the price of phosphate fertiliser has a certain foundation for stabilising and rebounding in the third quarter, which is related to the trend of international market prices and raw material costs. However, the overall oversupply situation may continue, and the price will still face the risk of falling in the fourth quarter. In the context of stable domestic economic growth, the oversupply of methanol will be alleviated. Under the situation of expected improvement in the macro environment, the market is expected to mainly fluctuate in a wide range. Due to raw materials, demand and other support, the market price of acrylonitrile may rise slightly.

Regarding the key strategies for the second half of 2023, Mr. Hou Xiaofeng, CEO and President of China BlueChem said, "The Company will continue to enhance the safe and stable operation of production plants, and promote the completion of HSE "re-systemization" construction. It will continuously optimise the business models and further promote the brand strategy, strengthen warehouse management and give full play to the advantage of inventory premium. Moreover, the Company will promote the analysis of digital scenarios in areas such as smart factory, smart terminal and smart sale, and focus on the construction of terminals in Basuo Port to promote the development of international trade and port logistics service industry, as well as actively deploy the clean energy industry and promote green and low-carbon development in order to bring shareholders good returns.".

About China BlueChemical Ltd.

China BlueChemical Ltd. ("China BlueChem") is a listed company that specialises in the development, production and sales of chemical fertilisers and synthetic chemical products. It is the largest Central enterprise in the field of chemical fertilisers in terms of both production capacity and production volume. The Company is a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation which mainly engages in the exploration, development, production and sales of crude oil and natural gas. On 29 September 2006, China BlueChem was listed on the main board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code 3983. Currently, its production facilities are located in Hainan, Inner Mongolia, Hubei and Heilongjiang, China, with a total designed annual production capacity of 1.84 million tonnes of urea, 1 million tonnes of phosphate and compound fertilisers (mono-ammonium phosphate, di-ammonium phosphate and compound fertiliser), 1.4 million tonnes of methanol, 200,000 tonnes of POM and 70,000 tonnes MMA. It has a deep water port with a designed annual throughout capacity of 18.28 million tonnes in Dongfang city, Hainan province. Boasting continued growth of its brand value, China BlueChem was admitted to the official 2022 China Brand Value Evaluation List with a brand value of RMB3.971 billion, an increase of RMB772 million compared with 2021. In early 2023, the Company was granted "The Outstanding Listed Enterprise Awards 2022 – Excellent Results Performance" by Capital Media in recognition of its impressive and growing financial results.

For more information about the Company, please visit its website: www.chinabluechem.com.cn.

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Unlock the Power of Clean Ammonia with Infocus International’s Live Online Course

Singapore, May 2, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Learn how to maximize efficiency and unlock the power of clean ammonia in the energy industry with Infocus International’s Mastering Clean Ammonia Live Online Course, starting on 2^nd August 2023.

Ammonia is a chemical commodity with long-established supply chains from production and distribution through to utilisation. However, its current production creates substantial carbon emissions, a fact at odds with public and policy desires for cleaner economies and industrial processes. In addition to cleaning up the processes of the ammonia used in current chemical applications, producers have new reasons to be excited by the growth opportunities for clean ammonia. These opportunities lie in its possible role within the ‘energy transition’. In particular, there is much interest in the role of clean ammonia as either a carrier of hydrogen fuel, or as a fuel in its own right, in sectors such as shipping and power generation.

This time-efficient training course will provide attendees with a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to ammonia today and its prospects in a decarbonised world. Aimed at those in commercial, business-focused roles, including business development, strategy planning and investment, attendees will gain a clear description of the key technologies in language easily accessible to non-engineers. The market will be reviewed, illustrated by project examples, policy and strategy announcements from around the world. Clean ammonia’s competitive positioning will be examined and analysed from an independent, hype-free perspective, including the challenges and alternatives that it faces.

Course Sessions:

Ammonia production pathways, current and emerging
The role of clean ammonia in the energy transition
Developing clean ammonia market demand and projects

Benefits of Attending:

Understand current & emerging methods of ammonia production
Assess the market utilisation of ammonia today, including its linkages with other sectors (including carbon capture and utilisation)
Identify the proposed growth paths for clean ammonia, including its expansion from chemical commodity to energy carrier or fuel
Quantify the potential scale of the market opportunities, in energy and economic terms
Analyse the co-existence / competition options for hydrogen and ammonia in different applications: which factors will most determine the market outcomes?
Review project announcements from around the world, including realistic timeframes and dependencies
Understand the practical and investment barriers to clean ammonia markets, including issues of product safety, handling and risk

Want to learn more?

Simply email esther@infocusevent.com or call +65 6325 0210 to obtain your FREE COPY of the event brochure. For more information, please visit www.infocusinternational.com/ammonia

About Infocus International Group

Infocus International is a global business intelligence provider of strategic information and professional services for diverse business communities. We recognise clients’ needs and responds with innovative and result oriented programmes. All products are founded on high value content in diverse subject areas, and the highest level of quality is ensured through intensive and in-depth market research from local and international insights. For more information: www.infocusinternational.com.

Xypex Chemical Corporation Announces the Opening of Xypex India Manufacturing Facility

Vancouver, BC, Apr 22, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – Xypex Chemical Corporation, a world leader in construction products for waterproofing by crystallization, is proud to announce the opening of Xypex India and the commissioning of a new production facility in Noida, India.

For more than 20 years, Xypex has partnered with its exclusive distributor in India, Apaar Infratech, to establish strong business relationships in private construction markets and government projects. Due to its business growth in the region, it decided to build its first batching plant in India, importing the proprietary chemicals from its manufacturing base and headquarters in Richmond, BC.

India plays an increasingly important role in their global growth strategy. It has achieved a strong market presence in recent years participating in infrastructure projects in the transport and hydroelectric sectors as well as commercial and residential building. Most recently, Xypex played a significant role in the waterproofing of the Delhi Metro expansion. Xypex is excited about future prospects and hopes the newly constructed plant will be the first step in its accelerated growth plans.

Xypex is dedicated to developing and providing innovative solutions that permanently waterproof concrete structures and contribute to their extended service life.

Xypex is excited to celebrate the opening of its new manufacturing plant, which will enable them to provide innovative concrete waterproofing materials to the Indian construction industry.

For more information, please visit their website at www.xypex.in. Xypex looks forward to building on our strong partnerships with the construction industry in India.

About Xypex Chemical Corp

Xypex Chemical Corporation manufactures a range of concrete waterproofing and protection products used in constructing or restoring building foundations, water and sewage treatment infrastructure, tunnels, manholes, and marine structures. Its unique crystallizing technology has been tested and proven worldwide in all climates and in widely varying construction situations. Sold through an international network of distributors and licensees in over 90 countries, Xypex is specified and used on countless projects around the world.

Available as an admixture or coating, Xypex Crystalline Waterproofing reacts with the by-products of cement hydration and other mineral constituents of the concrete, precipitating a chemical reaction that produces a non-soluble crystalline formation that fills and permanently blocks the pores, capillaries and hairline cracks that naturally occur in the structure. In this way, Xypex becomes a permanent, integral part of the structure. For more information, please visit their global website at www.xypex.com.

Contact Information
Ashwini Rai
Xypex India Distributor
info@xypex.in
+91 120 4090900

Chantell Segal
Global Marketing Director
enquiry@xypex.com

SOURCE: Xypex Chemical Corporation

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

China Risun’s 2022 Revenue Ups 9.6% to RMB43.1 Billion, Profit Attributable to Owners was RMB1.9 Billion

HONG KONG, Mar 31, 2023 – (ACN Newswire) – China Risun Group Limited ("China Risun", or the "Group", stock code: 1907), a leading global integrated coke, coking chemicals and refined chemicals producer and supplier and relevant operation management services provider in China, announced today its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2022 ("the reporting year"). The Group continued its expansion in the annual capacity of all the products and its further refining ability to high-end chemicals products. It has also strategically focused on increasing its market share through nationwide distribution and global expansion initiatives.

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 was up 9.6% to approximately RMB43.1 billion. Profit attributable to owners of the Company was approximately RMB1.9 billion. Basic earnings per share of the Company was RMB42 cents. To share the fruit of its outstanding results performance, the Board determined to declare a final dividend of RMB0.9 cents per share (equivalent to HK1.0 cents per share).

Scale of coke business keeps swelling, Further consolidated industry leadership
During the reporting year, the Group expanded its coke production/processing capacity through various means, such as mergers and acquisitions of existing coke enterprises, setting up joint ventures with other coke/steel enterprises, and managing operations of existing coke enterprises. As a result, its core business continued to grow, further consolidating its industry leadership. The Group's coke production/processing volume reached 10.6 million tonnes in 2022. As of December 31, 2022, the group had eight production bases around the world and was also in the process of developing its ninth production base in Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province, China.

In addition to the expansion plans within China, the Group is also exploring opportunities overseas. The Group has been developing new production bases through two joint ventures and one associate in Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The gross annual coke production capacity of these three companies in Indonesia will be 13.4 million tonnes, with the equity capacity in production of coke attributable to the group at 4.36 million tonnes per annum.

Chemical output and production capacity increased steadily, Industrial chain extending into new energy and new material realms
Refined chemicals are China Risun's second major business segment, with four main production lines including aromatics, alcohol ammonia, carbon materials, and specialty chemicals. As of the end of 2022, the annual production/processing volume of refined chemicals had reached 3.64 million tonnes, with a management scale (self-built, JV and operation management) of 5.11 million tonnes. Both segments continued to expand. The Group is currently expanding its production capacity of caprolactam in Hebei and Shandong provinces. And expects to have a total production capacity of approximately 0.75 million tonnes of caprolactam per annum when the expansion is completed.

During the year, two new industry's leading position was achieved by the Group as per independent global consulting firm:

Caprolactam (CPL) World's second largest producer
High purified hydrogen Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei's largest producer

Dual-pronged – self-built and operation management – approach drives business volume of asset-light operation
In addition to self-built projects, the Group's light asset business has continued to grow throughout the year. Currently, the group has seven operating and managed projects and has entered into four new operation management agreements for three projects in Shandong Province and one project in Shanxi Province, China, in order to further expand its presence in the coke and coking chemicals, coal tar, and hydrogenated benzene sectors.

Hydrogen production capacity improved substantially, top in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region
After three years of innovative research and development and strategic planning, the Group's hydrogen production capacity has continued to increase. In 2022, China Risun became the largest hydrogen gas supplier in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. With a focus on the rapid development of the hydrogen energy industry in this area, the Group is committed to developing the production, storage, transportation, hydrogenation, and usage of hydrogen, as well as providing intelligent hydrogen supply services throughout the country with advanced technology and customer-oriented services.

The Group plans to expand its transportation fleet by using more hydrogen refueling vehicles, enhance the refueling capacity of existing hydrogen refueling stations, and promote the development and construction of the main hydrogen refueling station near Beijing to radiate the storage and supply to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It will also explore new technologies such as liquid hydrogen, green hydrogen, and hydrogen fuel cells, and develop new application scenarios such as co-generation of heat and power, hydrogen energy transportation lines, and more to enrich the scope of hydrogen application.

Looking ahead, the Group will continue its growth and expansion by using different methods of operation management, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures with well-known enterprises to increase its market share in the production/processing of coke, refined chemicals, new materials, and new energy products. In the long run, the Group will maintain its leading position in the coke and refined chemicals industry and create significant value for its shareholders.

About China Risun Group Limited
China Risun Group Limited is the world's largest independent producer and supplier of coke by volume in 2022, according to Frost & Sullivan. China Risun is an integrated coke, coking chemicals, refined chemicals and hydrogen energy products producer and supplier and relevant operation management services provider in China and occupies leading positions in a number of refined chemicals sectors both in China and globally. The vertically-integrated business model together with more than 27 years of experience in the coal chemicals industry production chain has enabled China Risun to further tap the downstream refined chemicals markets and hence diversify its income sources and create greater value.

China Risun has been listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since March 2019 and is now included in various index series, including the Hang Seng Composite Index, Hang Seng Composite Industry Index – Materials, Hang Seng Composite MidCap Index, Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong Index, Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong MidCap & SmallCap Index, Hang Seng SCHK Mainland China Companies Index, Hang Seng SCHK ex-AH Companies Index, Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong Composite Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap (Investable) Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Low Volatility Comprehensive Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Quality Comprehensive Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Low Size Comprehensive Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Dividend Yield Comprehensive Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Momentum Comprehensive Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Value Comprehensive Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Equal Weighted Factor Mix (QVLM) Index and Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Risk Parity Factor Mix (QVLM) Index and Hang Seng Shipping Index. China Risun is also included in FTSE GEIS: FTSE Global Small Cap Index, FTSE Global All-Cap Index (LMS) and FTSE Global Total-Cap Index (LMSu).
For more details, please visit http://www.risun.com/En/

Media enquiries
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Mandy Go Tel: +852 2864 4812 Email: mandy.go@sprg.com.hk
Mel Lai Tel: +852 2864 4855 Email: mel.lai@sprg.com.hk
Cherry Chen Tel: +852 2114 4903 Email: cherry.chen@sprg.com.hk
Website: http://www.sprg.com.hk

Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com