Tag: Lubrizol

Lubrizol Suffers Catastrophic Fire Forcing Evacuation in Illinois Town

Post author By David Mazor
Post date June 14, 2021

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol Corporation has suffered a catastrophic fire at its Chemtool plant in Rockton. Illinois. The fire has multiple area fire departments battling the blaze, which was first called in around 7:00am. One firefighter has reportedly been injured.

The fire has forced the mandatory evacuation of everyone within a one-mile area of the plant, and people took shelter in the Roscoe Middle School.

“At approximately 7 a.m. today, local emergency personnel responded to a fire at the Lubrizol Corporation’s Chemtool Facility in Rockton, Ill. We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community. As a precaution, authorities have evacuated residents in a one-mile radius of the site. We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions. We will share more details as they are known. We are grateful to our employees, first responders and safety forces responding to this incident,” Alicia Gauer, Senior Director, Global Communications for the Lubrizol Corporation said.

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Tags Lubrizol

Lubrizol

Lubrizol Awarded $1 Million DOE Grant to Advance Fuel Cell Durability

Post author By David Mazor
Post date May 25, 2021

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) recently awarded The Lubrizol Corporation $1 million to develop enhanced membranes for heavy-duty fuel cell applications.

The award will be used by the Lubrizol Corporate Ventures team as they advance work focused on improving the durability of Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells through enhanced membrane oxidation performance.

The real-world application of the grant will not only contribute to reduced emissions but add more than 25% to the fuel cell lifespan and hours of usable runtime. This development will also enable the advanced adoption of this technology and promises a lower cost of lifetime ownership for several different applications where PEM fuel cells will be used, including commercial vehicles, material handling equipment, final mile delivery fleets and backup power generation.

This work leverages Lubrizol’s chemical and synthesis expertise and process development capabilities to address the issue of oxidative degradation prevalent in PEM fuel cell membranes.

Advances resulting from this project will enable greater marketplace commercialization of fuel cells for highway applications and beyond. “As a company, Lubrizol is focused on the opportunity to leverage our existing technologies and introduce new capabilities that will address challenges in emerging markets and adjacent fields,” said Deb Langer, Senior Vice President, Lubrizol Corporate Ventures. “This grant will leverage foundational Lubrizol technologies and market knowledge in unique and valuable ways. More durable fuel cell technology will be a substantial step forward in how the world Moves Cleaner.”

This project will rely on Lubrizol’s track record of leveraging existing technology in new ways and ability to commercialize new solutions at scale.

As part of the grant proposal, the Lubrizol Corporate Ventures team focused on new energy solutions will collaborate with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to conduct validation testing of the enhanced membrane technologies. This award is part of the approximately $64 million in DOE funding for projects that will support EERE’s H2@Scale vision for clean and affordable hydrogen production, storage, distribution and use across the economy.

Over the course of the next year, the Lubrizol team will continue its work to study, enhance and test new membrane technology. Matt Joyce, Vice President, Commercial, Corporate Ventures added, “Industry engagement and understanding the biggest challenges facing stakeholders today have driven this work. Our team has considered solutions to the complex needs in the market and have applied our technology and application science to solve these issues. We look forward to progressing this work with NREL to deliver a meaningful solution to an emerging market and continuing to engage industry stakeholders who can benefit from this technology advancement.”

The Lubrizol work will support the next round of H2@Scale research, development and demonstration activities. This is one of several areas the Lubrizol Corporate Ventures team is advancing relative to fuel cell technologies and new energy solutions. The Ventures team includes Lubrizol innovators working in partnership with inventors, start-ups, strategic minds and organizations to build new business opportunities that leverage the company strengths and enable sizable growth in new areas.

The Lubrizol Corporate Ventures team works to address unmet needs across these markets, including new energy solutions, with a market-driven approach utilizing our extensive resources and expertise to develop, test, commercialize, and scale new business opportunities and deliver sustainable growth.

Tags Lubrizol

Appointments Lubrizol

Lubrizol Appoints Its First Chief Diversity Officer

Post author By David Mazor
Post date May 19, 2021

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion as a key enabler of business success, Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol has appointed Cheree Aspelin as the company’s first Chief Diversity Officer. In this role, Aspelin will continue to advance the company’s organizational capability by further embedding diversity and inclusion (D&I) across Lubrizol’s workforce, culture, systems and processes.

Aspelin also will hold HR leadership responsibilities for culture, talent management, talent development and organization design and effectiveness.

Aspelin has been a tireless advocate for culture, diversity and inclusion throughout her career, most recently serving as senior director for Lubrizol’s culture and inclusion efforts. Her successful 25-year career has focused on culture, talent development, training, and change management roles, including leadership roles with BP and JP Morgan Chase.

The addition of Chief Diversity Officer is a significant step in Lubrizol’s on-going D&I journey. For years, the company has embraced policies and programs that recognize and nurture a diverse and inclusive workforce, including training related to bias and inclusion and a strong network of Employee Resource Groups. Forbes named the company as one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity in both 2019 and 2020.

The company believes additional improvements will lead to even greater innovation and success. The company’s D&I approach rests on three pillars:

• Owned by the Organization – All Lubrizol employees have a shared accountability to drive toward a more inclusive work environment. The company’s global D&I Council, Inclusion Advocates and Employee Resource Groups provide examples of shared ownership to raise awareness and offer opportunities for greater connection.

• Measured to Track Success – Many years of experience have taught us that we must have meaningful measurements to track success if we are to realize sustainable organizational improvement. The company adopted gender-based goals in 2019, committing to increase the percentage of women in senior leadership roles. In 2020, the company expanded its diversity and inclusion goals to address two additional areas of impact: increasing the representation of Black employees and Black senior-level leaders within the U.S. and expanding the geographic diversity of senior-level leaders across the company.

• Embedded into Systems and Processes – To be successful in these goals, diversity and inclusion are being further embedded into company systems and processes. The company has been updating and improving HR processes, including new ways of working related to internal job posting, candidate assessments and increased workplace flexibility options with the intention of attracting, retaining and promoting the best talent to help us achieve our business goals.

The company also has re-engineered its university scholarship and recruiting programs to ensure it is reaching more students traditionally underrepresented in the industry and is enabling hiring and promotion practices that help reduce bias and evaluate candidates in a consistent, objective and transparent manner.

“We are committed to building on the strength of our culture to ensure a truly inclusive environment where talented people can be their absolute best,” said Eric Schnur, Lubrizol Chairman, President and CEO. “An environment where different experiences, perspectives and ideas are not only welcomed, but celebrated. We are building a more capable company as a result, and Cheree’s appointment to Chief Diversity Officer furthers our commitment and will meaningfully advance our progress.”

Tags Lubrizol

Lubrizol

Lubrizol Expands Its Portfolio of Sustainable Ingredients Through Partnership With Advonex

Post author By David Mazor
Post date April 28, 2021

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Lubrizol Life Science – Beauty (LLS Beauty) is partnering with Canadian firm Advonex International Corp. to develop renewable ingredients for the beauty and personal care market.

Advonex, which is based in Kingston, Ontario, produces plant-based hydrocarbons through patented processes. These innovative hydrocarbons replace petroleum-based ingredients such as silicone, petrolatum and mineral oil with environmentally favorable components. The hydrocarbons also replicate the sensory experience silicone provides in skin care, hair care and skin cleansing products.

“We’re proud to work with Advonex to further expand our growing portfolio of natural and sustainable ingredients,” said Doug Nalley, North America Business Director LLS Beauty and Home. “We expect this partnership to allow us to develop replacements for silicones in beauty products and help us fulfill our mission to help the world Live Better.”

“Working with LLS Beauty provides Advonex with the market expertise and global distribution that is needed to address the growing demand for alternatives to petroleum-based ingredients in the beauty and personal care market space,” said Chad Joshi, President & CEO of Advonex. “This agreement demonstrates LLS Beauty’s on-going commitment to sustainability and accelerates our ability to enter and serve the personal care market.”

The Advonex partnership is only the latest step in LLS Beauty’s commitment to sustainability. In recent years, Lubrizol has acquired Laboratoire Phenobio, an innovative supplier of naturally derived extracts and natural performance ingredients and formed global collaborations with CP Kelco and Corbion Biotech, Inc., market leaders in nature-based chemistry.

Tags Lubrizol

Lubrizol

Lubrizol Advanced Materials Gets Green Accreditation for TempRite Brand FlowGuard Plus CPVC Piping System

Post author By David Mazor
Post date April 22, 2021

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol Advanced Materials’ brand FlowGuard Plus CPVC Pipe has been evaluated by the GRIHA Council and listed as a green product in the GRIHA Green Catalogue under the innovation category.

FlowGuard Plus CPVC piping system is the first piping material that has been granted this enlistment in India.

Manish Jain, Sr. Manager – South Asia, said, “Creating innovative sustainable products is a core pillar of our organization and we are proud to announce that our FlowGuard Plus CPVC Pipe has received the green certification from GRIHA, thus making it the first CPVC enlisted brand in the GRIHA Green Product Catalogue and a preferred material in home building projects in India. This listing will benefit the home and building owners using our products to earn green points under the GRIHA rating scheme of green buildings.”

Lubrizol Advanced Materials’ TempRite’s success on the green certifications and enlistments are on account of years of R&D, Innovation in CPVC technology and transparency in communicating the environmental aspects of the products to the market through lifecycle assessments and detailed environmental product reports for FlowGuard.

Tags Lubrizol

Lubrizol

Lubrizol and Grasim Industries Limited to Build India’s Largest CPVC Resin Plant

Post author By David Mazor
Post date October 30, 2020

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

To meet growing demand for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) pipe and fittings in India, Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol Advanced Materials, a global specialty chemical leader and the market leader for CPVC, and Grasim Industries Limited, a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, have entered into a definitive agreement to manufacture and supply CPVC resin in India.

Once commissioned, this near 100,000 metric-ton state-of-the-art CPVC plant at Grasim’s site in Vilayat, Gujarat, will be the largest single-site capacity for CPVC resin production globally.

The project will take part in two phases, with the first phase of production expected to be operational in late 2022. The CPVC resin produced at Vilayat will enable product sold under Lubrizol’s FlowGuard® Plus, Corzan® and BlazeMaster® brands.

This collaboration, in support of the Government of India’s “Make in India” initiative, is expected to bolster economic development in the state of Gujarat. To further support the local market, Lubrizol will make additional investments in the coming years to expand its existing CPVC compound plant in Dahej, Gujarat and establish a local innovation center as demand continues to grow.

India is amongst the largest consumers of CPVC, primarily in the form of plumbing pipe and fittings, and growing needs for clean water in all residential and commercial buildings will drive continued growth. Lubrizol is the inventor and largest manufacturer of CPVC resin and CPVC compounds worldwide. With billions of feet installed globally, Lubrizol’s CPVC solutions enable long-lasting systems and reliable access to clean, safe drinking water to millions of homes, in alignment with the company’s mission to help the world Live Better.

To-date, Lubrizol products have been instrumental in delivering safer water to some 200 million citizens in South Asia. Lubrizol has plans to introduce other advanced water management solutions in India in the future.

With this investment to supply resin to its existing compounding plant in Dahej, Gujarat, Lubrizol becomes the only company in India with end-to-end CPVC capability. In addition to its regional manufacturing capabilities, Lubrizol continues to strengthen its customer network, collaborating with local leaders like Ashirvad Pipes, an Aliaxis company, and Prince Pipes to ensure robust distribution in India and South Asia. As part of its regional support, Lubrizol is also committed to the ongoing development of plumbers in India, having trained nearly 100,000 local plumbers on installation of advanced plumbing systems.

“This alliance will help Lubrizol better serve our customers in India and South Asia, as well as support the Indian economy,” said Arnau Pano, Vice President, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, South Asia. “Connecting with Grasim Industries Limited, a reputable global conglomerate, who share our commitment to sustainable chemical production, will allow us to provide our customers with increased, reliable CPVC supply and further our goal of improving access to clean, safe drinking water for millions of global citizens through the advantages offered by FlowGuard® Plus plumbing solutions.”

“This collaboration with Lubrizol Advanced Materials is part of our long-term direction to bring in world-class technologies to India and additionally complements our growth strategy in Chlor-Alkali and Derivatives platform,” said Kalyan Ram Madabhushi, CEO-Global Chemicals & Group Business Head-Fertilisers & Insulators, Aditya Birla Group. “The collaboration will support the ‘Make in India’ initiative and is expected to create local jobs and downstream opportunities.”

This collaboration also will enable Aditya Birla Group and The Lubrizol Corporation to explore collaboration opportunities across additional segments, such as water management, construction, textiles, automotive and piping by leveraging the technologies and market channels of both groups.

Tags Lubrizol

Appointments Lubrizol

Lubrizol Creates Corporate Ventures Group

Post author By David Mazor
Post date September 2, 2020

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Lubrizol has formed Lubrizol Corporate Ventures group, which will be charged with growing the company in adjacent markets.

The group will be led by Deb Langer as Senior Vice President, Corporate Ventures, and includes innovators in Lubrizol’s walls working in partnership with inventors, start-ups and strategic minds and organizations to build new business opportunities that leverage the company’s strengths and enable sizable growth in new areas. Driven by a clear understanding of the markets across these opportunities, the Corporate Ventures team will work to address the unmet needs of those markets, utilizing Lubrizol’s extensive resources and expertise to develop, test, commercialize, and scale business opportunities to deliver sustainable growth.

Throughout her Lubrizol career, Deb has been on the forefront of growth and innovation, including imagining and building the origins of what is now Lubrizol Life Science, a business producing innovative science for beauty, home and healthcare applications. Most recently, Deb served as Corporate Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions and Consumer and Market Insights, and has held a variety of positions throughout the company spanning business management and technology leadership roles.

The company also has appointed Elizabeth (Beth) Grove as Chief Sustainability Officer. Sustainability continues to be an underpinning of Lubrizol’s strategy and serves as a vital driver to the long-term health and growth of the organization. In her new role, Beth will propel the company’s broad focus on sustainability, including environmental, social and governance disciplines, as well as oversee government affairs and community engagement. Beth also will continue to serve as President of The Lubrizol Foundation.

Since joining Lubrizol in 2007, Beth has served in various roles, including Global Director of Sustainability and Compliance for Lubrizol Life Science and as the company’s Chief Litigation Counsel. Beth joined Lubrizol from the Federal Trade Commission, where she was a trial attorney in the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Prior to that, Beth was a litigation attorney with Jones Day.

Beth replaces Julie Edgar as Chief Sustainability Officer as Julie takes on an exciting new opportunity as Vice President, Transportation, in the Lubrizol Additives business.

In this role, Julie will be accountable for growth in our Lubrizol Additives Transportation business. During her 25 years at Lubrizol, Julie has held a number of technology management positions across the business in Asia, Europe and North America. As Lubrizol’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, Julie helped to fully embed sustainability across the business, including how the company innovates, designs and produces products. This focus will be critical as Julie advances Lubrizol’s mission to help the world Move Cleaner, enabling a 50% reduction in vehicle emissions by 2040.

Tags Lubrizol

Lubrizol

Lubrizol and Prince Pipes Collaborate to Deliver Clean Water Through FlowGuard® Plus CPVC Plumbing Systems in India

Post author By David Mazor
Post date August 26, 2020

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., inventors and the largest manufacturers of CPVC compound worldwide, and Prince Pipes and Fittings Ltd., announced today, the signing of a FlowGuard® CPVC Processor agreement for the manufacturing and sale of Prince FlowGuard® Plus CPVC (Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) pipes and fittings in India.

FlowGuard Plus products will be available from Prince Pipes and Fittings Ltd. in India starting in September.

“Lubrizol is dedicated to supplying the highest quality CPVC compounds to service hot & cold water plumbing markets in India. This partnership with Prince Pipes and Fittings Ltd. will further strengthen FlowGuard Plus’ commitment to enabling clean water supply to millions of citizens in India through Prince Pipes’ robust distribution network and strategically located manufacturing facilities across India,” explains Vince Misiti, General Manager – TempRite® Engineered Polymers.

FlowGuard Plus has been part of Indian homes and buildings for more than two decades. Our commitment remains persistent with the support of our licensee partners, who continue to benefit from Lubrizol’s decades of understanding the Global plumbing market and its expertise in CPVC manufacturing. India’s plumbers, engineers, builders and consultants have been reassured by FlowGuard Plus’ higher performance which meets global standards and ensures peace of mind for consumers.

Commenting on the collaboration Mr. Parag Chheda, Executive Director of Prince Pipes and Fittings Limited, said, “Our association with Lubrizol significantly expands our capabilities and strengthens our agility in the market place. Prince Pipes’ robust distribution network combined with Lubrizol’s brand equity is set to create strong and sustainable partnership in Indian piping industry. We understand India’s evolving needs and committed to leveraging new technologies to offer home owners, consultants and builders the advantage of a preferred global brand and best-in-class product.”

Tags Lubrizol

Lubrizol

Lubrizol Touts Global Investments to Support Growth in Surface Protection and Paint Protection Films

Post author By David Mazor
Post date August 14, 2020

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

To support rapid growth in surface protection applications, Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol has made a variety of investments in its thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) business globally. These investments extend the company’s capabilities in surface protection and paint protection film (PPF), providing additional benefit to PPF manufacturers, brand owners and their supply chains.

PPFs are used to maintain the long-lasting beauty of vehicle surfaces. With more than 30 years of proven experience, Lubrizol’s ESTANE® TPU is recognized as the benchmark material for performance in PPF, a reputation carefully developed through years of strategic investments in capacity, acquisitions and technology innovation.
The company’s most recent investments include:

• TPU capacity expansion through state-of-the-art manufacturing and processing technology at its Montmelo, Spain facility to serve growing demand

• Application resources and testing capabilities in its Brecksville, Ohio; Montmelo, Spain and Songjiang, China technical centers to develop the next-generation innovations

• Expansion of its consumer and market insights platform to stay ahead of the evolving needs in PPF and other surface protection end uses

This integrated combination of investments uniquely positions Lubrizol to collaborate with customers and partners across the value chain to support their growth and accelerate speed to market with new product innovations, while providing additional security of supply across the globe.

This focused growth also supports the company’s recent launch of its “Made with ESTANE TPU” branding initiative, designed to promote alignment with PPF brand owners to help them specify Lubrizol’s ESTANE TPU material in their products, bringing the assurance of quality and reliability expected by their installers and end-use customers.

“Our strategic focus is on markets and applications where we can deliver value-added solutions to our customers, while helping the industry advance,” says Viviana Wilson, Director of Global Industrial Marketing, Lubrizol. “This, in turn, fuels our investment in technology, market and applications know-how, and manufacturing.”

“We’re at our best collaborating with customers across the value chain. We aim to create smarter, and this investment in TPU capacity, testing and process technology enables us to do more, and more quickly, to meet the growing demands of this dynamic market. All of this is backed by reliable, world-class manufacturing and strong technical centers, close to our customers,” states Gabe Rhoads, General Manager, Lubrizol Engineered Polymers.

Tags Lubrizol

Acquisitions Lubrizol

Berkshire’s Lubrizol Acquires 3D Printing Company, Avid Product Development

Post author By David Mazor
Post date August 4, 2020

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s The Lubrizol Corporation has acquired Avid Product Development, LLC, a trusted partner for engineering and additive manufacturing services.

No price for the acquisition was revealed.

According to Lubrizol, Avid offers a unique blend of 3D printing capabilities, including design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), prototyping and production using powder bed fusion (MJF, SLS), fused filament fabrication (FFF) and stereolithography (SLA), with expertise in various post-processing technologies.

The company note that the 3D printing industry continues to rapidly grow, creating an immense opportunity for companies leveraging 3D printing services as part of their portfolios. Today, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) interested in 3D printing are seeking partners who can assist in their efforts to integrate this new technology into their processes. Lubrizol’s materials, application and testing expertise coupled with Avid’s 3D printing design, prototyping and post-processing know-how will enable development of differentiated solutions for customers and accelerate adoption of 3D printing in key industries.

“Lubrizol continues to invest in opportunities that bring new differentiated solutions to our customers,” says Gert-Jan Nijhuis, General Manager, 3D Printing Solutions, Lubrizol Engineered Materials. “The acquisition of Avid Product Development greatly enhances our ability as a 3D printing solution provider, offering complete product solutions from material development to printing and post processing services, delivering end-use products for our key markets.”

“As a result of this acquisition, we will have vast opportunities to demonstrate our capabilities in engineering, design and manufacturing with the support of an industry leader in materials development, applications and testing” added Doug Collins, founder of Avid Product Development.

Avid is headquartered in Loveland, Colorado and serves customers in the footwear, consumer goods, industrial and medical markets. Avid won the 2019 Colorado Company to Watch award, and continues to create innovative solutions, including designing and 3D printing of critical personal protection equipment (PPE) to meet the urgent needs of healthcare workers and essential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tags Lubrizol