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permanent closure of the company's Su- ralco alumina refinery and bauxite mines in Suriname. Operations have been cur- tailed in that country since 2015. Alcoa and the Suriname government are in the process of negotiating definitive agree- ments on Suralco's activities in the coun- try and the future of Suriname's bauxite industry. In the interim, Alcoa will con- tinue to operate the Afobaka hydroelec- tric facility, which formerly supplied power to operations at Suralco. Partec 2019 to focus on dynamic simulation of networked solids processes NUREMBERG, Germany — Partec 2019 will take place in April 2019 in Nuremberg, Germany, and will be led by Professor Stefan Heinrich, director of the Institute of Solids Process Engineer- ing and Particle Science Technology at the Technical University of Hamburg. Partec is held every 3 years and is a major scientific congress for particle and bulk solids technology run in conjunction with Powtech. Heinrich worked with Partec's executive committee to develop an event concept: the dynamic simulation of net- worked solids processes. The concept fo- cuses on particle technology and will explore a range of processes including particle formation, particle characteriza- tion, measuring methods, agglomera- tion, formulation, and coating. The last Partec, held in 2016, at- tracted 472 congress delegates and fea- tured presentations, discussion panels, a poster exhibition, and numerous network- ing events. The congress organizers, Nürn- bergMesse, will send out a call for papers at the end of 2017. The event is also spon- sored by the VDI Association of Process and Chemical Engineering (GVC). PPG acquires Romanian coatings manufacturer PITTSBURGH, PA USA — PPG Industries has acquired Deutek SA, which manufactures paint and architec- tural coatings and is located in Bucharest, Romania. Deutek had a reported €30 million in sales in 2015, and its products are sold in more that 120 do-it-yourself stores and 3,500 independent retail out- c l u d i n g b a n k s a n d i n s u r e r s , i n Sub-Saharan Africa over the past few years. In late 2016, the OCP signed an agreement with Rwanda to build a blend- ing unit there. Through this latest agree- ment, signed with Chemical Industries Corp., a state-run, Ethiopian firm, the fertilizer plant will be built in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, located in the eastern part of the country. The plant is expected to produce 2.5 million metric tons of fertilizer in its first phase, by 2022. A US$1.3 billion in- vestment is anticipated to increase pro- duction to 3.8 million metric tons 3 years after that, by 2025. Presently, Ethiopia imports around 900,000 metric tons of fertilizer each year. Once operational, OCP will ship its own phosphoric acid to the plant, while potash will be transported from large reserves in the Horn of Africa's northeastern area. India masterbatch market to grow at 11 percent CAGR through 2025 NEW YORK, NY USA — Accord- ing to the report India Masterbatch Market by Type, by Polymer Type , by Application, by End Use, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2025, by TechSci Research, a market research firm, the India masterbatch market is forecast to grow at an 11 percent com- pound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2011 to 2025. Market growth is projected to come from a strong performance in pack- aging and automotive sectors along with fa- vorable government regulations, rapid industrialization, and commercialization. In the automotive industry, the government is placing a strong emphasis on developing eco-friendly cars by implementing strict regulations regarding vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Other government initia- tives, including "Atal Mission for Rejuvena- tion and Urban Transformation" and "Make in India," should help drive masterbatch consumption in the country. For more info and to purchase a copy of the report for US$2,700, visit www.techsciresearch.com. Alcoa announces plan to permanently close Suralco refinery NEW YORK, NY USA — Alcoa Corp., a global bauxite, alumina, and aluminum producer, has announced the 4 March 2017 | PBEI LPW announces £20 million expansion in metal powder production site RUNCORN, England — LPW Technology Ltd. has announced it will in- vest £20 million to expand its Runcorn facil- ity that manufactures metal powders for the additive manufacturing (AM) industry. The company projects that the new facility will create more than 120 new jobs by 2018. The facility will export metal powders world- wide for use in the aerospace and medical in- dustries, among others. Along with supplying metal powders, the company also makes powder handling and testing equip- ment and quality control software for indus- trial users of AM systems. Merck invests €250 million to expand pharma production in China NANTONG, China — Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a science and technology company, is increasing production capacity at the company's pharmaceutical business in Nantong. The company will invest in phases, with the final investment total reaching €250 million. The first part of the investment, the Nantong pharmaceutical plant, was inaugurated in November 2016 and will produce high-quality pharmaceuticals on China's essential drug list. During the opening ceremony for the plant, Merck announced that it would also invest in building a Life Science Center near the Nantong plant to manufacture high-pu- rity inorganic salts, cell culture media products, and ready-to-use media. The company has based investments in the country based on the prediction that China will be the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market by 2018. OCP and Ethiopia sign large fertilizer plant deal CASABLANCA, Morocco — Mo- rocco's Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), the world's largest phosphate ex- porter, has signed a deal with Ethiopia to build a US$3.7 billion plant for fertilizer production. The move is part of continu- ing investment by Moroccan firms, in- Industry news