Eurofragance, the global fragrance house headquartered in Spain, has opened its first Creative Center in Indonesia, significantly expanding its footprint across the Asia Pacific region. Located in South Jakarta’s Arkadia Green Park, the €1 million (approximately IDR 19.27 billion) facility now acts as a regional hub for co-creation, formulation, and customer collaboration in fine fragrance, home care, and personal care categories. As per PR Newswire, this move underscores the company’s long-term commitment to innovation in fast-growing Asian markets.

Responding to a Rapidly Growing Fragrance Market

Indonesia’s fragrance sector continues to accelerate, driven by rising consumer sophistication and a growing appetite for locally inspired scents. Industry forecasts predict that Southeast Asia’s fragrance market will grow at a CAGR of more than 3% through 2030, placing Indonesia among the region’s most dynamic fragrance hubs.

Integrating Global Expertise with Local Insight

With the addition of Jakarta, Eurofragance now strengthens its global network of Creative Centers in Barcelona, Dubai, Mexico, India, and Singapore. The new facility features state-of-the-art perfumery, evaluation, and application laboratories. Consequently, the company can deliver fragrance solutions tailored to Indonesian preferences while maintaining global quality and technical standards.

“Indonesia sits at the heart of Southeast Asia’s fragrance landscape, a market brimming with creativity, cultural diversity, and increasing consumer sophistication,” said Balwinder Rolley, General Manager, APAC, Eurofragance. She emphasized that the Creative Center enables faster concept-to-shelf development and deeper collaboration with local partners.

Showcasing Proprietary Technologies and Sustainability

Operating under PT. Euronindo Fragance Internusa, the 770m² facility incorporates Eurofragance’s proprietary technologies, including EuroCaps™ for long-lasting scent delivery and EuroPure™ for odor neutralization. These innovations equip brand partners with high-performance solutions that elevate product quality and enhance consumer experience.

Furthermore, the Creative Center promotes sustainable innovation. It adopts eco-conscious practices—ranging from renewable raw materials to energy-efficient processes—across formulation, sourcing, and operations.

Serving as a Hub for Training and Talent Development

Beyond fragrance creation, the Jakarta Creative Center functions as a talent and training hub for Indonesia’s expanding fragrance industry. A multidisciplinary team of perfumers, evaluators, applications specialists, and marketing professionals now collaborates to transform consumer insights into distinctive scent experiences.

“Jakarta is a natural choice for our expansion. It’s where trends begin and evolve,” said Edy Chandra, Country Manager for Eurofragance Indonesia. He added that being embedded in Jakarta’s culture enables the company to craft fragrances that are both high-quality and meaningful to local consumers.

Building on Regional Milestones

ep Group, a UK-based energy transition company, has partnered with global smart energy leader GridBeyond to launch an AI-enabled optimisation programme for ep Group’s expanding energy storage portfolio. This collaboration also strengthens ep Group’s joint venture with Norwegian power systems and battery storage specialist Pixii AS, which began earlier this year. Together, these initiatives aim to meet rising demand for optimised distributed energy systems across the UK. As per the ep Group press release, the agreement marks a significant step in enhancing the country’s clean energy infrastructure.

Optimising a 50MW Battery Energy Storage System

Under the new partnership, both companies will optimise a 50MW battery energy storage system (BESS) located in North Baddesley, UK. They will also support its enrolment in the national capacity market. This effort positions the system to play a more dynamic role in balancing supply and demand across the grid.

AI-Driven Energy Management and New Revenue Opportunities

ep Group’s BESS will use GridBeyond’s Energy Management System and AI-powered optimisation platform. The platform provides real-time design, forecasting, and trading capabilities, which in turn opens access to new revenue streams within the UK energy market. Furthermore, accurate energy price forecasting will enable strategic charging and discharging, ensuring operations align with market conditions while extending battery life.

Leaders Highlight the Partnership’s Impact

Leo Bedford, Partner at ep Group, stated that the partnership accelerates the company’s mission to promote distributed, decarbonised, and digitised energy systems. He emphasised how combining GridBeyond’s optimisation tools with Pixii’s power conversion technology creates stronger energy systems. This, along with ep Group’s delivery expertise, helps transform energy infrastructure into a value-generating asset.

Similarly, Scott Berrie, Director of Origination at GridBeyond, expressed enthusiasm for supporting ep Group’s expanding BESS portfolio. He noted that the collaboration showcases GridBeyond’s advanced AI optimisation and forecasting capabilities. It also highlights the company’s asset state-of-health tools, which are essential for maximising profits across energy markets. He added that energy storage remains crucial for unlocking the full potential of renewable energy by enhancing grid flexibility and reliability.

Engineers India Limited (EIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aramco Asia India Pvt. Ltd. (AAI) to evaluate the commercial feasibility and business potential of establishing a new branch office aligned with EIL’s service offerings.

Strengthening Long-Term Cooperation

Through this MoU, both parties aim to build and expand a long-term business cooperation framework. The agreement reflects a shared intention to collaborate across future opportunities and strengthen strategic engagement.

The MoU was signed by Atul Gupta, Director (Commercial), EIL, and Jamal Al Enazy, Director of Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Aramco Asia. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of:

• Vartika Shukla, C&MD, EIL
• Khalid Al Hajri, Vice President, Saudi Aramco Procurement Department
• Abdulrahman Y. Althukair, Managing Director, AAI

Expanding EIL’s International Partnerships

Earlier, UAE’s NMDC Energy also signed an MoU with EIL to reinforce their intent to collaborate on joint tendering for onshore projects in Saudi Arabia. If awarded, both companies plan to extend their collaboration to project execution across:

• Oil and gas processing
• Refineries
• Petrochemicals
• Pipelines
• Storage terminals
• Energy transition projects

The partnership aims to strengthen delivery of onshore EPC projects in Saudi Arabia by leveraging NMDC Energy’s fabrication facilities in Ras Al Khair and EIL’s design center in Al Khobar.

Supporting Growth Across the Middle East

As reported by saudigulfprojects.com, with these strategic MoUs, EIL continues to expand its footprint in the Middle East, tapping into new opportunities and strengthening relationships with major global energy players. The collaborations demonstrate EIL’s commitment to delivering engineering excellence while contributing to large-scale industrial and energy transition projects in the region.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global player in serving science, inaugurated two state-of-the-art facilities in Hyderabad’s Genome Valley to accelerate research, innovation, and skill development in life sciences.

New Centers to Boost Innovation and Collaboration

The Bioprocess Design Center (BDC) is a technology scale-up facility established in partnership with the Government of Telangana. Additional partners include the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, under the Biotech Park Project.

Meanwhile, the Customer Experience Center (CEC) serves as a collaborative hub for scientists, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals. The center offers hands-on training and co-development opportunities, showcasing over 50 integrated workflows across more than 20 applications. Key areas include cell and gene therapy, mRNA, oncology, proteomics, and analytical sciences, featuring Thermo Fisher’s flagship technologies.

Empowering Researchers and Scientists

Aligning with Telangana’s Life Sciences Vision

Sridhar Babu, Minister of IT and Industries, Telangana, said, “Telangana’s life sciences sector is on a strong growth trajectory. Partnerships like this will help us achieve our target of INR 1 lakh crore in life sciences investments by 2030. Thermo Fisher’s new centers bring global capabilities that strengthen our ecosystem, create opportunities for collaboration, and enhance skill-building, reinforcing our vision of making Telangana the life sciences capital of the world.”

Bioprocess Design Center: From Bench to Pilot Scale

The Bioprocess Design Center complements the CEC by offering bench-to-pilot scale capabilities for biologics and vaccine manufacturing. Researchers can rapidly prototype, optimize, and scale processes using single-use systems, supported by laboratories for cell culture, microbial fermentation, purification, and analytical testing. The facility accelerates the development of biologics and vaccines, bridging the gap between research and industrial-scale production.

Leadership Perspective: Driving Growth and Innovation

Tony Acciarito, President, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Africa, Thermo Fisher Scientific, said, “India’s life sciences sector is at an inflection point. These new centres reinforce our commitment to supporting the region’s growth through meaningful collaborations that help researchers and industry partners move from ideas to impact faster.”

Srinath Venkatesh, Managing Director, India and South Asia, Thermo Fisher Scientific, added, “We are committed to enabling a sustainable ecosystem that integrates talent, infrastructure, and cutting-edge technology, strengthening India’s position on the global biopharma and life sciences stage. Expanding our capability footprint through these centers demonstrates our vision to be the preferred partner for innovation, development, and manufacturing within the country.”

Significant Investment for a Growing Presence

Fluence Energy, a US-based provider of battery energy storage systems (BESS), is now exploring India as a key manufacturing and export hub. Backed by AES Corporation and Siemens, the company has begun active discussions with local partners. It aims to produce critical BESS components, including enclosures and control systems.

India Positioned for Regional and Global Supply

Bengaluru Innovation Centre Takes Lead

Fluence’s innovation centre in Bengaluru continues to play a central role in product development. Alongside this, the company plans to leverage India’s strong vendor ecosystem to support component production and localisation efforts.

Prototypes Under Review and Localisation in Progress

While commercial production timelines are still being finalised, Fluence is actively reviewing prototypes and working toward local manufacturing of key systems. This effort aligns with the company’s strategy to diversify its supply chain and reduce dependency on single-source production.

India Emerging as a Global BESS Manufacturing Hub

Fluence’s renewed focus on India highlights the country’s rising relevance in the global clean energy landscape. Strong manufacturing capabilities, a robust vendor network and increasing demand for large-scale battery storage make India a promising destination for future expansion. John Zahurancik noted, “We’ve begun discussions with local partners to produce key BESS components to serve not only the Indian market but Asia-Pacific and other neighbouring regions.”

Allcargo Logistics has significantly expanded its transshipment network from 21 to 71 centres across India to boost connectivity, speed and service reliability. This expanded footprint now covers nearly 100% of India’s GDP regions, strengthening the company’s nationwide logistics capabilities.

Strengthening India’s Domestic Supply Chain

Following a major organisational restructuring, Allcargo Logistics has upgraded and recategorised its transshipment locations to enhance domestic supply chain efficiency. The expanded network improves coverage across the North, South, East and West regions, ensuring faster and more synchronized freight movement.

To streamline operations, the centres have been classified into four categories based on daily tonnage handling capacity:

*Platinum (highest)

*Gold

*Silver

*Bronze

The structured framework enables better planning, clearer operational benchmarks and smoother cargo flow across the network.

A Transformational Shift

Ketan Kulkarni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Allcargo Logistics, said, “The recategorization of our transshipment centres from 21 to 71 marks a pivotal shift in strengthening our nationwide logistics architecture. Strong synergies between our express and consultative logistics businesses enhance our ability to deliver faster turnaround, deeper market penetration and a superior customer experience. Most importantly, this strengthens connectivity and service reliability across the country, especially in smaller cities and high-growth regional markets. This initiative reflects our continued commitment to operational excellence and building a future-ready logistics network for India.”

Enhancing Reach, Speed and Service Reliability

The expanded network enables Allcargo Logistics to serve smaller cities and fast-growing regional markets more efficiently. With better routing, improved network synchronisation and flexible infrastructure planning, the company aims to deliver:

*Shorter transit times

*Faster turnaround

*Consistent service reliability

A superior customer experience across express and consultative logistics services

Supporting Multimodal Integration and Economic Corridors

As reported by manufacturingtodayindia.com, the upgraded transshipment centres will also enhance multimodal logistics integration, ensuring seamless cargo movement across India’s major economic corridors. This strengthened network reinforces Allcargo Logistics’ position as a trusted logistics partner for businesses nationwide.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) has invited bids for detailed engineering services for the Balance of Plant (BOP) at its Visakhapatnam refinery in Andhra Pradesh.

The company has issued a rate contract tender. It aims to appoint a qualified consultant to support key engineering activities for smooth plant operations.

Scope of Work: Comprehensive Engineering Support

The scope includes drafting, 3D modelling, piping and process engineering, along with site visit support. The selected consultant will deliver end-to-end engineering services required for the effective execution of BOP activities. These services are crucial for ensuring seamless operations, improving coordination across systems, and supporting the refinery’s overall project timelines. Payments will be tied to clearly defined milestones and deliverables, aligned with the progress of assigned tasks.

Strengthening Core Refinery Operations

The Balance of Plant plays a vital role in supporting core refinery units by managing utilities, auxiliary systems, and essential infrastructure. By upgrading BOP capabilities, HPCL aims to enhance operational reliability, improve project efficiency, and ensure sustained performance at the Vizag refinery.

Expectations from the Selected Consultant

Tata Chemicals Limited unveiled a major capital investment of ₹910 crore to expand its soda ash and specialty silica production capacities in India. The plan includes adding 350 KTPA of dense soda ash at the Mithapur facility and 50 KTPA of precipitated silica at the Cuddalore plant.

These expansions will be financed through internal accruals and alternate funding sources, underscoring Tata Chemicals’ commitment to strengthening market leadership, improving cost competitiveness, and meeting evolving customer needs. The move comes as the company responds to rising demand and increasing competition across core and specialty chemical markets.

Strategic Investment Amid Strong Demand

The investment arrives at a critical moment. With consistently high utilization across key plants, Tata Chemicals is experiencing robust market demand while facing growing competition from domestic and global players.

By expanding both commodity volumes and value-added specialty materials, the company is positioning itself to anticipate shifting customer requirements and reinforce its status as a preferred supplier within a more sophisticated, solution-driven value chain.

The focus on scaling capacity also reflects the company’s push to enhance operational efficiency and cost-competitiveness. Financing the expansion through internal resources showcases Tata Chemicals’ resilience and confidence in stable cash flows, despite ongoing inflationary pressures.

Strategic Implications for Industry Leaders

While the expansion leverages strong utilization levels and existing infrastructure, it also raises the bar for adaptive capacity planning, demand forecasting, and supply chain management. As Tata Chemicals increases output, downstream distribution partners will need to absorb higher volumes and maintain alignment with evolving customer needs.

At the same time, companies across the chemical sector must prepare to engage more proactively with regulatory requirements, sustainability expectations, and audit-ready supply chain frameworks, as industry scrutiny continues to intensify.

Navigating Market Signals

As the specialty chemicals landscape grows more complex, business leaders must assess whether their current commercial and operational capabilities can support similar scale investments. Internal considerations around channel readiness, customer alignment, and cost structure optimization are becoming increasingly important.

Furthermore, organizations must remain alert to evolving end-market trends and competitor strategies—not only in terms of capacity expansion, but also regarding product mix agility, quality differentiation, and multi-channel go-to-market execution. As reported by breakthroughgroup.com, The Tata Chemicals expansion underscores the need for companies to stay responsive, strategically focused, and operationally flexible as competition accelerates and customer expectations evolve. HPCL Invites Bids for Engineering Services for Visakhapatnam Refinery BOP Project

Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has chosen Honeywell to supply advanced technologies, proprietary catalysts, equipment, and services that will help the refinery process a wider range of crude and double its production capacity by 2028. The project will significantly enhance operations at Africa’s largest refinery located in Lekki, Nigeria.

Major Capacity Expansion Targeted by 2028

Dangote will integrate Honeywell’s refining and petrochemical processing solutions—designed to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and boost throughput—to expand its refining capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. Once completed, this expansion will position Dangote as the world’s largest petroleum refinery, strengthening fuel production within Africa, reducing reliance on imports, and supporting regional energy security.

Leadership Perspectives on the Collaboration

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, said, “Our continued collaboration with Honeywell marks a significant milestone not only for Dangote’s refinery, but for Nigeria’s energy sector as a whole. With Honeywell’s advanced technologies, we can set new production standards while contributing to Nigeria’s energy independence and economic growth.”

Honeywell has supported the Lekki refinery for nearly a decade by providing advanced process technology. This new phase will allow Dangote to maximize existing infrastructure, accelerate the expansion timeline, and improve return on investment.

Rajesh Gattupalli, President, Honeywell UOP, added, “Honeywell is committed to delivering groundbreaking technologies that empower customers and strengthen regional energy security. Our work with Dangote shows how innovation and collaboration can help meet Africa’s growing energy needs.”

Boosting Petrochemical Output with Honeywell Oleflex

As part of the agreement, Dangote will license Honeywell’s Oleflex technology, which converts propane into propylene through catalytic dehydrogenation. This technology will support the production of 750,000 metric tons of propylene per year. With this addition, Dangote will increase its total polypropylene production capacity to 2.4 million metric tons per year. Polypropylene is widely used in packaging materials, consumer goods, and industrial applications.

Strengthening Africa’s Industrial Capabilities

Dangote’s Lekki refinery is the world’s largest single-train refinery, producing Euro-V quality gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and polypropylene. The latest expansion further reinforces Nigeria’s mission to become a regional hub for refined petroleum products and petrochemicals. As per the press release, Honeywell, with over 100 years of experience in the global energy industry, has licensed its process technologies and catalysts to more than 6,000 refineries and industrial facilities worldwide, underscoring its global leadership and expertise.

thyssenkrupp Uhde Fertilizer Technology (UFT), the licensing company of thyssenkrupp Uhde, signed contracts with Dangote Fertiliser Limited (DFL) to license its UFT® Fluid Bed Granulation Technology for four new urea granulation trains. These trains will be part of four upcoming fertilizer complexes in Nigeria. The agreement includes the technology license, process design package (PDP), and the supply of UFT’s proprietary granulators and scrubbers.

Major Capacity Expansion for Dangote Fertiliser

Each of the four new granulation trains will have a nameplate capacity of 4,235 metric tons per day (mtpd). Once operational, they will increase DFL’s total urea granules production capacity from the current 2.65 million tons to over eight million tons per year. These units will be located in Lekki, Nigeria, next to DFL’s two existing fertilizer complexes. The existing units, operating since 2021, also use the UFT® Fluid Bed Granulation Technology with a capacity of 3,850 mtpd each.

Energy-Efficient, Low-Emission Technology

The plants will feature UFT®’s low-pressure drop scrubbing system, which includes dust and ammonia scrubbing stages designed to meet stringent emission standards. The energy-efficient setup helps reduce environmental impact while ensuring high product quality. Additionally, the facilities will integrate Ammonia Convert Technology (ACT). ACT eliminates the ammonium sulphate bleed from the ammonia scrubbing stage by converting it into urea granules. This process improves logistics, enhances commercial value, and minimizes waste.

Leadership Insights: Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Nadja Håkansson, CEO of thyssenkrupp Uhde and Member of the Executive Board/COO of thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies, said, “This collaboration with Dangote Fertiliser Limited reflects our shared commitment to advancing sustainable industrial growth and strengthening global food security. With our proven UFT® Fluid Bed Granulation Technology, we are setting new benchmarks for efficiency and environmental performance. This partnership highlights our role as a trusted provider of innovative solutions that support resilient and sustainable value chains across Africa and beyond.”

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, added, “We are delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with thyssenkrupp Uhde Fertilizer Technology. This project reinforces our commitment to agricultural self-sufficiency and industrial development across Africa. With the UFT® technology, we will continue producing premium urea fertilizer that meets global standards while reducing environmental impact. This investment further strengthens Nigeria’s position as a major fertilizer producer.”

UFT® Technology: A Global Benchmark in Urea Production

thyssenkrupp Uhde’s UFT® Fluid Bed Granulation Technology is one of the world’s most advanced solutions for producing high-quality urea granules. Today, over 70% of global urea granule output comes from UFT® technology. As per company press release, the process consistently delivers emissions far below regulatory limits for urea dust and ammonia. More than 70 plants worldwide operate using this proven technology, including over 20 facilities producing more than 3,000 mtpd of urea. This robust and widely adopted technology continues to be a cornerstone of thyssenkrupp Uhde’s global fertilizer portfolio.