SAINT AUGUSTIN, Germany—Frimo and Hennecke have formed a partnership to supply the global automotive industry with polyurethane machinery.

JACKSON, Miss.—Innocor will increase production of polyurethane foam at its two facilities in Baldwyn, Miss., with a $4.1 million investment that also has support from the Mississippi Development Authority, Lee County and the city of Baldwyn.

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Battelle Memorial Institute, a Columbus-based research group, has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a process that eventually would make polyurethane foam from coal.

PITTSBURGH, Pa.—Covestro has entered into a long-term research partnership with the Mattress Recycling Council, a move the company hopes will improve and expand mattress recycling in the U.S.

SHANGHAI—Wanhua Chemical says it still has aspirations for a U.S. methylene diphenyl disocyanate facility, despite putting its Louisiana project on ice earlier this year.

CLEVELAND—Lubrizol has expanded its Estane ZHF portfolio of thermoplastic polyurethanes. The new grades offer benefits to cable manufacturers including low toxicity, low smoke and low gas conductivity.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Polytek will invest about $2.1 million in a new plant and facilities in Comstock Township, Mich., a suburb of Kalamazoo.

WYANDOTTE, Mich.—BASF opened a development center for its thermoplastic polyurethane materials in October.

HAMBURG, Germany—Covestro A.G. has completed the sale of its European polyurethane systems house business to a U.S. private equity firm, and the new business now has a new CEO and a new name: Plixxent.

COCHIN, India—Researchers from Cochin University of Science and Technology have developed a bio-based polyol for polyurethane from rubber seed oil.

NANTERRE, France—Faurecia has agreed to buy out the remaining 50 percent of its car interiors joint venture with Continental.

TISZUJVAROS, Hungary—Petrochemical company Mol Group marked the next step in its plan to make polyols, laying the foundation for an expansion that will allow it to control the entire value chain from crude oil extraction to polyol production, according to Chairman Zsolt Hernadi.

COLOGNE, Germany—Lanxess Urethane Systems has developed a range of prepolymers with under 0.1 wt percent free isocyanate.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Milliken, which makes colorants for polyurethane foam, is planning to build a new manufacturing facility in Singapore.

MODENA, Italy—Huntsman Corp. has extended its partnership with PU Consulting A.B., a move that allows for PU Consulting to continue its distribution of products from Huntsman's hot cast elasomter business, Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri.