Sibur plans hexene unit at Nizhnemkamskneftekhim’s petchemical complex

Russian petrochemicals major, Sibur, is planning to build a facility to produce up to 50,000-tpa of hexene at the Nizhnemkamskneftekhim (NKNK) petrochemical plant’s olefins complex. NKNK located in the Republic of Tatarstan, operates eight core production units producing rubber, plastics, monomers and other petrochemicals, on two adjacent production sites. Sibur, via its subsidiary, JSC TAIF, holds majority stake in NKNK. “Development of the technology and its piloting have been successful, and a decision was made to build the hexene facility using in-house technology at Nizhnemkamskneftekhim,” said Sibur’s head, Mr. Mikhail Karisalov, at a petrochemical forum in Kazan, Tatarstan. “This covers 125-130% of Sibur’s immediate demand, and what we used to buy in the UK and Germany. We expect to start pilot operation of this capacity within 18-20 months, and have it in our portfolio as a product from the end of 2024,” Mr. Karisalov said. Hexene is used to produce polymers. It is not currently produced in the former USSR, including in Russia, Mr. Karisalov said.

Toray looking scale up bio-based adipic acid capabilities

 Toray looking scale up bio-based adipic acid capabilities

Japan-based Toray Industries announced that it has developed the “world’s first” 100% bio-based adipic acid, a raw material for nylon 66 (polyamide 66), from sugars derived from inedible biomass. This achievement came from using a proprietary synthesis technique combining the company’s microbial fermentation technology and chemical purification technology that harnesses separation membranes. The company has started to scale up its capabilities in this area. It will test polymerisation of nylon 66, develop production technology, conduct market research, and take steps to commercialise applications for this biobased adipic acid by around 2030. Nylon 66 has been used for many years in fibres, resins, and other applications due to its exceptionally durable, strong, and rigid properties. Pressures to develop eco-friendly nylon 66 have risen in recent years amid a growing awareness of the need to realise a sustainable society. One challenge is that conventional chemical synthesis for producing adipic acid, the raw material of nylon 66, generates a greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide. Toray was the first in the world to discover microorganisms that produce an adipic acid intermediate from sugars. 

The company reconfigured metabolic pathways within microorganisms to enhance production efficiency by applying genetic engineering technology, which artificially recombines genes to streamline synthesis in microorganisms. It also employed bioinformatics technologies to design optimal microbial fermentation pathways for synthesis. Quantity of the intermediate synthesised by microorganisms has increased more than 1,000-fold since the initial discovery, and the efficiency of synthesis has improved dramatically. Toray is using reverse osmosis separation membranes to concentrate the intermediate in the purification process. This approach is more energy efficient than other methods that do not use these membranes. This bio-adipic acid production technique is free of nitrous oxide emissions, unlike the manufacturing processes for petroleum-derived adipic acid, and is expected to help combat global warming

DFE Pharma opens new Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad

 DFE Pharma opens new Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad

 DFE Pharma, the Germany-based pharma – and nutraceutical excipient solutions provider, recently opened its new Centre of Excellence –‘Closer to the Formulator’ (C2F) - in Hyderabad. The inauguration was attended by Mr. K.T. Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Industries & Commerce, Municipal Administration & Urban Departments of the Telangana government along with Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Government of Telangana, Mr. Shakthi Nagappan, Director (Life Sciences & Pharma), Government of Telangana and DFE Pharma’s leadership team and senior representatives of leading pharmaceutical companies. The centre is based in Genome Valley, the largest pharma and life sciences hub in Asia. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rama Rao, said, “I fi rmly believe that C2F will further strengthen the potential for growth and support offered by Genome Valley. The Government of Telangana will work with DFE Pharma to ensure that life sciences companies in the state leverage from this facility.” DFE Pharma said the C2F will help pharmaceutical companies to shorten the time from concept to fi nished commercial product through its expertise in all phases of pharmaceutical development. The services offered by the new centre mainly focus on oral solid dosage (OSD) forms and comprise a range of pre-registration work including development, scale-up, and technology transfer. The capabilities also include effi ciency projects like conversions from wet granulation to direct compression. The centre works with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including innovative concepts as model APIs; and with a broad portfolio of all categories of excipients and their different grades. 

Mr. Martti Hedman, CEO of DFE Pharma commented, “With our C2F centre, based at a prime location in the pharma and life sciences hub Genome Valley, we can help pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies progress their projects faster and further. Through our capabilities, we not only support our customers to develop high-quality products but also improve their effi - ciencies.” “We aim to closely work with our customers to help them develop new ideas, together we address their challenges using our expertise in the latest pharmaceutical trends” explained Dr. Anilkumar Gandhi, Director of the C2F Centre of Excellence. “The capabilities offered through this centre can reduce the time to launch a product, without compromising quality, while reducing the number of development assays and therefore decreasing formulation spending,” he added.

PM calls for concerted efforts to make India global centre of research and innovation

PM calls for concerted efforts to make India global centre of research and innovation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for concerted efforts to make India a global centre of research and innovation, and urged state governments to frame modern policies in the fi elds of science and technology. Mr. Modi lamented that unlike the western countries, India failed to adequately celebrate the works of its scientists, which turned a large section of the society indifferent towards science. 

There is a need to celebrate the achievements of Indian scientists, he emphasised, while virtually addressing the inaugural session of the Centre-State Science Conclave organised recently in Ahmedabad.

Assam captivate 16 ethanol projects worth Rs. 3,290-crore

 Assam attracts 16 ethanol projects worth Rs. 3,290-crore 

Assam has attracted 16 ethanol projects worth Rs. 3,290-crore under its Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021, the State’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed. He recently held a meeting with the promoters of seven ethanol manufacturing entities who had come forward under the policy to set up their plants. During the meet the promoters apprised the Chief Minister of their latest developments and issues. The seven entities are presently ready to commence construction and commercial production of bio-fuel by the middle of 2023. Six out of seven entities have been provided with land in Industrial Development Corporation Industrial Parks across various parts of the State including two units in IGC Matia, one unit each at Industrial Landbank in Sipajhar, ID Dhing, IGC Balipara and near Assam Plastic Park, Tinsukia. The proposed annual capacity of these seven units is 970-kld with planned investment of Rs. 1,154-crore.

trinamiX Face Authentication by BASF

trinamiX Face Authentication is the first to be certified as highly secure behind OLED

The first face authentication to pass Android Biometric Security Test and FIDO Biometric Component Certification, while the hardware is mounted behind an OLED display
Solution officially approved for integration into Android phones as well as for use in particularly sensitive applications

trinamiX Face Authentication is the world’s first to fulfill highest biometric security demands while the hardware is invisibly mounted behind an OLED display. The solution was lately put to the thorough test of accredited assessment institutes. It was certified to be spoof-proof behind OLED according to the top standards defined by AndroidTM and FIDO® Alliance. trinamiX GmbH, a German subsidiary of BASF SE, is thus taking a further step towards creating the next generation of biometric authentication for smartphones. 

Cosmo Speciality Chemicals launches organic complexing agents

 Cosmo Speciality Chemicals, a 100% subsidiary of Cosmo Films Ltd., has launched a range of organic complexing agents – Sequest SA and Sequest DM. The agents are effective in hard water and exhibit excellent chelation properties over a wide range of pH. Applicable in pre-treatment, dyeing and printing processes like desizing, bleaching, dyeing and printing, both agents prevent the corrosion of the metal. Sequest SA is a highly effi cient, eco-friendly, high temperature stable sequestering agent for Ca+2, Fe+3 and other heavy metals; while Sequest DM is a high performance demineralising agent to remove heavy metal ions from cotton and process water. The two agents form complexes by reaction of their negatively charged donor groups with polyvalent metal ions like iron present on the greige fabric and in process water.

Source : chemical weekly 

MIDC relocate 150 manufacturing units from Dombivli to Patalganga

MIDC to relocate 156 manufacturing units from Dombivli to Patalganga

 The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has taken a decision to relocate 156 chemicals, hazardous and high risk industries from Dombivli in Thane district to Patalganga in Raigad district. State Industry Minister, Mr. Subhash Desai made the announcement days after the MIDC Board gave its approval after accepting the survey of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health of these industries. “The decision to relocate the factory was taken after frequent accidents and pollution came to the fore. Dombivali Industrial Area has 525 industrial plots and there are 617 residential plots. 

The industrial units located at a distance of 50-m from residential areas, in particular, will be relocated to avoid possible accidents,” said Mr. Desai. He further added that MIDC will make an offer to convert these 156 units to engineering, information technology and non-polluting units and continue to operate on the existing plots. Mr. Desai added that units, which want to shift to Patalganga, will be provided plots to start their chemical units. “MIDC will make available lands in the Patalganga industrial estate,” he added. A MIDC offi cer said it has the list of 156 units adding that they will be approached soon on relocation to Patalganga or converting the existing chemical units into non-polluting units.

NJ Biopharmaceuticals expands facility in New Jersey

NJ Biopharmaceuticals, a leading provider of chemistry and biopharmaceutical services specialising in bioconjugation, custom synthesis, fl ow chemistry, and process development has expanded its footprint at its laboratory and headquarters at Princeton, New Jersey (USA) from 35,000 square feet to approximately 79,000 square feet. The expansion will include GMP manufacturing capabilities for bioconjugates and small molecules. With the expansion, NJ Bio will soon be able to support the development and GMP manufacturing of Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) to meet the growing demand for clinical assets in this fi eld. NJ Bio is aggressively hiring synthetic organic, bioconjugation and oligonucleotide chemists as well as analytical and QA/QC personnel to increase capacity and build up its GMP manufacturing capabilities. 

NJ Bio will also continue to operate its facility in Bristol (Pennsylvania, USA) with plans to further expand its GMP manufacturing capabilities. Commenting on the development, Dr. Nareshkumar Jain, President and CEO of NJ Bio, said, “We are laser-focused on setting up our state-of-theart GMP manufacturing suites to become operational in 2022. 

This expansion will enable us to manufacture GMP grade payload-linkers, drug candidates, and antibody-drug conjugates for phase 1-3 clinical studies for our clients.” The company said the expansion of resources and facilities is an important step to transition from being a contract research provider to a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO).

GranBio-Birla Carbon partnership for nanocellulose dispersion composite master batch

 Avapco, a subsidiary of Brazilian biotech fi rm, GranBio Technologies, has been awarded $500,000 in funding from P3Nano, a public-private partnership between the US Endowment for Forestry & Communities and the USDA Forest Service (USFS), along with an additional $230,000 from the USFS under a separate programme to advance scale-up and commercial introduction of the Nanocellulose Dispersion Composite (NDC) rubber masterbatch for the tyre and rubber goods markets. 

The breakthrough NDC masterbatch is the result of a four-year joint development program between Birla Carbon and GranBio, designed to address growing sustainability demands from the tyre industry in terms of improving both tyre rolling resistance and vehicle fuel economy through enabling the incorporation of sustainable, bio-derived nanocellulose into commercial rubber compounds. P3Nano’s funding programme targets projects designed to advance the commercialization of cellulosic nanomaterial's. 

Under the competitive award, the companies will demonstrate continuous scale-up of production of the NDC at GranBio’s biorefi nery in Thomaston, Georgia for anticipated full-scale factory and on-road tyre trials by global partners within the tyre and mechanical rubber goods industries. Under the additional competitive award from the USFS’s Wood Innovations programme, designed to expand and accelerate market growth for wood products, the companies will prepare an engineering package, market analysis, and fi nancial modelling for the fi rst NDC commercial plant. 

Mr. Bernardo Gradin, CEO of GranBio Technologies, said, “The NDC is a key example of GranBio’s mission to “Enable Net Zero” solutions through the development and deployment of sustainable biomass-based technologies across the biofuels, biochemicals, and advanced biomaterials sectors. The partnership with Birla Carbon materialises a common strategy to enable net-zero emission in tyres and the automotive value chain.”

SPARC into Bio modifying for antibody drugs Business

SPARC enters into a licensing agreement with Biomodifying for antibody drugs 

Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd. (SPARC) has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Biomodifying LLC to exclusively license Biomodifying’s intellectual property, including all patents and patent applications owned or controlled by Biomodifying, along with antibodies developed for multiple uses including for cancer. Under the agreement, Biomodifying is eligible for an upfront payment, milestone payments on pre-specifi ed clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones, as well as royalties on sales. In addition, SPARC will pay Biomodifying a percentage of payments received for sublicenses of the licensed IP. “This is an important milestone for SPARC. 

The licensing of antibodies from Biomodifying will assist us in our endeavour to transition SPARC into a company focussed on novel treatment modalities, including bi-specifi c antibodies and antibody drug conjugates,” said Mr. Anil Raghavan, CEO, SPARC. 

$2-bn chemicals jv with UAE’s TA’ZIZ

Abu Dhabi state-owned Chemicals Derivatives Company (TA'ZIZ) and Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries have agreed to start a more than $2 billion chemical production partnership in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, TA'ZIZ said in a statement on Tuesday.

The joint venture, called TA’ZIZ EDC & PVC, will construct and operate a chlor-alkali, ethylene dichloride (EDC) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production facility, the statement said.

The JV aims to export the materials to target markets in Southeast Asia and Africa as well as selling them domestically.

"Representing the first production of these chemicals in the UAE, the project will enable the substitution of imports and the creation of new local value chains, while also meeting growing demand for these chemicals globally," TA'ZIZ said.

TA'ZIZ was formed last year, also as a joint venture, by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi state-owned holding company ADQ, which own 60% and 40% respectively.

"India's need for PVC to propel its growth, and the value from the abundantly available feedstock in UAE, provides a win-win partnership for both companies," TA'ZIZ quoted Reliance's billionaire chairman Mukesh Ambani as saying.

“Representing the first production of these chemicals in the UAE, the project will enable the substitution of imports and the creation of new local value chains, while also meeting growing demand for these chemicals globally," RIL said.

Source : Mix

MRPL board approves 100% CCD acquisition from OMPL

 The board of the directors of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) has approved the acquisition of up to 100% of the compulsorily convertible debentures (CCD) issued by ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd. (OMPL) from the debenture holders for an aggregate consideration of up to Rs. 1,000-crore.

OMPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of MRPL. The fourth quarter of 2021-22 has been set as the indicative time period for the completion of the acquisition. MRPL informed the stock exchanges that the CCDs will be purchased from unrelated third parties. Upon the merger becoming effective, the CCDs shall stand extinguished and cancelled in entirety without any consideration and without any further act or deed, it informed the stock exchanges. The CCDs will be purchased at par value of Rs. 1-crore per CCD, plus accrued interest thereon. MRPL proposes to acquire up to 1,000 number of CCDs being 100% of the outstanding CCDs issued by OMPL. Credit facilities

The meeting of the board of directors of the company also approved the availing of credit facilities of an amount up to Rs. 1,025-crore from any bank / non-banking financial company / financial institutions / mutual fund / any other person, with or without security over the assets of the company. This amount will be availed for the purpose of funding the acquisition of the CCDs issued by OMPL.

On raising of funds by issuance of perpetual bonds, the board of directors advised the MRPL management to have further consultations with the proposed investors. The company informed the stock exchanges that no decision was taken in respect of issuance of perpetual bonds. OMPL has an aromatic complex in Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) with 442 acres of land. Incorporated on June 19, 2006, the Greenfield project was commissioned in October 2014 at a total cost of Rs. 6,911-crore. OMPL produces para-xylene and benzene. OMPL was jointly promoted by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) and MRPL with shareholding in the ratio of 49% and 51%, respectively.

Later, MRPL fully acquired the ONGC shares in OMPL. The boards of MRPL and OMPL have approved the scheme of amalgamation of OMPL with MRPL, and a joint application has been fi led with Ministry of Corporate Affairs on July 7, 2021

Source : Chemical Weekly

Sumitomo Chemical launches SynBio Hub

Shortly after handing over responsibility for biorational-related business to its Valent BioSciences (VBC) subsidiary in Illinois, Sumitomo Chemical has announced plans to establish SynBio Hub within its Biorational Research Centre. This is all part of the firm’s plans to build technologies using synthetic biology.

“By merging synthetic biology with the chemical technologies it has cultivated over the years as a diversified chemical company, Sumitomo Chemical is developing highly functional products that cannot be manufactured by chemical synthesis alone, as well as highly efficient, clean and energy-saving processes,” the company stated.

(Sumitomo Chemical defines biorationals as products and microbes derived from natural sources or natural products themselves, such as microbial pesticides, plant growth regulators and microbes that improve soil health.)

SynBio Hub will carry out open innovation and collaborate with the corporate venturing innovation offices in the US and Europe, and its bases in Japan, to bring on technologies based on synthetic biology. It will also conduct in-house research, including the development of producing strains and scale-up using technologies developed via the biorational business and the commercialisation of chemicals.

In October, Sumitomo Chemical realigned its group subsidiaries in the US. As part of having VBC direct all the business functions around biorationals, it appointed a new COO to oversee a Sustainable Solutions business unit and direct sales in all regions. The company currently has six new biorationals that it expects to launch in 2022 or later, subject to approval.

Earlier, in August, Sumitomo Chemical had opened a new R&D facility for conventional crop protection products at in San Ramon, California. This is the US headquarters of Valent, its crop protection business, and the new site integrates a number of operations hitherto scattered around Northern California.

Azelis now in India

Azelis has acquired Spectrum Chemicals and Nortons Exim in India from the Mehta family on undisclosed terms. Both specialise in the distribution of speciality chemicals for home care, road markings, agrochemicals and other applications. Current owner Parindu Mehta will remain at the helm.

The company said that this will give it better access to other regions of India – Spectrum has offices in Mumbai and New Delhi – plus cross-selling opportunities in related markets and growth in agrochemicals and road marking. It plans to set up an agrochemicals lab to support three it already runs in India for CASE, personal care and food.

Azelis has been active in India since 2008 and has quadrupled its sales since 2018, according to Laurent Nataf, CEO and president in the Asia-Pacific region. This has come through a mixture of organic growth and acquisitions in the food and pharma sectors via MK Ingredients and Zhaveri respectively.

Tamilnadu Petroproducts to increase projects worth over Rs 450 crore

The projects include increasing Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) capacity from 120,000 TPA to 145,000 TPA at an estimated cost of about Rs 240 crore. The project would be commissioned in about 24 months, post regulatory approvals.
The caustic soda unit of the heavy chemical division (HCD) plant is proposed to be revamped at an estimated cost of Rs 165 crore by replacing the mono-polar membrane technology with a more advanced world-class bipolar membrane technology.

The per day capacity is expected to be increased from 150 TPD to 250 TPD and would be completed in about 18 months after statutory clearances. At present, the average capacity utilisation of the HCD plant is about 90 per cent.

Boosting to the Indian pharmaceutical sector

The government is considering launching a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme in the chemical sector to boost domestic manufacturing and exports. Addressing a webinar on 'Implementation Strategy of Budget Announcement 2021-22', Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Friday said the government is working on a consultative approach in forming the policies for India's chemicals and petrochemicals sector.

The webinar was organised by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals and FICCI. "Implementations of the Budget announcements cannot be done only by the government. "We should take our industry in confidence so that implementations can start from first week of April. The challenge for the government is to now match the suggestions of the industry with the implementation part," he was quoted as saying in a FICCI statement.

Alkyl Amines Chemicals’ board think about expansion plan

 Alkyl Amines Chemicals has informed its board of directors will consider the proposal for setting up of “new project(s) including amines” during its meeting scheduled for February 2, 2021. In a stock exchange fi ling, the fi rm said the board will also consider the proposal of sub-division of equity shares of the company from the face value of Rs. 5 to a lower denomination. Further, the company added that in the said meeting, the board will approve fi nancial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 31. The board will also consider the declaration of interim dividend, if any, on the equity shares of the company for the fi nancial year 2020-21. share of existing products. “Increased competition from global and domestic players are putting pressure on sales prices. Increase in prices of certain raw materials has also put pressure on contribution. 

However, with the global growth of chemicals focused more on Asia, it is expected that there will be further growth in the chemical industry,” the management said in FY20 annual report. During the year 2020-21, the management expects investments in various projects to add to both the top-line and bottom-line. The company will continue with its efforts for improving bottom-line by expanding product-range while re-looking at business strategies and models, wherever necessary, it said. Generally, a company plans to go for a stock split to make the shares more affordable for small retail investors and increase liquidity. In the past one year, the company’s stock has rallied 240%. For the year 2020-21, the management said the company’s focus will continue on sustainable growth by taking measures for increasing market.

Praj ranked as ‘2nd company’ in global bio-economy for 2021

US-based, Biofuels Digest, has ranked Pune-based Praj Industries second in a list of world’s hottest companies that have made outstanding contribution to the global bio-economy by developing and deploying sustainable decarburization solutions using innovative technologies that help preserve the environment. Additionally, Praj has also secured third ranking in the newly introduced ‘Biodesign & Engineering’ category that recognizes companies for their capabilities in innovations and services in commercial-scale operations and products. 

 RECOGNITION Praj ranked as ‘2nd hottest company’ in global bio-economy for 2021 Praj’s growing prowess as a technology leader is refl ected in company’s rapid rise in these annual rankings in past few years. Praj was ranked #34 in 2018 and forayed into top 10 with #8 in 2019. Earlier in 2020, Praj was ranked No. 1 among the best places to work in the advanced bioeconomy by Biofuels Digest. While congratulating Praj on this achievement, Mr. Jim Lane, Editor and Publisher of Biofuels Digest, said, “It’s the highest ranking ever achieved by a company out of Asia, and the highest ever for an engineering services company.

This year, the invited international selectors and subscribers agreed that Praj Industries has become a world-leader in the transition to renewable fuels and bio-based chemicals. Voters have taken note of the company’s great record of achievement in fi rst-generation fuels, now complemented by breakthrough second-generation technologies that have led to partnerships for progress all around the globe. We’ve seen for several years a decisive shift towards renewables all across India and Praj is in the front of that movement.”

UPL new manufacturing facility at Jhagadia for production of Clethodim herbicide

 UPL Ltd. has announced the opening of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Jhagadia, Gujarat, for the production of Clethodim, one of the largest selective post-emergence herbicides in the world used to control annual and perennial grasses in a wide variety of crops. Clethodim was brought into the UPL product portfolio through the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience; after only 20 months post-integration, the company’s vision of expanding its in-house production capabilities has become a reality. “The addition of the Jhagadia facility to our global manufacturing site network demonstrates UPL’s ability to act quickly and with agility in order to provide agriculture solutions that address farmer pain points,” Mr. Diego Lopez Casanello, Global Chief Operating Offi cer of UPL, said. AGROCHEMICALS UPL opens manufacturing facility at Jhagadia to produce Clethodim herbicide The development of Clethodim was driven with the objective to safely provide global solutions that strengthen farmer resiliency and meet increased demand requirements primarily due to weed resistance to the commonly used herbicide, Glyphosate. 

The investment significantly improves UPL’s competitive position and strengthens its market leadership in this key molecule. “As farmers around the world continue to rely on UPL for consistent and reliable supply of high-quality crop protection solutions, UPL is excited to increase production of Clethodim to support the growing demand,” said Mr. Raj Tiwari, Global Head of Supply Chain & Manufacturing at UPL. “Along with our in-house manufacturing production, we will continue to leverage our strategic external manufacturing partnerships already in place as a key part of our strategy to meet the needs of growers globally.” UPL’s facility at Jhagadia is fully automated and DCS controlled, including the latest process technologies in the chemical industry. Through inhouse production, UPL will leverage its manufacturing capabilities and cost leadership, making Clethodim more widely available to farmers across multiple geographies. With more than 150 new jobs created, the facility is fully operational and will continue to ramp up production efforts in the coming weeks and months, UPL said in a press release.